[fplusforairtran]

We all know that choosing air-tran for flights these days is truly about the purse strings. they go as far as to lure their customers with "WEB" specials. Well i found out today why they can afford to give these specials and its real simple, they cheat you once you arrive. most travelers are aware now that we now have to pay for our luggage, piece by piece and who travels without luggage right? They know this, so they allow you 5o lbs with standard sized luggage knowing that even if you make the weight you will not meet the measurement requirements because most of the new pieces of luggages have side pockets and compartments with extra zippers. these extra compartments will cause you to have to pay an extra 39.50 even when there empty. also they rig their scales, each scale has a different read for the same luggage. Here's my story:
I arrived at the curbside this morning afraid my luggage would be overweight.(on a strict budget can't afford the 2nd piece cost) sure enough it was. 72lbs to be exact, my fault of course`(this would have been a 79.00 fee) so i'm digging in the bag trying to remove things to make it lighter and put it in my carry on but still cannot make weight, still 14 lbs over (now 39.50).a nice sky cab suggest i go to the post office inside and mail some of the things to my second destination so i have no choice and do this. (only 15.00) I go back to the curb side counter and Herby (2nd sky cab) lifts saying its still to heavy but once he places it on the scale its exactly 49lbs BUT...it does not now meet the measurements. pockets are all empty. I have used this luggage for the last 2 years traveling with airtran and never a problem b4.( the last time being before the luggage fee was implemented Nov 08) i informed him of this and he refers me to his supervisor stating to me "he does not make the rules" I proceed to go over to Cheryl who does not give me her last name but writes down she is a specialist. I explain the details and she puts it on her scale which now says its 53 lbs but it measures fine. she says i hae to pay 39.50. I inform her that their scales are wrong, and advised her to call herby over. he comes over confirms what the weight was (49lbs) telling her what it measured for him which was not what she measured at. She chooses a 3rd scale. this time putting me at 51lbs and they still want the 39.50! stating i do apologize but you are still overweight and have to pay and she walks off. thinking what else i could remove i choose my make up bag which was not even 1lb but when its back on the 2nd scale and i'm now at 50.5 and another sky cab decides i can now be checked in. I wonder how many more people have had to pay the 39.50 because their scales are not correct or their pockets makes it a few inches off . First of all I am the customer why was I subjected to this inconsistency at 630am? Im glad that she did check all 3 scales because now i know there is nothing special about airtran.

[mars6423]

the scales may have been read differently due to the position your bag was in, i know it sounds stupid and crazy how could it change weight?

if the bag isnt completely on the scale it will come up with different readings, and if the bag is to the left or right of the center where it is measured than it will throw the weight off

i am only suggesting this because when i weigh my stuff at home on the electric scales it comes up with different weights, and it is the same thing with counter check-in, i am not sure with road/curb side check-in as im not sure exactly how they check the weights there

[fplusforairtran]

That is inexcusable when it cost me money and frustration! I watched each time it was weighted they place it in the center and presses it against the back side of the scale for the measuring process so your theory does not fly. As i see in other emails from customers again i say customers, there have been several complaints about this issue in itself, so airtran needs to investigate and solve the problem. I do not believe this will be done because it is a way to get additional money without charging it to ticket prices which helps with keeping them afloat. Last night as I demonstrated to my friends the final result which was removing my makeup bag, the entire subject wrapped itself up to airtran wanting to charge me 39.50 for this little case that fit into the palm of my hand weighing by airtrans scale 2.5 lbs. Not to mentioned that I am still upset at the frustration level i was put at while attempting to take a vacation. My plan is to post this info on as many sites as possible. I also plan to download the pic of my makeup bag on you tube showing that airtran demanded 39.50 for that bag. when I return I also plan to stand at the curbside check in and when other customers have this problem I will suggest that they have the sky cabs try different scales. I will be documented how often this happens and if i am proved correct i will go to the better business bureau as well as the media to expose airtran of their cheating ways..Now I am curious what is your relationship to airtran? The fact that this is a complaint web site leads me to believe you are an employee. My statement to youif that is the case, and because you stand so strong with this scam why don't you do something to make it better so that your customers are happy!

[mars6423]

i didnt say that it isnt frustrating or anything, i agree that it sucks and is very annoying

i was just sayin that sometimes placement of the bag may effect the scales

i have never flown airtran, i dont even believe they are even in the area i am in, honestly i have never heard of them, i dont work for any airline

the airlines i do fly with are singapore airlines, virgin atlantic, british airways, qantas, and a few others, but i have never and dont work for any airline

i was just offering my opinion sayint that bag placement can effect the scales, which can either be a good thing or a bad thing and you took it out of context and somehow came to the conclusion that i worked for the airline

and how do i standso strong with this scam? explain that to me

everytime that i have checked in the scales have read the same wieght they did at home when i weighed them

im not sayin that somethin mayb funky over at airtran coz i would have no idea, but with the airlines i fly they are legitimate when it comes to bags being weighed, and a few times when someone was a lb or less they would let it go through no extra cost

[PHXFlyer]

fplusforairtran - here in Phoenix one of the local news channels did an investigative report on the baggage scales at the airport. Guess what? Most were not "zeroed" properly and many were just wrong. They had a representative from the weights and measures bureau along who did the testing so it was all legit.

If you ever encounter a problem when having a bag weighed ask them to reset the scale or use another. Make sure that the scale reads zero before placing your bag on it. Finally if you feel the scale is still wrong contact he weights and measues bureau. They inspect devices from gas pumps to deli scales to ensure accuracy. Of course it will not solve your immediate problem of having to pay excess baggage fees but if you make a note of the exact scale used and it is later found to be faulty you can request a refund.

[abutterfinger25]

PHXFlyer is correct.

Was this investigaative report done on Southwest's operation? I recall hearing about one at a Southwest station and the scales were wrong - but in the passenger's favor.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by abutterfinger25

PHXFlyer is correct.

Was this investigaative report done on Southwest's operation? I recall hearing about one at a Southwest station and the scales were wrong - but in the passenger's favor.

They went to scales at all three terminals including Southwest's. If I recall US Airways had the most scales that were not accurate however they are the largest carrier with the most check-in positions.

[PHXFlyer]

From the report:

The three scales which received the most serious red tag violations were part of Southwest’s operations. The others were at US Airways counters, which received yellow tag violations on 25 of its 46 scales.
The three red-tagged Southwest scales were not calibrated properly and started below zero. Though the underreporting error would work in customers’ favor, the DWM said it was still indicative of a faulty scale and needed to be fixed. The other problems were relatively small and included issues such as digital readouts not working properly.

So if you were traveling Southwest you got a break if your bag was weighed on one of those scales. No breakdown of what the issues were with 25 out of 46 scales at US Air but knowing the "corporate culture" at that airline I'm sure if a scale started out reading a pound or two empty probably nothing was done about it. Doug Parker and his cohorts will make a buck any way they can!

[bah humbug]

At the airport where I work, the scales are callibrated by the airport authority about every 3 months. That is not to say that a scale can't be wrong. A heavy item placed on the scale the wrong way can throw it out of wack, (not very often) but the agent or the airline will not likely be aware of the problem. I had a passenger who was insisting that our scale was incorrect and he was not going to pay for his overweight bag. I offered to call the airport authority to come prove that the scale was or was not correct. Of course, not wanting to look like an idiot, he said he was not going to wait for them (his flight was not for a couple of hours), so he paid for the bag and took my name and was going to file a complaint. Haven't heard a word. So many passengers are just blowing smoke because they think that is they take our name and say they are going to write a letter, that we will get "scared" and let it go....it is psychological BS and it does not work. I welcome any letter. I will probably be comended for doing my job.