I am not expecting any dinner Tonight

[Jack Peterson]

 I have relented to go to Manila for a few days in February  but like  the early Christmas thing her indoors is starting to sort out what to take So, I sent her this Photo to help Wrong I think and as I say, I am not expecting any Dinner Tonight  

[Gary D]

We depart tomorrow for 8 nights in India and the discussion at breakfast went along the lines that I've (the wife) have only got 7 pairs of jeans which won't be enough, wtf I would only need what I'm wearing plus a change before we come home 

[Kuya John]

9 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

   

Just seeing this photo Jack reminds me when the wife first arrived at Manchester Airport to live in the UK.

She never did tell me how much it cost! (me) in excess luggage.

[Gary D]

Reminds me off watching three or four filipinos around a trolley stacked high trying to stop it getting away from them traversing the ramp down to the carpark at NAIA.

[Mike J]

The photo reminds me of my first trip from the USA to the Philippines.  I flew out of San Francisco.  There was a huge line at check in with carts stacked high with BB boxes.  I kept saying to myself; "How in the hell will the plane ever get off the ground carrying that kind of weight?" 

[Mark Berkowitz]

17 minutes ago, Mike J said:

"How in the hell will the plane ever get off the ground carrying that kind of weight?" 

Great question!  Although we sometime pay extra money for overweight luggage... I know this all too well because I've paid hundred of USD's for that priviledge BUT how does paying extra money make the plane safer to take off and fly?  I can't seem to find any weight limits for the total amount of luggage on a passenger plane... but the airlines gladly keep on taking our money.

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

BUT how does paying extra money make the plane safer to take off and fly?  I can't seem to find any weight limits for the total amount of luggage on a passenger plane... but the airlines gladly keep on taking our money.

I'll have a go at this one (I was a pilot) even though commercial jets are outside of my flight experience.  Every plane has a rated maximum takeoff weight (including commercial airliners). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airliners_by_maximum_takeoff_weight

The empty weight of the plane is a known factor, the amount of fuel carried is a known factor which leaves a figure for the weight of the passengers and luggage.

Airlines use standard weight measures which have been approved by the appropriate aviation authority.  The standard weights can be broken down by passenger type (adult/child), by sex (male/female) and by other factors (eg 83kg plus 7kg carry on) and multiplied by the number of passengers boarding the plane which left a known figure for the luggage.  

Also the balance of the plane is important, when an airplane is loaded, the location of each passenger, piece of baggage and loded fuel is calculated as to its effect on an airplane’s longitudinal center of gravity. This is an axis that runs from an aircraft’s nose to its tail.

And planes don't load more fuel than they need for the route they're travelling (plus a mandated safety margin for diversions etc) and hence will have spare weight carrying capacity at takeoff.  If they don't then the pilot will know and some luggage will be offloaded or people will be bumped (have you been on a flight where they call for people to exit the plane?  That's sometimes why).

 

Finally the answer to your question is 'it does not make the plane safer to fly' but it does 'provide a financial incentive to passengers to fly with the minimum possible luggage weight' (which reduces airline fuel burn and increases profitability) and also in cases where people do carry more luggage it 'provides extra revenue to compensate for the extra fuel burn'.  You can see this trend taken further with budget carriers who tend to charge extra for checked luggage not just for overweight luggage.

Edited May 28, 2019 by GeoffH