Greg3322 From United States, joined Aug 2004, 144 posts, RR: 1 Posted (3 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1691 times:
My boss and I were flying OAK-LGB on B6. We both had carry-on sized roller bags, but we elected to check them in. His was 33 lbs, mine was 32. The customer service agent told us they were too heavy for the size of bag. I had never heard of such a thing. She then began to question both of us what was in the bags. I just said "Clothes". She continued to grumble and tagged the bags and put them on the conveyor belt and we were on our way. When we claimed our bags, they had "Heavy" tags on them.
MrChips From Canada, joined Mar 2005, 644 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (3 months 1 week 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 1554 times:
Your bag was labeled heavy because there is a possibility of injury. Ramp rats generally equate small bags to small weights, and as such, could injure themselves if they give it aren't ready for the weight when they move it. Don't laugh, I've seen people wrench their backs doing exactly that.
Having said that, there's nothing funnier than watching a co-worker bash himself in the face when he yanks a huge and heavy looking (but empty) suitcase off a baggage carousel.
Starlionblue From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 12737 posts, RR: 57 Reply 5, posted (3 months 1 week 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 1512 times:
Quoting 474218 (Reply 4): The only thing I have to say is that if you and your boss packed 65 lbs of clothes between the two of you, I hope you stay was at least a month!
There is that. After years of biz travel, I learned the art of packing a carry-on with all my clothes for a week, a laptop, a couple of paperbacks. Never more than about 25lb.
Luckily my wife is as good. Two weeks vaca with two kids = 70kg total including a double stroller, some baby meals, diapers...
My real self is a Blood Elf Mage in Azeroth. Meet him on Boulderfist.
Greg3322 From United States, joined Aug 2004, 144 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (3 months 1 week 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 1484 times:
Quoting 474218 (Reply 4): The only thing I have to say is that if you and your boss packed 65 lbs of clothes between the two of you, I hope you stay was at least a month!
Are you kidding? That is a light packing job for me 8-). I usually bring twice as much crap. We were working at a trade show and you get all kinds of free junk to lug back home, especially a lot of marketing brouchures and such. Other than that, it was just some everyday clothes, a sports coat, and some shoes.
I'm getting better about packing light. I guess with the new baggage rules, I'll be getting real good at it!
WILCO737 From Germany, joined Jun 2004, 4038 posts, RR: 68 Reply 8, posted (3 months 1 week 21 hours ago) and read 1437 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
Quoting Starlionblue (Reply 7): My basic rule is to lay out everything you need on the bed. then you take away half. Wink
Good idea. I usually put way too much into my suitcase and then when I want to close it I look at it and think: nooooo, there won't even fit anything in anymore, what if I bought something on my tour. So I check again and remove some of the stuff and then I am fine And many times I have to carry my suitcase on my own, put it on those stupid x- ray machines which are so high, so I don't want it to be too heavy. But for a 12 day trip into frigging cold airports you have quite some stuff with you...
WILCO737 (MD11F)
If it ain't Boeing (or McDonnell Douglas), I am not going.
Petteri From United States, joined Aug 2007, 119 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (3 months 1 week 19 hours ago) and read 1415 times:
Quoting MrChips (Reply 3): Your bag was labeled heavy because there is a possibility of injury.
Yes, but this may mess up the weight and balance calculations. If a bags are counted as "heavy" when they are not the overall load will seem higher than is actually is. I don't think a bag should be tagged as a heavy bag unless it is actually over the standard bag weight as defined by the weight and balance guidelines.
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Mayor From United States, joined Mar 2008, 1393 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (3 months 1 week 18 hours ago) and read 1405 times:
Quoting MrChips (Reply 3): Your bag was labeled heavy because there is a possibility of injury. Ramp rats generally equate small bags to small weights, and as such, could injure themselves if they give it aren't ready for the weight when they move it. Don't laugh, I've seen people wrench their backs doing exactly that.
Then they're not doing it right. When you first grab the bag, either by the handle or picking it up with both arms, you can roughly tell how heavy a bag is, in that moment. 30-35 lbs isn't much really, especially when a carrier uses about 25 lbs as their "average bag weight" for weight and balance purposes. A 30 lb small bag is easier to handle than a 60 lb duffle bag, for sure.
“Running an airline is like having a baby: fun to conceive, but hell to deliver.” C.E. Woolman
TheGreatChecko From United States, joined Mar 2004, 789 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (3 months 1 week 16 hours ago) and read 1377 times:
Quoting Greg3322 (Thread starter): My boss and I were flying OAK-LGB on B6. We both had carry-on sized roller bags, but we elected to check them in. His was 33 lbs, mine was 32. The customer service agent told us they were too heavy for the size of bag. I had never heard of such a thing. She then began to question both of us what was in the bags. I just said "Clothes". She continued to grumble and tagged the bags and put them on the conveyor belt and we were on our way. When we claimed our bags, they had "Heavy" tags on them.
What is up with this?
Greg
I'd day she was a bit confused.
Carry on bags, when checked, and any checked bag has a standard weight of 30 pounds. Heavies, at least where I fly, are considered to weigh 60 pounds.
She may have recently read the weight and balance manual or some obscure reference to it in the customer service manual and thought that any bag over 30 pounds is considered heavy.
At least she didn't try to charge you for a "heavy" bag.
Nomadd22 From United States, joined Feb 2008, 286 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (3 months 1 week 16 hours ago) and read 1360 times:
Quoting Mayor (Reply 10): Then they're not doing it right.
Maybe you should try tossing a couple hundred bags on a belt before you criticize
someone for warning a handler that a bag that looks like it weighs 15 pounds really weighs 35.
You're lifting and tossing all in one motion all day long and knowing that a particular bag weighs a lot more than it looks makes life a lot easier and loading a lot quicker.
TheGreatChecko From United States, joined Mar 2004, 789 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (3 months 1 week 15 hours ago) and read 1350 times:
Quoting Petteri (Reply 12): Perhaps she was getting confused with the carry on weight limit?
That's what I was thinking too...
I think the agent was probably bombarded with a ton of memos concerning checking bags, didn't have enough time to really read and digest the info, and it came out all scrambled at the other end.
I've seen some of the memos that the CS agents get and I could see it could be quite tough to keep it all straight, especially when overworked and fatigued.
Starlionblue From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 12737 posts, RR: 57 Reply 16, posted (3 months 1 week 10 hours ago) and read 1290 times:
Quoting WILCO737 (Reply 13): Carry on luggage 35lbs!? That's pretty heavy for carry on... fight
Isn't it at most airlines around 8kgs (rougly 17lbs.) ?
Carry on limits in North America are way higher than in Europe of the Far East. In my experience in North America they don't care that much as long as you are able to lift it into the overhead.
My real self is a Blood Elf Mage in Azeroth. Meet him on Boulderfist.
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 9294 posts, RR: 62 Reply 17, posted (3 months 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 1223 times:
Quoting WILCO737 (Reply 8): And many times I have to carry my suitcase on my own, put it on those stupid x- ray machines which are so high, so I don't want it to be too heavy.
Mayor From United States, joined Mar 2008, 1393 posts, RR: 1 Reply 19, posted (3 months 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 1179 times:
Quoting Nomadd22 (Reply 14): Maybe you should try tossing a couple hundred bags on a belt before you criticize
someone for warning a handler that a bag that looks like it weighs 15 pounds really weighs 35.
You're lifting and tossing all in one motion all day long and knowing that a particular bag weighs a lot more than it looks makes life a lot easier and loading a lot quicker.
I have. If you're visually trying to figure out how much a bag weighs, that plane will be there all day. Like I said, you can roughly determine how much a bag weighs, when you first grab it.
When you have that many bags coming up the belt, you've got take them as they come. Many times, you might not see the heavy tag, anyway. Using your logic, most all the bags would have heavy tags on them as there's alot more that weigh 35 than 15.
Now, I'm not talking about oversize bags, although in that case, I would be cautious as to the weight. They SHOULD have a heavy tag on them.
“Running an airline is like having a baby: fun to conceive, but hell to deliver.” C.E. Woolman
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From United States, joined Aug 2004, 144 posts, 
From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 12737 posts, 
From Canada, joined Mar 2005, 644 posts, 
After years of biz travel, I learned the art of packing a carry-on with all my clothes for a week, a laptop, a couple of paperbacks. Never more than about 25lb.
From Germany, joined Jun 2004, 4038 posts, 
Good idea. I usually put way too much into my suitcase and then when I want to close it I look at it and think: nooooo, there won't even fit anything in anymore, what if I bought something on my tour. So I check again and remove some of the stuff and then I am fine 
