15 airline scales fail state inspection

Three state investigators with the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures went to the Tucson International Airport Tuesday to check the scales. All 15 scales investigators checked failed at TIA.

Three state investigators with the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures went to the Tucson International Airport Tuesday to check the scales. All 15 scales investigators checked failed at TIA.

Fees for overweight bag range from $25 to $125 and sometimes the difference could be a scale that’s out of whack.

To check the scales the inspectors load them with specifically measured weights and check if they read the exact amount.

“We almost always find problems. People dump bags on them all day. They walk on them, drop liquids, they get a lot of use,” says Weights and Measures spokesman Steve Meissner.

It’s something travelers keep a close eye on before they get to the airport. Each of Delta’s eight scales got slapped with a red tag: meaning they’re out of service until a certified technician comes out and repairs them.

“There were some maintenance problems with the way they keep their scales. They had wooden planks beneath them and that sets off some problems keeping them balanced, keeping them accurate,” Meissner says.

Delta says in a statement accurate scales are something they take seriously and is working to have them fixed.

United’s scales had problems too all seven received red tags.

A spokesman says their scales were certified over the summer and they’re looking into what happened.

Both airlines say customers won’t be charged for overweight bags until the scales are fixed.

Travelers like Diane Pace say it’s alarming that not one scale passed.

“As long as they’re going to charge for extra bags and weight, they should be on the up and up,” says Pace.

State investigators say they will be back to check other airlines.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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