joecool1885

Checked in no problem. Agent didn't ask size at all (she did ask what was in it)

No problem on return trip either.

jclarke

Thanks for the update.. I'm going to check three Pelican 1620 cases at LAX today. While their dimensions are well within limits, one of them may be a pound or two over 70 lbs. Fingers crossed!

LaserSailor

Limes.

Best part is, now you know who to and who not to listen to on FT.... (what horrible construction)

WineCountryUA

While dimension are usually just eyeballed, weight is nearly always checked. Chances of being stopped for weight issues are far greater than dimension issues. Have backup plan.

jclarke

I had a backup plan of filling my carryon with the heaver contents. But the agents simply Asked me to pile all of the cases on the scale at once so they could rapidly tag them. No weighing involved, but they did attach 'HEAVY' tags to each of them.

Don't tell Jeff.....

And I apologize in advance to people on my EMB120 leg.. Wonder how much cargo capacity it has.

thailen

I'm a frequent flyer on United(Star Alliance) with a United-Chase-Visa Explorer credit card, entitling me to a 50 lb.first piece checked luggage allowance. How much over 50 will they let me exceed the limit? I'd like it to be 52 lbs.

WineCountryUA

better find a place for the 2 lbs in your carry-on. And remember the overweight determination is made with their scales, so best not to try to be too close to the limit.

Or in other words do not expect any leniency.

thailen

I've already planned for the spillover to go in my already almost full carry-on. Unless their scales are different from the U.S. Poist Office scales, I hope I won't be surprised at the airport.

cesco.g

I'd leave the extra items in the ckd bag and save some space in the carry-on, maybe you come across a courteous check-in agent or skycap - keeping tip handy for the latter doesn't hurt.... . In the worst case you can always repack, if needed. However, I have come across other carriers, who ask for the carry-on to go on the scale as well. Good luck!

Plane-is-home

For example the scale in OGG showed 6lbs more than in DEN for all our luggage pieces recently.

mahasamatman

They are. No two scales in the world are the same.

sinoflyer

Generally speaking, I don't believe that airport scales are regulated anywhere in the U.S. (However, the more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to say that they should be.) Anyway, I usually just hope the agent will accept my checked bag the way it is packed, even if it's a few pounds over limit. This has happened a few times over many years, but I don't recall ever exceeding more than 2-3 lbs. The only time I was refused was on SQ, flying transpac J, when I had a box of books that I ended up unboxing and putting half of them in my rollaboard. Good luck!

Loren Pechtel

I've come up at 51 on the airport scales and they've let it go--it's always been under 50 by my scale.

ACC2008

Try doing curbside check-in. My experience has been that valet are much more mercy on customers then a UA agent.

Let us know how it goes.

kettle1

I asked a ticket agent for DL that I have known for years. She said they are required to put a HEAVY tag on any bag over 50 lbs. If they do not and someone on the ramp gets hurt, they are in BIG trouble. It is for the safety of the baggage handlers and to prevent OJI's.

She also said that the scales are calibrated every two weeks by a private company paid by the airport, where DL rents counter space. Look on the side of the scale - there is a sticker when it was last calibrated.

I am sure UA is the same.

OP: Just pack your bag up to 50 lbs, or pull out a $10 bill and check in your 52 lb. bag with a Skycap. For $10 I am sure they would take the risk, as they are contract employees.

If an employee gets hurt lifting a bag over 50 lbs without a HEAVY tag, the airline will look up and see that the PX was not charged for the excess weight and that is the same as stealing from the Company (UA in this case).