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In the last two days, two separate investigations at airports on the East Coast came out with the same message: Fliers beware when somebody at the airport weighs your bag.
A nationwide survey today revealed that the biggest gripe of air travelers is baggage fees. Now these two investigations raise a question: When the airlines charge fees for overweight bags, do they, or you, know how much that bag really weighs?
When people check bags at Delta, over 50 pounds costs an extra $90. Most people assume the digital display gives the correct weight.
"As far as I know. Of course, I didn't weigh them before I left home, so I really can't tell," said Lauren Sompayrac, a traveler from Driggs, Idaho.
But NBC visited five airports and found problems at four. Some scales wouldn't reset to zero, giving incorrect weights; one was out of whack 37 pounds. An investigation by New York City found 14 percent of the scales wrong at JFK International Airport.
Coincidentally, we noticed a family in Salt Lake checking the scales for fun by putting two daughters aboard. Together, they weighed around 63 pounds, just what Dad expected. "Right on, yes. Dead on," said Brian Hultman, from Jackson, Wyo.
But, mother knows best. "I think they have a few things stashed in their pockets," Wendy Hultman said. "They're a little over, just a tad."
The state's inspection system is presumably more scientific. They test each scale and put on a certification sticker at least once a year. All of them this year proved to be accurate within one pound.
"We haven't heard anything this year, any complaints from consumers about discrepancies at the airport. Plus, with our inspection we believe the scales are accurate," said Larry Lewis, with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
Like it or not, Delta is adding a new luggage fee Dec. 5. The very first checked bag will cost $15 dollars. Until now, the first bag was free.
Making it slightly more palatable, the airline is lowering the second-bag charge from $50 to $25.
E-mail: jhollenhorst@ksl.com
