Rhelyn Harder
- A man checking in at an airport cheated on his baggage weight, without any knowledge that his action could put all the passengers in danger
- People should be aware of the importance of weight and balance in an aircraft
- Cheating on your baggage weight while checking in an aircraft is really inappropriate
Are you one of many people who lose patience while checking in an airport due to the strict regulations on baggage weight? And who doesn’t want to pay an additional payment for excess baggage?
Well, you should read this article for you to know how important it is to be honest for the safety of your flight.
A Facebook user Bianca Kaye Domingo posted about a man checking into an airport and cheating on his baggage weight, without any knowledge that his action could put all the passengers in danger.
Seeing this post, an aircraft mechanic, Jonas Marius Ocampo, immediately warned the people of not trying this act because it can cause an airplane to crash. He also mentioned that people should be aware of the importance of weight and balance in an aircraft.
According to Gerard van Es, from the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on his article on the Importance of Proper Weight and Balance, he stated that “the aircraft is designed and certified to operate within a certain weight and balance limits, exceeding these limits can be dangerous.” That is why the pilots, attendants, and crew of an airline are very strict on checking the weight of the baggage.
“The regulations provide the stability, control, and strength requirements at all allowable Center of Gravity (CG) positions and corresponding weights,“ he stated.
It means that the CG is the distribution of weight in an aircraft and should be carefully calculated. If somebody would cheat, it can lead to uncontrollable handling problems, which can lead to loss of control during all stages of flight. So in this manner, we should be honest and cooperate for our own safety.
Upon seeing the post, another netizen reacted and shared his knowledge on its negative effect.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2334453989927731&id=100000894588278
Allen Lopez emphasized that “weight is one of the main safety concerns for a flight. The ground crew and pilots need to know their exact take-off and landing weight for a particular flight.”
He also explained on his comment the reason why we should pay for excess baggage, which sometimes pushes passengers to cheat on their weight baggage to lessen their expenses; because honestly, excess baggage is bit expensive, especially on international flights.
“Before a flight, the pilot and co-pilot has to encode on the plane’s computer the total weight of passengers ( for example if you look like you weigh at least 50kg, they add an extra 5-10kg to your weight), the total weight of baggage/luggage, and of course the total weight and amount of fuel needed for that particular flight.. that’s why you need to pay for excess baggage because they need to put an extra fuel for all those excess baggage.. and also they check your luggage’s weight because every aircraft has a maximum take-off limit, for example, a Being 747-8 has a max take-off capacity of 442 tons… that’s passengers, fuel, supplies like food, water, etc., and luggage, and yes some commercial flights take priority packages/overnight shipping, that’s how they break even for a not-so-full flight.
“Not to mention a plane also has a landing limit. That’s why, sometimes, they release fuel mid-air to reduce weight. The general rule of thumb is you burn ⅓ of the fuel you carry, only to carry it. So 1kg of fuel means you burn ⅓ kg to carry it. THAT NICE PRETTY GIRL ON THE CHECK-IN COUNTER ASSUMES YOUR WEIGHT FOR YOU! SO DON’T EVEN THINK YOU’RE SEXY!.. THAT GIRL ISN’T SO NICE ANYMORE HUH?! WEIGHT IS EVERYTHING FOR A FLIGHT.”
Cheating on your baggage weight in an aircraft is really inappropriate. It is not only risking your own life, but also risking the life of all other passengers because of one mistake.
