3Cforme

Weights and Measures is typically a state-operated function.

https://www.azdwm.gov/?q=press-relea...ge-scales-test

Often1

Check curbside. Those guys are not UA employees and count on tips. The guy will know exactly what you face for a fee, so make it worth his while. If the overweight fee is $100, give him $20-30 and you've saved $70-80 and he's happy.

As others note, the "HEAVY" tag is now mandatory for internal liability, e.g. workers comp rules.

WineCountryUA

I showed up at AS counters with 52 & 51 lb bags (20 years of 70 lb allowance via UA and only doing bags a handful of times annually left me forgetting there might be an issue) and even when I got one to 50.1 the agent was not ready to give me the wink. The carryon on got heavier and heavier -- the total bag + carryon weight stay the same.

A different weight issue occurred with LH -- The carryon was too heavy. Just took out the day backpack and created an second carryon. Got the sticker on both and then proceed to repack the day backpack in the carryon.

While understanding the distinction in the different weight categories -- it does lead to some silliness at times.

MSPeconomist

I once saw SQ weighing carry on bags on the jetway and being quite nasty about it, even for passengers in business and FC. This was the LAX-NRT-SIN TPAC.

mahasamatman

Non-NA carriers care much more about cabin weight than NA carriers. We were recently forced to check carryons due to weight restrictions by Aerolineas Argentinas, and several years ago to redistribute weight in carryons by Spanair.

horse glasses

Personally, I'd just try to get away with it but have room in your carry-on if you get someone who tries to charge. Any time I've been a pound or two over, they've just let it go, but I wouldn't trust that 100% of the time.

emcampbe

Not sure about UA, but was just at the airport to help send my parents-in-law back to India. They were flying DL (connecting to AF, but that is probably irrelevant). They put the bag on the scale and the first one was 53 pounds - agent said it would have to be re-packed as policy allows comping just 2 pounds of extra weight from what is published - so 52 pounds. Long story shorter, the other three bags were either just over or just under the limit - re-packed, they had each of the 4 bags weighing exactly 52 in the end. I consider them very lucky to be able to meet the exception exactly to the limit without getting a hefty overweight fee.

Oh, and each of the bags got a heavy tag.

Goaliedad30

Give the bag to a SkyCap with a $10 bill. It will check through just fine.

kettle1

BINGO!

Doc Savage

Well, that makes sense given the difference in altitude.

kettle1

I hear the scales in Australia read backwards - like how the toilets flush.

OP: Just pack 50 pounds and relax.

grapegrower

On a regional flight late last year was under half a pound overweight and was made to transfer a book into my carryon. So they can be pedantic.

sinoflyer

Yeah, I totally erred when I said that airport scales are not regulated anywhere. I should have said that airport scales are not subject to a uniform set of regulatory controls. I've read somewhere that LAX's scales are inspected every 12 months, and read elsewhere that a place, perhaps SEA, has inspections every 36 months. Anyway, whether it's 50 lbs or 70 lbs (or the kg equivalent on other *A, non *A, and LCCs), I've pushed past the limit by a little bit several times in the past and, with the exception of that one time on SQ, was not refused by the agent. So, I'm led to believe that there is a certain leeway because of the inconsistencies from one scale to another.

This was also my concern when I was unboxing my books on that SQ trip. Years ago, I had been stopped in the jetway of a BR (before *A) LAX-TPE flight, where an agent hand-weighed all the rollaboards (IIRC the carry-on weight limit was 7 kg). Then I figured that if I got hand-weighed again, the rollaboard would be checked just like before. As it turned out, no hand-weighing on the jetway. The female SQ FA even offered to help me put the rollaboard into the overhead bin (it must have weighed 40+ lb ), but I just couldn't let her. I understand it was probably unsafe, but I've also seen pictures of people inside those bins.

wtigerFF

I agree with the suggestion to go with a SkyCap. I've seen people having to repack a 51 lb bag. People usually pull out books. I think UA allows "light reading material" in addition to the carry on and personal item. The strangest thing I saw pulled out was several full bottles of water! Those could have become very expensive bottles of water.

Before I qualified for 70lb bags, we used to travel with a portable digital luggage scale. It enabled us to distribute the weight before arriving at the airport. The portable scale seemed to be very accurate as far as matching United's scales when we were close to the limit. I never had to use it in DEN but used it many times in OGG.

Chiro1979

It really depends on the agent. I was returning from a 7 day cruise with my family in FLL in Y, and all six of our checked bags were over 50lbs, the heaviest being 54lbs, but the agent did not charge us for the bags (she did place a heavy tag on them). On the other hand, I was flying international J from EWR and one bag was one pound over while my other was ten pounds under and the agent made me transfer one pound to the lighter bag.