Check-in Desk Scales?

[PVGSLF]

As a frequent traveller with excess luggage, I have started to wonder if there is any consistency in what the check in desk scales actually say.
With baggage charges in the region of £30 per kilo on some of the routes i fly, an error of a couple of kilos can cost a lot of money.
I have noticed on my travels that the same untouched bag can weigh differently on different scales and at different airports.

How often are the scales calibrated, and is the calibration certificate available for inspection before I part with a large wedge of money for the 40KG my company usually allows me to travel with as excess?

[striparella]

As far as i know the BAA check the scales every night.

When scales are broken a nice gentleman comes round to fix them, and it was he who told me they SHOULD be checked everynight.

But what you should do and what actually happens are two different things.

Whilst i appreciate excess is expensive, especially to Shanghai, if you came to me and asked to see the 'certificate' for the scales before paying your excess you'd get an offer to check it on the next scales. Failing that we'd probably end up arguing that unless you pay the excess you're not going anywhere.

Most check in agents know when their scales aren't working. You don't have to be in this job long to be able to accurately guess the weight of a bag without needing to put it on the scales.

[PVGSLF]

Thanks for the reply... Granted, the scales at Heathrow are always working, and generally give the same reading as the bathroom scales I'd checked them on before travelling, so no worries there. It's just that often I have rechecked my bags for onward travel in China and the readings have been way different. (Ok, I've come to expect this in china over the years, and never complain if they bags are lighter :D )

But there seems a lot of expensive measures in life that we just accept... I worry about pint glass sizes and petrol pumps as well, but with those measures Customs and Excise take a very keen interest, so there are rules and regulations for the accuracy of the measurements, and petrol pumps generally have a date of last calibration sticker on them.

With the airlines dropping ticket prices and also baggage allowances, excess baggage is now becoming a nice little earner for them, and the leeway we used to get for a few kilos over is disappearing as well... So I for one want to be confident that I am actually paying the right price.

[bealine]

As far as i know the BAA check the scales every night.

Ha Ha Ha!!!

They used to when the BAA was a nationalised concern (just like they used to delouse the carpets in the terminals once a month).

The scales are calibrated once every six months, or as a "one-off" at the airline's request. However, all sorts of things can happen like feeder belts on adjacent desks that "kiss". When a 20 kg bag is placed on, hypothetically, Desk 1's scales, Desk 2's may read 6.5 kg with nothing actually on it! This can, and does, happen frequently.

There is nothing to stop you, if you think the reading is faulty, asking to weigh the bag at another desk close by.

As a rule of thumb, 20 kgs becomes difficult to lift. 30kgs requires a lot of effort to get off the floor. If you travel or move parcels regularly, you know when a bag is over 30 kgs!!!

[Cyrano]

And Michael O'Leary has apparently announced today that in January Ryanair will start trialling a new online check-in scheme to give discounts to passengers who limit themselves to < 10kg of (hand) luggage... so better make sure those scales are accurate!

[840]

I've certainly had one incident with hand-baggage where I got hugely different results.

I was flying from Dublin to Edinburgh with Go (their hand-baggage limit was 6kg). When I checked in in Dublin, it weighed 6.1kg, but the check-in operator decided it was OK.

In Edinburgh, I gave away a gift that would have weighed in the region of 1kg. I also left a novel there by accident, so in theory the bag should have been at least a kilo lighter. At Edinburgh airport, it was weighed at 6.6kg. They decided I had to check the bag in.

To add insult to injury, the plane was about 50% full.

[Evening Star]

UK question really, but if one is parting with money on what one suspects are faulty scales, surely that is a matter for Trading Standards?

the 40KG my company usually allows me to travel with as excess

What on earth are you taking? How many spare pairs of socks do you really need?:\ :8 :ok:

[bealine]

UK question really, but if one is parting with money on what one suspects are faulty scales, surely that is a matter for Trading Standards?

Yes! Another of the Government's Watchdogs with no teeth!!!

[FinalsToLand]

To add insult to injury, the plane was about 50% full.

Wether the plane is 50% full or not the bag still weights the same and if it fall out of the overhead locker onto one of the other 49% onboard its still gunna hurt as much!

F.T.L

[striparella]

^ I might copy that and put it on my check in desk

[flower]

My best friend is a Trading Standards Officer, she when based in a city with an airport regularly checked the scales for accuracy there.

[PVGSLF]

Just seen another thread about Ryan air cracking down on check-in staff being generous with baggage allowances... So come on MOL, lets see current and valid calibration certificates posted next to the scales. And let's see Trading Standards taking a regular interest in there accuracy.

[840]

Wether the plane is 50% full or not the bag still weights the same and if it fall out of the overhead locker onto one of the other 49% onboard its still gunna hurt as much!

But it was a 6kg bag. Most airlines allow that anyway.

[EI-CFC]

Just seen another thread about Ryan air cracking down on check-in staff being generous with baggage allowances... So come on MOL, lets see current and valid calibration certificates posted next to the scales.

I'm sure when MOL buys an airport and is responsible for the care and maintenance of the equipment there, you might have more luck with your request.

[PVGSLF]

quote:
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I'm sure when MOL buys an airport and is responsible for the care and maintenance of the equipment there, you might have more luck with your request.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, the airlines happily take the money, but aren't worried about the equipment it is weighed on?

Don't get me wrong... this isn't a rant about excess baggage charges, I just like to be sure that I am being charged for something fairly... Though I guess in the grand scheme of things a couple of kilos here or there isn't a big difference to the flight when i guess the average pax weighs anywhere from 50 to 150 kg.

[EI-CFC]

So, the airlines happily take the money, but aren't worried about the equipment it is weighed on?

They may also be loosing out if the scales are calibrated incorrectly...

[bealine]

My best friend is a Trading Standards Officer, she when based in a city with an airport regularly checked the scales for accuracy there

Alright! But what does she do when she finds scales that are out?

When was the last time an airport or airline was fined for inaccuracy???

Exactly!!! A Watchdog with its teeth pulled!!!

[surely not]

So PVGSLF if I understand correctly you are judging the accuracy of the airport scales by whether the weight shown coincides with the reading you got from your bathroom scales.

So when and by whom did you last have your bathroom scales calibrated by? The check-in agent might wish to see the certificate before believing you!!

Passengers do not know whether the flight is full or not before they turn up with their baggage, so it is irrelevant as to how full the flight is, you exceeded your allowance.

The other wonder of pax behaviour is when they strain to tow their wheeled suitcase/trunk to check-in, bust a blood vessel lifting it onto the scales, then feign shock when told it is over 32kgs and will have to have the weight reduced!! There is still a lot of manual handling involved with getting the bag to the aircraft and it is unreasonable to expect loading staff to deal with bags over 32 kgs on a regular basis.

[PVGSLF]

surely not.....

I like to beleive that my bathroom scales show at least 5kg heavier than actual.... and that's the way I want to keep it!

For the same reasons I bet airlines wouldn't be complaining if the checkin scales were reading 5kg heavier than actual weight.... More money from Pax... and less weight on the plane...

But like I said previously, if I arrive at check-in and those scales are about the same as i checked at home, then i'm happy... It's when i need to recheck bags en route and the readings are markedly different that it gets me thinking.

Oh.. and don't worry, if I am travelling with excess, I do pack it sensibly in a number of bags no heavier than 25kg... The average chinese taxi can't cope with a lot of weight concentrated in one place.

[ExSimGuy]

Why not take a look at the "What is the point of Frequent Flyers" post - it might mention an extra baggage allowance - really helpful to me when I stopping in Bahrain (warm), UK (cold), and Philadelphia (B cold!) - as well as having my kilt with me for a wedding and returning with a few urgent spars for the company!

Thanks GulfAir! :ok:

(I suppose I could cut weight by wearing the kilt ;) )

[Full Emergency]

Just seen another thread about Ryan air cracking down on check-in staff being generous with baggage allowances... So come on MOL, lets see current and valid calibration certificates posted next to the scales. And let's see Trading Standards taking a regular interest in there accuracy.

I have flown with Ryanair a couple of times. Never again.

One of things that got me was the question regarding check-in scales. I checked in a Stanstead to fly to Gerona as I have a property nearby. My bag weighed in at 11kg (check-in) and was too large to have as carry-on, so it put in the hold. No problems.

Went to Gerona for about 10 days and left half the contents of my hold lugauge at my place and went back to the airport (Gerona) to check-in to fly home. Guess what my bag weighed on the scales?? Yeap 11kgs.

NO WAY was my bag that heavy. Thankfully it was not over the limit they set (15kg) otherwise I would have refused to fly in protest. I did question it though with the Duty Manager there, who quite frankly couldn't give a **** about it. She just smiled at me and said with a thick Spanish accent. "English" From that point onwards, I knew that the scales were fiddled and I would rather walk than fly with FR again.

FE

[PVGSLF]

I suppose if we really doubt the scales we could just turn up with a few litres of water and weigh those first... then either drink them or bin them!
I'm sure if the first set of scales were not accurate the check-in staff wouldn't mind me using another set.... but what if they all turned out to be innaccurate and i had just proved it?

Hmmm.... I'm travelling to PVG again at the end of the month and I fear Mrs PVG's London shopping spree is going to be pushing the weight limit, so watch out for the weary traveller carrying a few bottles of Highland spring ;)

[bealine]

At BA, our managers would love us to crack down on excess baggage and charge for every solitary kilo!!!

Fortunately, most of us at GatQuick tend to allow a discretionary excess. (I allow up to 7kgs over the allowance before thinking about kicking in charges).

It's also not worth the airlines' while to collect charges lower than GBP40.00 due to the administrative costs involved so, by ignoring the management's instructions to charge for every kilo, I'm actually doing my company a huge favour, and "enhancing" airline / customer relations!!!

If you know you're going to have excess before you travel, BA (and other airlines will follow) will shortly allow you to pre-pay by credit / debit card on-line. In return, the excess rate will be reduced by a significant amount (50% is being discussed at present), to reflect the easier administration and quicker transaction times.

[Leezyjet]

The old line about excess baggage costing more to carry is a bit of a white lie too.

Sure if ALL pax had excess baggage then yes more fuel would be required to carry it all, however on 90% of flights that isn't the case (excuse the pun). Those that have little or no bags normally off set the ones that do have excess - but the airlines will not let you pool your baggage with total strangers, as they would not be able to make more money out of you then.

Most short haul flights - especially on the lo-co's don't have that much cargo, if any either so the a/c is normally nowhere near close to any of it's max weights - so all that weight it could carry is going spare anyway.

There are exceptions to this though where flights are weight restricted etc., but the passenger at check-in would never know what flights were or were not weight restricted, so the excess bagagge rule applies across the board.

:)

[bealine]

What a load of bollo*ks Leezyjet! The aircraft uses extra fuel for every single thing we carry that isn't needed - even sugar sachets. Much of our profits come from excess baggage which we are entitled to charge for.

Just because pax a decides not to carry any baggage, this does not entitle pax b to double his baggage allowance (unless pax a and pax b share the same booking reference).

You cannot have it all ways - Low Fares = More Vigilance on Baggage Charges.

[Leezyjet]

What a load of bollo*ks Leezyjet!

I know that more weight=more fuel , but has to be over a certain amount to require more fuel than planned anyway and that varies from type to type.

The flight is planned on estimated weights, and f/plan is produced on those estimates. When the flight closes out there are not many instances where crew will opt to take less fuel than the f/plan says just because the weight was a few hundred kgs lower than estimated. Most f/crew I've sent on the way will always take what has been planned even if the weight did drop off as they would rather have the extra. Out of all the short haul flights I've sent out, it's only on a very small % that the weight goes above the estimate, and when it does that isn't usually down to excess baggage, it's down to flights being combined and pax figs going up or extra cargo being carried. Excess baggage would normally only cause an increase if a majority of the pax had excess rather than the odd one or two.

So if pax A turns up with 50kgs excess bagagge, it isn't costing the airline any more to carry it as the fuel has already been planned in most instances and this is also offset by the fact that pax B,C,D or E might have less than the allowance anyway. I'm not saying it does entitle pax A to bring more and get away with it, I'm just saying that it's not actually costing the airlines any more to carry it when it's the odd 1 or 2 pax that bring it and it's mainly an extra way they can make money. A certain UK airline never used to charge excess until the last few of years when things have got a bit tight.

I'm mainly basing this on the 737 size a/c that is common among most lo-co's as this is what most of the discussion was about although I have only worked with the majors, not lo-co's but they are in an even better situation as they don't take cargo.

So not talking bollocks at all. After nearly 10 years of load planning flights, I have a good idea how the system works.

:)

[lexxity]

but the airlines will not let you pool your baggage with total strangers, as they would not be able to make more money out of you then.

No, actually I belive the CAA and DTR would have something to say about that.

[Leezyjet]

No, actually I belive the CAA and DTR would have something to say about that.

Well if it was done directly then yes. However every pax is entitled to a free baggage allowance, and the airlines could if they really wanted to, allocate unused baggage allowances to those with more.

If 100 pax travel and have 20kgs each, then thats 2000kgs of baggage that could potentially travel.

If 20 don't have bags then the weight would go down to 1600kgs of potential baggage however their allowance could go back into the pool for each flight.
Once that extra 400kgs is reached, then charge.

If set up and managed properly, it could work and it wouldn't be breaking any laws as the baggage would not actually be pooled with any specific person, it would just be taken off the running total of the flight

So thats why I say that it is just another way for the airlines to make money as there is an alternative, but non of them would ever do it.


:)

[TotalBeginner]

And then Leezyjet there would be no consistency.

A passenger could travel 10 times a year and not have to pay excess. Imagine then trying to explain to them that on this one occasion they are going to have to pay because their fellow passengers all turned up with 20 KGS.

It will be interesting to see how the new Flybe policy will work

Hold baggage allowances have been increased to 25kgs per person. For those of you still wishing to take luggage in the hold of the aircraft we will be making a small charge. Simply book in your baggage and pay for it at the time of booking and pay just £2 per bag per flight. Alternatively you can pay for your bags at the airport for a cost of £4 per bag per flight.

[silverelise]

Those that have little or no bags normally off set the ones that do have excess - but the airlines will not let you pool your baggage with total strangers, as they would not be able to make more money out of you then.
Can you imagine the logistics nightmare for check-in staff, not to mention the inconvienience, of trying to sort out people who turn up with excess baggage hoping to be able to pool their allowance with some other passenger (who may not have checked in yet) who is under their allowance?

Totally unworkable IMO.

[PAXboy]

Full Emergencyotherwise I would have refused to fly in protest.And then RyanAir would smile and say that of course you are entitled not to fly and thereby forfeit the payment for the flight. When people say of a company "Oh, they don't care." Bear in mind that FR really don't care!

LeezyjetIf set up and managed properly, it could work and it wouldn't be breaking any laws as the baggage would not actually be pooled with any specific person, it would just be taken off the running total of the flight I think that Silverelise states clearly why it is unworkable. The admin load would be horrendous. Secondly, you would get many pax stating that this was not 'possible to arrange at check-in' as the web site states but a 'guarantee' of luggage to be carried! As you may have noticed, the IQ factor of today's pax would rule this out!!

[TightSlot]

Apologies for being thick, but I just don't get this line of argument? You purchase a ticket from an airline company that entitles you to a seat and a fixed amount of weight for baggage. If you want an enhanced seat, you pay for it: If you want to take additional baggage weight you pay for it. If you do not wish to pay for it, then do not take the extra weight. Airlines have a right, like any other business, to attempt to make the most profitable use of their assets. What I never understand is why airlines are expected to behave differently to other businesses with whom we all deal? There is another thread in this forum asking about how to best obtain an upgrade that hasn't been paid for: Here we have a proposal to share baggage weight with unknown third parties, apparently in the expectation that the airlines should be expected to connive in depriving themselves of revenue while simultaneously reducing the efficiency of their own check-in staff.

The waters always get muddied because there is a core of users in this forum who are very high mileage frequent flyers, who regularly travel a great deal in First & Business class. These people are absolutely entitled to expect enhanced services from airlines on the basis of their experience. Many of us however, do nothing like that kind of mileage, not even at a corporate level. So - we pay our money, we keep within the baggage weight, we sit in the seat assigned, in the class of travel paid for and then we get off at the other end - it really doesn't seem to be that complicated?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/TightSlot/a_rant.gif

P.S. I'm sorry - I'm revising for the annual safety exam (SEP) and in a very bad mood!!!

P.P.S. Also - if the scales are mis-calibrated, then clearly that is a very bad thing: I'm now going to lie down for a bit

[PVGSLF]

P.P.S. Also - if the scales are mis-calibrated, then clearly that is a very bad thing: I'm now going to lie down for a bit[/SIZE]
That was all my original point was.... But the development of this thread has made for some amusing and interesting reading.
If I need to take excess, I'll pay the price (whether that price is fair or not is a whole different topic), but I just want to be sure I'm being charged fairly.
From reading other threads recently, I gather there are a whole host of industry wide rules and regulations governing prices and upgrades that us SLF are unaware of. If these were made a little clearer, perhaps some peoples false expectations may be changed.

[Globaliser]

What I never understand is why airlines are expected to behave differently to other businesses with whom we all deal?To be perfectly fair, air travel is still seen as an unusual purchase and an unusual travel experience for most people. You can see this from the amount of stress that infrequent passengers put themselves under when they fly. Even if they have paid a fare that's comparable to the train fare for their journey, the whole business of flying there puts it into a completely different psychological realm. Compare the reaction that you'd be likely to get from someone who boarded a train and found that had to sit in the next row from their partner, with the reaction if they boarded a flight to the same destination (taking about 25% of the time) and found the same thing.

Then there's all these strange procedures ... What's going to happen next? Where do I have to go? ... Am I going to die horribly in the next 30 minutes?

When they've got into that psychological frame of mind, and approach their journey with a mental "special" label attached to it, it's no surprise when they suddenly start demanding "special" treatment of one sort or another. Favours on x, y or z. Free upgrades. Extra baggage without charge. Etc., etc. I think that's why there's so many of these incessant demands that wouldn't be made of other businesses.

[surely not]

TightSlot you don't need to apologise for stating the flaming obvious. You are spot on IMO. :ok: :ok:

[bealine]

Agreed, but in that case, why does easyJet have probably the easiest policy - if your bag fits the size, & you can lift it into the overhead locker, it can be carried!

At BA, we are eximining this ludicrous policy very closely. What is the point of a CAA plate on overhead stowage bins telling you the "Maximum Permissible Weight" if you don't actually know what weight is going into your lockers because you allow your passengers to put what they likeup there!!!

As it is, I'm pretty sure our OLCI and Self Service customers are getting way over the 6kgs they are allowed, and some of our lockers are only plated to 22kg maximimum!!!

So, there is likely to ba a major, major incident before long with some luckless airline and overhead stowage - or has the CAA got the maximum permitted labels all wrong???

[bealine]

Well, if something was dangerously wrong with the easyJet policy, I'm sure CAA SRG would have stopped it by now!

http://www.lrd.org.uk/issue.php3?pagid=1&issueid=259

....explains why the CAA do nine-thenths of fanny adams about it!!!

http://www.ttd.org/Resolutions/Mar1998/no.9.htm

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/transportation/july-dec99/carryon_8-19.html

http://www.arawak.net/pages/carry-on-bags.html

......shows the very real dangers of heavy cabin baggage

However, the CAA and the FAA are happy to sit on the fence for the time being!!!

[hasta lueGO]

Owners of scales (usually airport operator) are required to test and display / record the last test date under Trading Standard requirements; not sure how often though.

[aeroBits]

[quote]
What is the point of a CAA plate on overhead stowage bins telling you the "Maximum Permissible Weight" if you don't actually know what weight is going into your lockers because you allow your passengers to put what they likeup there!!!
[\quote]

Got to say - I have been wondering this for a while. Even if everyone stuck to their weight max (where applicable), but then adds the duty free shopping, the MPW for the bins could be exceeded.

I noticed that more and more airlines now insist that "heavy items" and specifically duty free booze be stored under the seat as they may cause injury when falling out. Now I would see bottles at more risk of falling out on opening as they are not well packed and most often round (good for rolling off the briefcase).

A far bigger worry however is indeed what happens when the MPW for the bin is significantly exceeded - I guess it could fall off completely, e.g. on a firm landing, and that would be nasty.

If you don't have a max weight per bag established, you don't have a means of monitoring weights. Bins (afaik) don't have built in scales... so that leaves you with an approximation - e.g. in that space, "normal" luggage would never exceed x kgs because you cannot squeeze it in.

Not a rule / defense I would want to rely on in a court.

Anyone with an engineering background who looks after cabin fixtures and can shed more light?

[Cool_Hand]

When stressing an aircraft we stress to a lot of loadcases not just too much weight but manoeuvres and various other stages of flight. So with regards to the amount of weight in the luggage bins, the danger of the whole bin coming off only come into play in extreme circumstances and not during reasonably normal flight operations (a firm landing in the aircraft during normal ops is very much reduced from what is actually accounted for or tested for during trials, I believe there is a video clip on the internet of a DC something during such trials that snaps the fuselage).
A lot of the discussion here it seems is coming from whether people are as special as they think they are. In general, no, each person has paid for a specified level of service and allowances, to exceed these knowingly is being pigheaded if you don't expect to pay for it. Otherwise pay up and get on with your life.
Back to the original question about scales, I checked two bags in one being 52 lbs and the other being 47 lbs, I was asked to move 2 lbs from one to the other to make them within limits. Fine, I pulled them off the scales and shifted 2 lbs from the heavier to the lighter. I put them back on the scales the first one weighed 51lbs and the second weighed 52 lbs! Somewhere in the minute it took to transfer the weight I had found an additional 4 lbs.

[Bangkokeasy]

And as for the bins, I have no doubt there is a limit, but I do recall when boarding a SouthWest flight some years ago, to be pleasantly surprised by being greeted by a member of the flight crew reclining INSIDE one of the overhead bins. So the capacity, at least while static, must be a tadge more than the normally stated 44kg.

[patdavies]

You don't have to be in this job long to be able to accurately guess the weight of a bag without needing to put it on the scales.


Does this on-the-job training include X ray vision. There is no way that check-in staff can accurately judge the weght of a bag by looking at it - you have absolutely no idea as to its contents. Two identical bags (in external aoppearance) can have vastly different weights.

And you can claim to judge the weight of a bag to within 1 or 2 kgs just by looking at it?

[patdavies]

So if pax A turns up with 50kgs excess bagagge, it isn't costing the airline any more to carry it as the fuel has already been planned in most instances and this is also offset by the fact that pax B,C,D or E might have less than the allowance anyway.

So not talking bollocks at all. After nearly 10 years of load planning flights, I have a good idea how the system works.
:)

Yes you are. Regardless of whether the fuel was planned or not, basic physics shows that fuel is burnt to carry weight. So your extra 5 Kgs of baggage does have a cost. It may not affect the already planned fuel, but the unburnt fuel not used is cumulative across all the pax with the extra 5 Kgs and will eventually reduce the fuel uplift needed for a future sector. Conversly, burning extra fuel for you 5 Kgs must at some point in the future increase the fuel uplift required.

[lexxity]

And you can claim to judge the weight of a bag to within 1 or 2 kgs just by looking at it?

Yep, it's a neat trick that all check in agents are able to peform.

[striparella]

Does this on-the-job training include X ray vision. There is no way that check-in staff can accurately judge the weght of a bag by looking at it - you have absolutely no idea as to its contents. Two identical bags (in external aoppearance) can have vastly different weights.
And you can claim to judge the weight of a bag to within 1 or 2 kgs just by looking at it?


Yes, i can.

BELIEVE ME YOU KNOW!

People always find this hard to believe but 99.9% of the time a good check in agent can guess if a bags too heavy.

There's many clues laymans don't pick up on.

[PVGSLF]

Yes, i can.
BELIEVE ME YOU KNOW!
People always find this hard to believe but 99.9% of the time a good check in agent can guess if a bags too heavy.
There's many clues laymans don't pick up on.
So how does that really work? I guess you look for strain on peoples faces, but my girlfriend can barely pick up her 25kg hard bodied suitcase where as i can throw it around without any trouble... So if I'm carrying it looks light and she makes it look really heavy. And being hard bodied it's not bulging at the seams!

[TightSlot]

Yes, i can.

BELIEVE ME YOU KNOW!

People always find this hard to believe but 99.9% of the time a good check in agent can guess if a bags too heavy.

There's many clues laymans don't pick up on.

striparella is about right IMHO - some time ago I did a couple of years on check-in @ LHR T3: You can usually tell what is coming before it arrives at the desk. I couldn' tell the weight to within 1-2kgs, but certainly within 5kgs.

Not 100% of course, but up in the eighties!

[RevMan2]

The excess baggage/marginal cost argument is ignoring a significant aspect of the business model - cargo revenues.
If an airline's doing its job properly, it's used the passenger forecasts to calculate estimated passenger-related payload and has marketed the rest.
It's segmented that capacity according to expected yield and - with good capacity management - has the belly chock-full of value-added products.(The sort of things that generate tons of revenue, with money-back guarantees and penalties for non-performance.)
So let's just say that there are 20 pax who get the nod for 7kg - hmmm, 140kg, 5kgs average per shipment, 28 shipments, 65 quid minimum per shipment.
1800 quid, plus p***ed off customers, claims handling (at 50 quid a claim, pure processing costs...), customer service time.
About 4000 quid lost revenue and increased costs.

That's the reality, people.