Brain Farts & Overweight Bags

May 17, 2009

in Luggage Stories

My wife and I packed a suitcase together. At check-in the bag as weighed. I was told it weighed 68 lbs and asked if I would like to remove anything. I could reduce the load by a few pounds but not 18 lbs. I paid the $50 fee for an overweight bag. This took some time as the attendant had a condition which she described as “brain farts.” Also, the person ahead and behind me were overweight as well.

Upon arrival in the destination city, I purchased a new piece of luggage to split up our stuff and avoid the overweight fee. When we departed, the bags were weighed together and totaled 55 lbs. This was with the addition of several items purchased on the trip including the new suitcase.

I wrote a letter to the airlines and explained the situation. They wrote back and said the fee would stands as 55 lbs was still over the limit. They would or could not understand that a new piece of luggage, easily over 5 lbs, was added to the total.

For $50, USAirways lost a long time customer.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Roto13 May 13, 2009 at 8:13 pm

It took me a minute to figure out why it mattered if the people ahead of and behind you were overweight. I thought you were just being a douchebag about fat people. xD

Reply

Hugh May 14, 2009 at 2:37 am

Didn't you weight it before leaving home? Did you look at the scale when they weighed it at the airport? Sounds like the mistake was your for not contesting it at the time.

Reply

Nacho May 14, 2009 at 5:24 am

Haha, I was wondering why the people being overweight was significant, too. Then it hit me.

And this made me LOL IRL:

"[…] as the attendant had a condition which she described as "brain farts.""

Reply

Anonymous May 19, 2009 at 5:44 am

why did they weigh the two bags together? wasn't it 50lbs per person?

Reply

Thi Halpern January 2, 2013 at 3:15 pm

I don't understand this post. When a baggage is weighed, it isn't only the weight of the contents that matter. The weight INCLUDES the weight of the luggage itself. You have a limit of 50lbs and you were 5lbs overweight.

Reply

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