I don’t know why this keeps getting posted everywhere. Workers have a lift limit the extra cost is for the extra person to handle the bag.
I’d also suspect humans on a plane will follow a normal distribution in terms of weight. The aircraft weight/loading is done on an average sized person (which used to be 75kg if I remember correctly). Conversely every motherfucker will load their luggage with as much shit as possible if it’s not limited.
Who gets the money for that extra work?
If baggage handlers were paid the extra bag fee people would be queuing round the airport to work there…
Apparently a standard carry on is about 45 cm³, or 1.60 ft³. If you fill it with water, that would weigh about 45kg/100 lb.
That would be a lot of 100ml containers…
If I pay an extra €50 to go from 19kg to 23kg, does the worker get paid more?
Thought not.
So all suitcases between 19 and 23kg are loaded by 2 people at a time?
Bullshit. It’s a fake cost and everyone knows it.
Thankfully some airlines just go with the “you need to be able to lift it into the overhead bin” approach source airline.
OSHA.
The throwers have a union to stop them from killing themselves, which means we don’t give them 40kg things to break their backs regularly and anything over 22kgs they buddy lift or get a hoist or something.
Thought it was just airlines being airlines too, but this makes complete sense, don’t be dicks about other people’s health.
i was in favor of total weight based pricing, but this changed my mind.
may the backs of the people kicking around my luggage be in perfect health
Same, went from ‘you greedy mother-fuckers’ to ‘I am right with you fam’.
Amazed they don’t explain it more, it makes them actually seem human for once.
because airlines do not actually care about their workers and just comply with the regulations half assedly. they cannot fathom compassion for human resources or assume milking it would backfire.
Time for me to say this again:
THE WEIGHT LIMIT ON LUGGAGE IS TO PROTECT BAGGAGE HANDLERS FROM INJURY. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TAKE OFF OR LANDING WEIGHT.
They carry literal caskets with dead parts on commercial flights… that’s definitely heavier
Right, so everyone should be allowed to bring on a coffin size suitcase with at least 100kg with of weight now? They plan that out in advance so unless you are going to inform the airline well in advance that you’re bringing a corpse’s weight of luggage on board, my point still stands.
“They bring bodies on board so I can bring a 100kg suicase” is a level of logic only seen when a Karen screams at some poor customer service person because her plane was cancelled due to a hurricane as if there’s a secret network of hurricane proof planes that are only unlocked if you act like a bitch.
If you are there handling heavy items all day, you’re gonna get injured. That doesn’t just fuck up the workers (meaning they can’t go to work) but it costs the company money too (because they need to replace those handlers).
Think of it like this, you know how the X-Ray tech has to go into a little shielded room while you are getting X-Rayed, but you are still exposed to the full force of the X-Ray? That’s not because they care about their safety more than yours, it’s because one x-ray is fine (what your getting), but the x-ray tech does tens, maybe hundreds a day, and that builds up to radiation poisoning.
Now replace “X-Ray Radiation” with Repetitive Strain and back injuries" and “X-Ray” with the Suitcase full of Drugs your smuggling into the Netherlands, and you get the idea.
If that’s all it is, then just slap a bright red tag on the over weight bags to warn the handlers. Right?
Not quite.
You know how X-Ray Techs go into a little room to protect themselves while you get your x-ray? That’s because while you are only getting one (1) x-ray, maybe two (2), they have to do tens or hundreds a day, and the raditation levels from that can cause them harm, while you getting one or two x-rays is fine.
Now replace x-ray with your overweight bag filled with cheap Scotch you got from the Duty Free at EDI and “Radiation” with knee and back injuries from doing that over and over again for eight hours a day, and you can see why both the Unions and the Companies would object to unlimited baggage weight for passengers as workers will be out of work from injuries and companies will have to pay them compensation and find someone to replace them.
If individual passenger weight was enough to prevent take off, then very few people would be able to fly.
Now every single bag is overweight and they have to lift all of them all day. I suspect a few is ok but they really want to discourage too many of them so they are not lifting too many heavy weights all day.
I’ve always assumed you pay extra because multiple people have to carry the bag around after you check it, and that’s harder/more dangerous at higher weights.
In warehouses, you gotta go get your lift belt and often a partner if something is over a certain weight, and you aren’t covered by workman’s comp if you just try to do it quickly without those, so it’s a serious hassle.
I always assumed it was more about the conveyors and such your bag goes through before even getting to those folks. Heavier bags mean more wear and tear and maintenance on those machines.
Honestly, it’s probably a little bit of both along with just deterring some cohort of people from bringing too much stuff because they don’t want to pay the fees.
The extra fuel cost doesn’t even remotely compare to the cost of an injured baggage handler and their lost wages.
Using that logic, the extra charge doesn’t come close to the cost of an injured baggage handler and their lost wages. If that was the reason, they would reject it outright or split it into multiple bags.
