To think travellers should be weighed WITH their luggage when travelling.

[Bakergram]

I'm prepared for backlash.

I was charged excess for my hand luggage as it was over a certain weight- that's absolutely fine. The combined total weight for myself and my cabin baggage was approx 69 kg. My friend wasn't charged because their luggage wasn't overweight yet the combined total for them and their luggage was over 90kg. My friend joked about how unfair it was.

Surely it would be fairer to use the combined weigh of traveller and cabin luggage to determine and excess fees due?

& your suggestion for weighing everyone with their luggage is what? The admin would cost more than the discounts they can give for taking luggage up to a certain weight - and they only have a certain space for cabin luggage.

My mum is slight - should she be able to take a bigger / heavier bag because she weighs 7 stone. Or do they have to weigh everyone and their luggage - get people to weigh people before they check in - ludicrous - where would they put the weighing scales. Queues are long enough.

I presume you are joking. Otherwise this is nonsense.

@donquixotedelamancha Ha ha - perhaps like a dwarf star :)

I wasn't fussed about paying the extra, I had bought extra items and knew I'd have to pay.

If it's a case of more weight= more fuel then I honestly don't see why it matters where that weight is coming from.

you are correct.
this used to be done in the early days of civil aviation.
to calculate fuel usage.
and balance loading.

I flew a lot when pregnant. I wouldn't have minded paying more. I think we should all be charged in accordance with the actual fuel we'll use on the plane. Why should I subsidize rugby players? It's another way most women are paying to cover the costs of most men.

Framing it about weight instead of about the misogyny of this "equal" (but not equitable) policy is a red herring to keep us fighting each other.

Given that all cases are weighed any way what difference would it really make if you stood on the scales with them or not?

I don't care if it's unpopular I think the OP has a point. As a world we're getting fatter and tough measures are needed. People are too quick to claim they're victims all the time. And no, of course nobody thinks disabled people should pay more for the weight of their necessary equipment but in general paying on a broad weight scale IS fair and that's exactly why airlines now charge separately for baggage. Weight of people is the next logical step.

They've got scanners that can pick up 100ml of liquid in your hand luggage, I think they could manage some sort of automated weighing system when you do automatic check in/bag check at the machine and refund your card the excess.

The workflow is straightforward. They just need to actually put their minds to it and budget to do it in the first place.

Definitely an everyday sexism issue which is why no one has changed it.

If tall people have to pay more, can we have extra legroom please? Very unfair to charge us extra for being bigger but not give us extra space.

But surely your teeny tiny clothes weigh less than the voluminous tents of us fatties, so you shouldn't need as much space in your suitcase? You should get a lower luggage allowance to account for your lower weight clothing.

I can see your logic, but still no

That wasn't my problem. I didn't question the policy for charging, I'm questioning how they measure the weight.

Well , some people may not choose to stand on weighing scales in front of everyone else. and the time this would take would make queues longer.

The sensible thing in my view is is to keep cabin baggage to a limit & then there will be those heavier , those lighter but will probably balance out amongst a plane full of passengers

Every time I fly I think taller people should get extra leg room!

I think you have a point. Unpalatable as it is to some, you so have a point.

The weight limit on the cabin bags is more about safety than fuel costs. The extra fuel to carry an extra kilo or two is negligible in the grand scheme of things. But those bags travel in plastic boxes above people’s heads. Those boxes can only safely carry a certain amount of weight. If all the Skinnie Minnies decide it’s ok to take a 20kg bag on board with them because they weigh less than other people, the boxes will break. The bags will fall on top of people and injure them. The fee is not so much about fuel but more about discouraging people from bringing too much on board. Time and experience shows that penalising people financially is the most effective way to discourage it.

And a narrower seat. I’ll bet you could get four teeny tiny people in a row.

But I suspect the OP is only in favour of measures which make things uncomfortable for other people, and not her wee self.

But there are medical conditions that cause weight gain. This would be indirect discrimination, wouldn't it?

It's a case of we are an airline and want to make money

Your weight is already included in your ticket price. Its a small proportion of that. You don't get charged more it you use the toilet more, or call the attendants more, so you don't get charged more of you weigh more.

Your suggestion would be a discrimination to people which don’t think it’s legal.
the rules for the suitcase are there for a reason so that people don’t take the piss and if they do then they pay extra.

Uncomfortable? Nothing uncomfortable about it.

Just go with BMI. The higher your BMI, the more you pay.

The case limits are to protect the baggage handlers backs!
Preumably you don't fancy being chucked on the conveyor belt and dumped in the hold (although to be fair that sounds quite fun!)

But weight isn't just how fat you are

Pregnant people weigh more, taller people weigh more. Disabled people may weigh more if they have e.g. wheelchairs/equipment.

...and the bigger your allocated seat.