Feature Stories

Airport Baggage Scales: Are They Accurate?

Traveling with excess baggage can get expensive with the new fees airlines are charging passengers these days.

Last year I flew out of Mexico City with seven extra bags. Every bag was packed to the brim. The airline had a limit of 50 pounds per bag. If I exceeded that limit they would tack on an extra fee. So, I obtained an extremely accurate scale from a friend in Mexico City and made sure none of the bags were over 48 pounds on the scale.

It turns out weighing the bags before I got to the airport was a smart idea. The airline attendant at the check-in counter placed each bag on the scale. She was ready to add on an additional fee on top of the excess baggage charge if any of the bags were even a couple of pounds over the 50 lb. limit.

I weighed the bags before leaving the apartment not only because I wanted to be right on the mark, but also because I wasn’t sure the scales at the airport were accurate. It turns out the scales at the terminals are sometimes off by a few pounds. NBC's TODAY Show consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman just did a story on the accuracy of airport scales. Watch the report, and see what she discovered.

For a look at the latest baggage fees being charged by the airlines, check this chart from FareCompare.com. It's updated regularly and lists all the fees you need to know about before traveling.