#AirlineWeightLimits #BaggageRestrictions #PassengerWeight #AirlinesFAQ
Have you ever wondered why airlines have weight limits for baggage but not for passengers? 🧳✈️ It’s a common question that many travelers have, and the answer lies in the complex logistics of airline operations.
Let’s dive into the reasons behind this phenomenon and explore the factors that contribute to airline weight restrictions for baggage and passengers.
## Why Do Airlines Have Weight Limits for Baggage, But Not for Passengers?
### Safety Concerns 🛑
Airline weight limits for baggage are primarily in place for safety reasons. Here’s why:
– Every aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight, which cannot be exceeded for safety reasons.
– The weight of the aircraft is a critical factor in its performance, including takeoff, cruising, and landing.
– Exceeding the maximum weight limit can compromise the aircraft’s ability to maneuver and could lead to potential safety hazards.
When it comes to passengers, airlines do take passenger weight into account, but not in the same way as baggage. The average passenger weight is factored into the overall weight and balance calculations as part of the aircraft’s operational planning.
### Operational Efficiency ✈️
Airline weight limits for baggage help ensure operational efficiency for the airline. Consider this scenario:
– If every passenger packed excessively heavy bags, it could lead to a situation where the aircraft’s weight exceeds the maximum allowable limit for takeoff.
– By imposing weight limits on baggage, airlines can better manage the distribution of weight within the aircraft to ensure safe and efficient operations.
For passengers, while there isn’t a set weight limit, airlines do account for passenger weight in their overall calculations. This allows them to plan for a balanced distribution of weight within the aircraft, which is crucial for safety and performance.
### Cost Considerations 💰
Airlines also impose weight limits for baggage due to cost considerations. Here’s how weight limits impact airline costs:
– Excessive baggage weight can lead to increased fuel consumption, as the aircraft needs to work harder to lift and transport heavier loads.
– Airlines may incur additional expenses for handling heavy baggage, such as increased wear and tear on handling equipment.
While there are no specific weight limits for passengers, the overall weight and balance considerations do factor into the cost of operating the flight.
## Conclusion
In conclusion, while airlines have weight limits for baggage, they do take passenger weight into account in their overall operational planning. Safety, operational efficiency, and cost considerations are all significant factors that drive the need for weight limits on baggage and the careful consideration of passenger weight.
So, the next time you wonder about airline weight limits, remember that it’s all about ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel for everyone on board. And the next time you pack your bags, be mindful of those weight limits to help keep air travel running smoothly. Safe travels! ✈️🌍
Because it would be a privacy lawsuit and violation.
The weight limit is not really about then weight in the plane, but the maximum one person can safely lift by themselves. About 50 pounds.
The airline staff don’t have to pick up the passengers.
The Main reason for a bag weight limit is for the people putting the bags on the planes which OSHA limits to 50lb without assistance.
Realistically, the plane isn’t going to get close to being too heavy to take off.
Many people FREAK THE FUCK OUT when you try to weigh them or tell them their weight has any relevance in the universe.
Also, practical stuff like lifting.
If there is a weight limit for passengers, America will be in big trouble.
On very small flights, like 8-seater propeller planes, they weigh you plus your luggage on the scale at the same time, when you check in.
When you get on the plane, they assign you a seat at that time, trying to put you with whoever you checked in with.
Almost certainly, they weigh the bag and do some quick math to find out your weight to balance that plane.
Because those bags have to be lifted and then stored above the heads of the passengers.
Discrimination laws.
for the 1000000000th time. The weight of your bag has NOTHING to do with too much weight being on the plane. It’s for the workers/human beings lifting your junk thousands of times a day.
$$$$
I swear I can remember jet blue used to have a plus size section of the plane
For bags, the FAA publishes average bag weights. Normal and heavy bags are the two I remember best at 30 and 60 lbs average. Passengers are also averaged for summer and winter weights. The “limits” for the bags come from what category they fall into. I think if it’s over 99 lbs it’s not baggage anymore, but can be shipped as freight.
Source: I was a baggage handler for 8 years.
I used to do airline weight and balance as a job. There’s average weights for passengers, i believe the FAA gives this number but i could be wrong, it could be airline specific. When i was at the airlines the average weight was 199 lbs for Summer and 204 lbs for Winter regardless of men/women (children had their own weights too). The buffer is that, not everyone weighs that average. There are time where airlines will have a lot of higher than average weighing people and they usually know about it before hand and use a special average weight. For example, sports teams; They are usually big, above average weight people, and we had a specific average weight for them. Bags are averaged too, we had 30lbs for a normal range bag and 50 for heavy.
For small planes they do actually sometimes weigh the passager. Think like 5 people in the plane small.
And, and i dont mean this in a rude way, but obese people sometimes get weighed too to make sure the plane doesnt get too heavy, since they fall far outside the avarage weight.
It’s not that the weight of the passengers don’t matter, but they aren’t allowed to ask or weigh passengers. So instead they do an assumption of what average passengers will weigh and account for that. It’s actually becoming a problem with the average weight of passengers trending higher
Because bags don’t buy things.
It’s a legit hypothetical question. What if all passengers on who show up for a flight are 350 lbs. 😀 If i had time and money to throw if could try to make that happen.
I wish they did it like helicopters.
Make you stand on a scale with all your stuff.
I’ll still come out ahead and never have to pay for extra baggage fees.
Imagine the lawsuits if they told every overweight person they were too fat to board.
I have a relative that traveled from American Samoa to the States a good bit. There was one flight that got delayed significantly because the plane’s weight limit was reached and they couldn’t get enough people to volunteer to not go. (One plane, sometimes two a week go to AmSam).
iirc they were offering $4k and people still were saying no
Bag throwers don’t have to lift up passengers
Great question. 👍
Nobody has to carry your fat ass onto the plane
they want to make weight limits but it would not go over well with the public. Instead if you overflow you need to buy 2 seats. Or fly business
Like everyone here said, major airlines use a mean average for passenger weight. It gets updated occasionally by the faa. Planes are made to distribute that weight but there are times when seats will be blocked or passengers will be moved around to account for weight and balance issues. If a plane had nothing but morbidly obese people I’m sure there would be some issues for sure. It would probably be delayed at least until they found enough seatbelt extenders.
Heavy baggage is discouraged for a few reasons, the cargo pits have weight limits and the luggage is more or less isolated to a small area and can only be distributed between the two pits. I don’t think the airlines care about the baggage handlers enough to affect their decision on heavy bags.
Airlines assume a constant average weight of passengers. It’s usually 190 lbs in summer and 195 in winter accounting for heavier clothes. Sure there are super heavy passengers, but there are also 6 year olds that weigh under a hundred. This assumed weight tends to sway on the very liberal side to provide a fair margin of error.
It can be difficult to ask each passenger their weight.
There is no need because you take an average, actually the average is very good for that. That’s how they calculate how much the plane can handle on human passengers.
The real problem is with the baggage because every person has a huge amount of variables on how much the baggage can be on size weight and form. That’s why they try to standardize it with the measurements and restrictions.
In the past there were no restrictions, it was complicated because there were people that brought a lot of bags.
Luggage weight isn’t about making the plane too heavy to take off, it’s about being too heavy for the staff to easily move and load it. Staff generally aren’t moving or lifting passengers, so passenger weight is less of an issue.
The baggage handlers don’t have to lift a whole person into the plane
Question, why can’t I bring 2 bags that have the combined weight limit versus one bag at the limit? Genuinely curious