ludacris checked bag policy

[stlefebvre]

Southwest’s police states that you are allowed two checked bags for up to 50lbs apiece.

This means that you are allowed to fly with up to 100lbs of checked luggage safely.

I got charged an overweight fee of $75 for one bag being 55lbs, but the other one came in at 31lbs. So at 86lbs, I am still under the collective weight limit and am well within the confines of safety related weight limits. This says to me that this policy is meant to unethically generate profit more than anything else.

I have filed a complaint online and have spoken to representatives at the airport, and I have to say, the staff here at MDW has been incredibly rude and dismissive. I’m moving halfway across the country for work, and I am packed as tightly as I possibly can be so rearranging is not a realistic option. One rep here dismissively and sarcastically said it would be as simple as two pairs of jeans (which sounds like a load of crap to be honest).

I can’t help but call into question the logic (logic being a very generous term here) behind this policy. Southwest markets itself as a friendly, affordable airline, but this experience has shown me that like all other US airlines, Southwest values obscene profit over the actual safety of staff and passengers. 

[PDFelter]

I've been 5 lbs over in one bag before and just had to move a few items to the other bag.  It is a 50lb weight limit for each bag, not total of all the bags you are checking.  It isn't a profit source for the airline, it is a safety issue for the baggage handlers.  

I'm sorry you encountered rude staff.  

[stlefebvre]

If I had room, trust me I would. My bags are bursting at the seams as it is. 

[TheMiddleSeat]

How about the safety of employees who have to lift the bags? Did you forget about them? 

I think it's pretty incredible that you would file a complaint about a policy that is clearly stated and the most generous in the industry. No wonder it was quickly dismissed. 

--TheMiddleSeat

[stlefebvre]

If the staff here wasn’t rude about it, then I’s be a hell of a lot more understanding. There was no reason to be snarky the way they were. Even they didn’t mention the baggage staff. I made it a point to be assertive, but respectful. 

[parpitt1]

I'm not going to agree with this rule being ludacris. I've stood behind more than a few people over the years who've packed their bags with over 50 pounds of stuff in a particular bag and watched them redistribute/repack their luggage to gain compliance with the rule.  Why wouldn't you comply with the rule you agreed to when you purchased your ticket? Your packing of your luggage as tightly as possible does not change what you agreed to at the time of purchase and it certainly doesn't make SW unethical.

I do wish you safe travels in the future

[dfwskier]

The rule does clearly say 50 pounds PER BAG, and it is a rule that Southwest consistently adheres to.

You might not like it when Southwest employees tell you "that's the rule and that's it " (which is what I suspect happened), but that is the absolute truth.

[jksobonya]

Bags cannot be above 50 pounds *each*. The collective weight of your bags is irrelevant. 

--Jessica

[DancingDavidE]

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@stlefebvre wrote:

Southwest’s police states that you are allowed two checked bags for up to 50lbs apiece.

This means that you are allowed to fly with up to 100lbs of checked luggage safely.

I got charged an overweight fee of $75 for one bag being 55lbs, but the other one came in at 31lbs.  

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You have to find something that's 5.1 lbs and throw it in your carry on, that's the solution. (You mentioned it wouldn't fit in the other bag with 15 lbs allowance to go which is the other obvious choice.)

I had a legendary check-in at PHX one time with a bag just under 51 lbs and one just under 49 lbs and there was no budging and I juggled the stuff back and forth to get them both 49.5 lbs. 

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@stlefebvre wrote:

Southwest’s police states that you are allowed two checked bags for up to 50lbs apiece.

This means that you are allowed to fly with up to 100lbs of checked luggage safely.

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No, it means each bag is handled regularly at 50 lbs but becomes a challenge at higher weights for the baggage handlers. Safety, extra effort, more prone to damage - whatever the concerns they  choose to discourage it at the 50 lbs level.

[floridaguy]

When you travel, you have to be aware of the bag's weight.  The fact that you had an overweight bag means you pay the fee.  It does not mean that you get credit for the other bag's difference between the actual weight and the limit.

There is nothing absurd about the policy.