Right here in america, it’s completely frequent for gate brokers to attempt to solicit volunteers to gate test their luggage, with a view to be sure that they don’t run out of overhead bin area. This can be a uniquely American downside, and whilst airways are putting in greater overhead bins, it doesn’t appear to get any higher.
Gate brokers will attempt to get passengers to voluntarily gate test luggage in all types of how. Typically they attempt to make it sound like a privilege, whereas different occasions they basically warn that it’s inevitable. Nevertheless, there’s one technique I’ve heard twice in current weeks, which might’t assist however make me chuckle.
Gate brokers mark spurious “weight restriction” claims
Whereas boarding a flight right this moment in Miami (MIA), a gate agent made an attention-grabbing announcement shortly earlier than boarding began:
“We now have a weight restriction on the plane right this moment, we cannot accommodate all the luggage within the cabin, and we’ll want some individuals to voluntarily test their luggage.”
I don’t assume I must level out the absurdity of this, do I? Sure, it’s fully potential that an plane might be weight restricted, however then it doesn’t matter if a bag is within the overhead bin or within the cabin. Truly, fairly on the contrary, cabin luggage aren’t weighed (so don’t depend towards the entire, as airways use a median weight for these functions), whereas checked luggage are weighed.
Let me in fact additionally acknowledge that technically overhead bins have posted most weights, however these have at all times utilized, and regardless of that, luggage are by no means weighed. So I wouldn’t assume that’s an element right here.
Now, I’d attribute the above quote to only one gate agent making stuff up, besides I heard the identical announcement on an American flight out of New York (JFK) earlier this month.
So did gate brokers independently give you this lie, is the corporate encouraging this as a very good speaking level, or what?
What this jogs my memory of…
Keep in mind again within the day when electronics needed to be turned off for takeoff and touchdown, relatively than simply having to be in airplane mode? I keep in mind one explicit early morning flight a few years in the past with a really energetic flight attendant who claimed to have a panel within the galley displaying what number of digital gadgets have been on, and what number of seatbelts weren’t mounted.
“Women and gents, I’m seeing that 48 individuals nonetheless have their telephones on, and 31 individuals nonetheless aren’t carrying their seatbelts.” Then over the following jiffy that quantity stored happening.
For avoidance of doubt, no such panel exists (clearly), but it surely might need simply labored…
Backside line
I’ve now twice heard American Airways gate brokers declare that they wanted volunteers to gate test luggage as a result of an plane weight restriction. Until I’m lacking one thing apparent, that makes completely no sense, except there’s new expertise I don’t learn about whereby an plane cabin and plane cargo maintain fly individually.
I’m curious if I’ve simply run into two telepathic gate brokers, or if others have heard this declare as effectively on American or one other airline?
