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The reason, generally, you are charged more for heavier luggage has got nothing to do with jet fuel consumption and everything to do with higher baggage handlin
by VolatileVoid 15y ago
The reason, generally, you are charged more for heavier luggage has got nothing to do with jet fuel consumption and everything to do with higher baggage handling fees. Since handlers don't actually have to carry obese people (that's a job for the person's legs), it makes complete sense to charge for heavier luggage rather than heavier people.
- masklinn 15y agoBaggage handlers are not paid by baggage weight, so that does not make much sense. Jet fuel consumption, on the other hand, is heavily impacted by airframe weight.
- piggity 15y agoI suspect the fees aren't always about cost, but rather a subtle encouragement to customers to do certain activities. I had a bike bag weighing 27kg and a second piece weighing 15kg. Well under the 46kg I could take on for no charge. The airline (Qantas) wanted to charge me an overweight charge for the bike bag - but were happy for me to park in front of the counter for 5 minutes while I moved heavy items between bags to balance them out. I didn't really care; it was a financial motivation to keep my weights at an easier to manage level. I imagine that overweight bags require different workers, who might be on a different pay scale - and so there is a cost to moving 27+15kg vs 22kg+20kg.
- vacri 15y agoIf you have double the items of luggage, you need double the number of handlers to move it through in the same amount of time. Excess baggage isn't all about the weight, it's a just a convenient and public-understandable thing to focus on, and gives them incentive to pack less.
- kahawe 15y agoBaggage storage is very limited and usually packed full way more than passenger cabin space.