Trading standards find faulty check-in baggage scales
Airlines are over charging passengers for check-in baggage, according to an investigation by the Trading Standards Institute.
It said tests at one airport found check-in scales were faulty, so customers were charged wrongly for ‘excess’ weight.
At the request of BAA, it visited one particular airline after complaints about the accuracy of a baggage weigher.
On testing 18 sets of scales, officials found 10 were showing a weight on the machine even before the customer’s baggage was lifted on.
“The significance of these errors is compounded by the fact that all check-in staff at every airport in the UK can easily correct the indication on the scales by pushing a button, which sets the scale indication to zero, before the consumer is asked to put their baggage on,†said Bruce Treloar, TSI’s national lead officer for holidays and travel.
“Since February 2006, we have been raising concerns about the lack of transparency of flight pricing and the OFT last August announced it was taking action against 13 online airlines over misleading holiday pricing.
“But our investigation proves that a number of airlines are finding new ways to add extra charges to flight prices.â€
The TSI investigation also found:
– Increasing confusion with baggage limits and extra charges levied by airlines when luggage is checked in at the airport, rather than online when the booking is made.
– Inaccuracy of scales used to weigh luggage at airport check-ins.
– A bewildering use of ‘tick boxes’ on websites. One required customers to put a tick in a box to avoid extra charges – while on the same site they were required to remove the tick to avoid extra charges
– Families with children and people with disabilities, including those with visual impairments, cannot check in baggage online, resulting in extra charges at the airport.
“The findings of our investigation show that, despite the spotlight being on them , airlines are still not being up front about the true cost of flights – and it’s clearly a nightmare for consumers,” said Treloar.
A spokeswoman for ABTA added: “Transparent pricing is very important to ABTA, its members and the credibility of the industry.
“Non-optional extras have to be included in headline prices, but where other costs maybe incurred – such as baggage charges – companies must do their utmost not to mislead.”
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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