FAA Probes Southwest Airlines Over Baggage Weight Discrepancies
Feb 18, 2019, 9:11 am
#1
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FAA Probes Southwest Airlines Over Baggage Weight Discrepancies
Feb. 18, 2019 9:50 a.m. ET
Government’s yearlong safety investigation uncovers problems with weight and balance calculations across Southwest’s fleet
"Amid lingering FAA concerns, Southwest is embracing technology. By year’s end, the spokesman said, the carrier plans to institute computerized scanning of all individual bags on the tarmac, just before they are loaded into the cargo holds of its more than 700 Boeing 737 jets.
Government’s yearlong safety investigation uncovers problems with weight and balance calculations across Southwest’s fleet
"Amid lingering FAA concerns, Southwest is embracing technology. By year’s end, the spokesman said, the carrier plans to institute computerized scanning of all individual bags on the tarmac, just before they are loaded into the cargo holds of its more than 700 Boeing 737 jets.
Feb 18, 2019, 9:24 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2002
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Money quotes:
"Some FAA officials have estimated in interviews that during certain periods, at least one-third of Southwest’s roughly 4,000 daily flights could have operated with inaccurate weight data, a figure Southwest doesn’t agree with."
."Southwest says the airline has cooperated fully with the FAA investigation and calls the company’s dealings with the agency part of a “routine dialogue.."
Feb 18, 2019, 1:21 pm
#5
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Of course "bags fly free" - especially when they don't really know how much they weigh!
No more lugging brake drums coast to coast in the checked baggage anymore I guess.
No more lugging brake drums coast to coast in the checked baggage anymore I guess.
Feb 18, 2019, 1:39 pm
#6
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Were the rampers just not paying attention?
Feb 18, 2019, 5:27 pm
#7
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I don't get it operationally.
Number of checked- in bags x some FAA standard weight per bag = weight of checked baggage done automatically (close enough for government work.)
Just like passenger & carry-on weight. Is this not automatically sent to the crew before closing the door for W&B calculations?
Only variables I could see is late bags from other flights. How material can that be? Cargo? I bet that's weighed to the ounce for billing & revenue purposes.
Rampers not loading properly? As in spreading it out evenly (if that is a thing underneath, arm & moment issues)?
Gotta be something serious if they are going to install a ramp system that has to slow the turn down by some factor.
Number of checked- in bags x some FAA standard weight per bag = weight of checked baggage done automatically (close enough for government work.)
Just like passenger & carry-on weight. Is this not automatically sent to the crew before closing the door for W&B calculations?
Only variables I could see is late bags from other flights. How material can that be? Cargo? I bet that's weighed to the ounce for billing & revenue purposes.
Rampers not loading properly? As in spreading it out evenly (if that is a thing underneath, arm & moment issues)?
Gotta be something serious if they are going to install a ramp system that has to slow the turn down by some factor.
Last edited by joshua362; Feb 19, 2019 at 6:48 am
Feb 19, 2019, 2:52 am
#8
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Did the move to kiosk check in remove a step in their process? Also, how is SW different from other airlines in regard to check in? I'm always curious on the timing of negative business stories, on the heels of major success like Hawaii. Who is pulling levers behind the curtain.
Feb 20, 2019, 1:40 pm
#9
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Did the move to kiosk check in remove a step in their process? Also, how is SW different from other airlines in regard to check in? I'm always curious on the timing of negative business stories, on the heels of major success like Hawaii. Who is pulling levers behind the curtain.
Feb 20, 2019, 3:15 pm
#10
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I have a biggish bag that I usually check and always weigh before I leave the house. I do not recall the ticket agent- before or after kiosk tagging- not taking a close look at the scale weight before placing it on the conveyor. Southwest is not fussy about bag size - you can be over and they won't care - but they are very fussy about weight.
Feb 20, 2019, 3:19 pm
#11
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I have a biggish bag that I usually check and always weigh before I leave the house. I do not recall the ticket agent- before or after kiosk tagging- not taking a close look at the scale weight before placing it on the conveyor. Southwest is not fussy about bag size - you can be over and they won't care - but they are very fussy about weight.
Feb 20, 2019, 3:46 pm
#12
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The FAA investigation is a significant flight safety issue and has nothing to do with check-in.
All other major US carriers scan the tag on each bag as it is loaded onto the aircraft. This provides an accurate count of the bags loaded. That is multiplied by an average bag weight and that number (along with which baggage compartment has been loaded) is provided to the Captain and to dispatch and forms part of the W&B calculations.
WN does not bother with scanning and relies on a hand count by the rampers. Sometimes they screw up. When they do, the count is off and W&B may be affected. While it's not likely to cause significant risk, that is not a certainty and there is zero tolerance for this level of sloppiness in US commercial aviation. It's one of the reasons why flying is so safe.
The technology required is hardly sophisticated, but it is necessary. It has ancillary benefits if WN wants to bother, such as permitting passengers to track their bags on the app.
Bottom lime is that that this is a significant safety issue and has nothing to do with whether bags are weighed at check-in and what WN does or does not charge to check bags.
All other major US carriers scan the tag on each bag as it is loaded onto the aircraft. This provides an accurate count of the bags loaded. That is multiplied by an average bag weight and that number (along with which baggage compartment has been loaded) is provided to the Captain and to dispatch and forms part of the W&B calculations.
WN does not bother with scanning and relies on a hand count by the rampers. Sometimes they screw up. When they do, the count is off and W&B may be affected. While it's not likely to cause significant risk, that is not a certainty and there is zero tolerance for this level of sloppiness in US commercial aviation. It's one of the reasons why flying is so safe.
The technology required is hardly sophisticated, but it is necessary. It has ancillary benefits if WN wants to bother, such as permitting passengers to track their bags on the app.
Bottom lime is that that this is a significant safety issue and has nothing to do with whether bags are weighed at check-in and what WN does or does not charge to check bags.
Feb 20, 2019, 4:24 pm
#13
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Feb 20, 2019, 5:15 pm
#14
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
Bag weight at check in is not recorded, all the agent is looking at is whether or not you are above or below the limit at which they can impose a fee.
Southwest has no baggage tracking system, and relies on ramp agents to provide an accurate count.
Which is, one suspects, the issue.
Southwest has no baggage tracking system, and relies on ramp agents to provide an accurate count.
Which is, one suspects, the issue.
Feb 20, 2019, 5:16 pm
#15
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,698
The FAA investigation is a significant flight safety issue and has nothing to do with check-in.
All other major US carriers scan the tag on each bag as it is loaded onto the aircraft. This provides an accurate count of the bags loaded. That is multiplied by an average bag weight and that number (along with which baggage compartment has been loaded) is provided to the Captain and to dispatch and forms part of the W&B calculations.
WN does not bother with scanning and relies on a hand count by the rampers. Sometimes they screw up. When they do, the count is off and W&B may be affected. While it's not likely to cause significant risk, that is not a certainty and there is zero tolerance for this level of sloppiness in US commercial aviation. It's one of the reasons why flying is so safe.
The technology required is hardly sophisticated, but it is necessary. It has ancillary benefits if WN wants to bother, such as permitting passengers to track their bags on the app.
Bottom lime is that that this is a significant safety issue and has nothing to do with whether bags are weighed at check-in and what WN does or does not charge to check bags.
All other major US carriers scan the tag on each bag as it is loaded onto the aircraft. This provides an accurate count of the bags loaded. That is multiplied by an average bag weight and that number (along with which baggage compartment has been loaded) is provided to the Captain and to dispatch and forms part of the W&B calculations.
WN does not bother with scanning and relies on a hand count by the rampers. Sometimes they screw up. When they do, the count is off and W&B may be affected. While it's not likely to cause significant risk, that is not a certainty and there is zero tolerance for this level of sloppiness in US commercial aviation. It's one of the reasons why flying is so safe.
The technology required is hardly sophisticated, but it is necessary. It has ancillary benefits if WN wants to bother, such as permitting passengers to track their bags on the app.
Bottom lime is that that this is a significant safety issue and has nothing to do with whether bags are weighed at check-in and what WN does or does not charge to check bags.