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Old Sep 3, 2019, 2:14 pm
  #7  
aeropix
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Dubai
Programs: SPG, HHonors
Posts: 122
Originally Posted by LonghornDXB
Of course the "safety" claim for 7kg is absurd, its just a money making scheme.
Not exactly true, it IS a definite safety issue, owing to how the weight of the aircraft is calculated. If every passenger on the A380 was just 4kg over the limit, this would add 2000kg (2 Tonnes!) of extra weight to the aircraft that was not accounted for in the weighing and balancing process.

This extra 2 tonnes weight would by itself cause the airplane to burn 1 tonne extra fuel on the 12-14 hour flights that Emirates operates, which was not accounted for in the flight plan, causing the airplane to be short of fuel at destination, and possibly causing a diversion due to insufficient fuel.

The heavier aircraft may not be able to fly at the proposed altitudes or airspeeds in the flight plan, (it would have to fly lower, and slower) thus compounding the fuel shortage by burning even MORE fuel at the lower altitudes, longer flying times and heavier weights.

The landing performance will also be compromised on bad weather days, because the heavier airplane cannot be stopped in the predicted manner set forth by the manufactuer, it can overrun the available runway and end up in the weeds at the end - or worse.

And that's just for 4kg over by each passenger. On certain routes and certain passenger demographics, the overages are even more significant and the excess fuel consumption and aircraft performance penalties can become quite worrisome and problematic for your crew and fellow passengers.

So, there are good reasons that such rules are in place, and it's not a personal slight against any individual travelers. Once the super-heavy bag is checked in, it's weight can be accounted for in all the above calculations, additional fuel uplifted, and appropriate flight planning can take place to make the flight safer for everybody.

Last edited by aeropix; Sep 3, 2019 at 2:20 pm
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