aacharya

I have never gotten away with more than 0.5 lb when at 70 lbs. Ever. Apparently a big safety nono.

trooper

The 70 lb limit is (fairly) common......that is pretty heavy...it's nearly half my weight... and the handlers have to move a LOT of bags.... its an OH&S matter...(or whatever that's called where you are)

I know everyone criticises the baggage handlers.... but shifting 70lb bags all day can't be fun....

ExplorerWannabe

It's not but it used to be the standard once-upon-a-time (empty luggage was heavier back then too). I don't blame them but it is interesting how standards have changed over the years.

Counter agents may be sticklers or they may be lenient when you're slightly over the weight limit. I've had agents WANT to be lenient but unable to do so because I was so far over the weight limit (I misweighed the bag using a bathroom scale).

I used to use a golf bag to transport unusually long items (not necessarily always golf clubs. Never had a problem but I can see my golf travel bag exceeding the 62 linear inches. Does United now routinely charge people fees for golf clubs?

warrenw

A buddy just got hit for the overweight limit, he's no status whatsoever and paid $400 for an 85lb bag. Now his company won't cover it because his travel docs explicitly said "no excess baggage fees" or something like that.

trooper

I believe the 70lb/32kg limit is still quite common...it certainly is on the airlnes I use.
Ive read on a couple of airline websites that golf bags are (not surprisingly) supposed to contain golf clubs...shoes, balls, tees etc....and NO items unrelated to golf...

I wonder if anyone using a specialised golf bag has ever been pinged for using it for other items?

jburns513

Baertracks

My ticket says that I'm eligible to check in up to 3 bags @ 70lbs each.

For my upcoming international travel on Jan. 16 I plan to have two normal-size bags (<62" total dimensions) @ 69lbs each and one slightly over-sized bag (74" total dimensions) at 49lbs.

My past experience has been that UA will accept the above three bags as being consistent with my baggage allowance of 3 free bags. In other words, 1 normal bag weighing 70lbs = 1 oversize bag weighing 50lbs. Is that interpretation still correct, or has UA policy changed? Or, is it simply dependent on interpretation by the check-in agent?

Thanks (and Happy New Year!)

emcampbe

IMO, believe 74” is oversized (And by my interpretation, by more than a little), and will likely get levied as ‘oversize’ So I’d prepare for that.

Its certainly possible that that an agent may let it go, but at that much past the cutoff, I’d doubt it. If it’s an inch over, it could pretty easily be seen as within dimensions, but at 10+ inches over, even a newbie agent can probably tell. I’d expect to pay, particilarly if at a station that is staffed by contractors.

wxguy

There is no waiver/exemption for oversize bags for 1Ks (or GS). Technically, they can charge you even for one empty oversize bag. You may get an agent who looks the other way or doesn't notice, but don't count on it.

dsgtc0408

I've done exactly the same as you as a 1K: two bags >50 pounds (so within 1K limit) and one corrugated carton <50 pounds (happened to be furniture). I worked to get the box to 68 linear inches. The check in lady did pull out the tape measure and was all set to charge me but after speaking to a colleague (who might have recognized me) didn't "because I am 1K". It probably didn't hurt that I was chatting cheerfully with her and mentioned I had been flying to Asia on UA for more than ten years. After flying UA for so long I took that to mean that the check in lady could have charged me but cut me this slack. In other words, I was out of policy but she let it slide - which means if there was any problems afterwards, she would have taken the blowback, not me. As info, I did this back in the day when ps flew out of JFK and the UA folks there struck me as being generally more accommodating. But I'm not sure if they would have been 74 inches accommodating even as a 1K.

Considering this is a YMMV situation, you are taking your chances. I was all set to cough up the $200 oversize fee. You should be too.

joe_miami

I’ve heard, as mentioned above, that Delta lets people slide with an extra 2 pounds on checked bags. Does UA have any official or unofficial policies on this, either as a general matter or for people with UA status? I’m UA Gold and generally travel with one (of the two allowed) checked bag that’s often near the 70-pound limit plus a small laptop bag. Thanks.

emcampbe

joe_miami

Thanks for the reply. It’s always a little nerve-wracking checking in with one bag that I’m guessing is approaching the limit. I know, when I didn’t have status and checked in with United Express, the agents were strict. These days, I have UA Gold and mostly originate at hubs or large airports. Curious if there’s any difference.

WineCountryUA

Like this -- small enough to carry with you to check the vacation bags on the return after gathering goodies for the grandkids.

As for grace poundage with UA, don't count on it -- perhaps an occasional agent with look the other way but not aware of any official policy. Suppose GS agents might be more willing but the OSHA laws on weight for luggage handling is very strict.

joe_miami

Do bags over 70 pounds get a different tag than the HEAVY tag that any bag over 50 pounds already gets? I assume so, but haven’t gone over 70 yet.