WSDA Watching Out for Consumers

Ever wonder with all the holiday travelers this time of year if airlines weren’t perhaps utilizing baggage scales that would tip ever so slightly in favor of the airlines? With overweight baggage fees being anywhere from $25 to over $200 travelers can’t help thinking that might just be the case. Thankfully a group of people with the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Weights & Measures staff make sure that at least airport baggage scale accuracy is one thing travelers here in the Northwest don’t have to worry about. Recent inspections by the WSDA WM staff reported that only one out of 179 airport baggage scales tested weighed inaccurately in favor of an airline. That’s surprisingly good results. One thing the WSDA recommends is that travelers weigh their baggage at home prior to checking in at the airport in case adjustments need to be made; since having to juggle items around and transfer things to an already stuffed to the brim carry-on while standing in line at the airline’s counter is never a pleasant experience. Also good to know is that as a traveler you can always ask that a bag be reweighed on a different scale.