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Comment by vasco | Hacker News Reader

Meanwhile if you fatten up by 20kgs you fly for the same price. Just eat your clothes!

The difference being, some poor sod doesn't have to carry you to the cargo hold of the plane.

I have occasionally seen people wearing far too many clothes to make the luggage smaller/lighter.

The baggage weight limit has nothing to do with the weight of the aircraft. It is about keeping the bags light enough for handling, to protect the backs of baggage handlers (and automated equipment/belts). Unlike thier heavy bag, a heavy passenger is generally capable of walking themselves onto the plane.

If that's so, why is the luggage weight allowance applied cumulatively across multiple bags for one passenger? And why is it different between airlines and between ticket classes?

Because first class baggage is labelled and treated differently so it never gets bumped. The lower/higher numbers are also uses to force the penalty payments, something first class travellers don't want to deal with at check-in.

This seems unrelated to your original point about safety of baggage handling workers. The purpose of a max single bag weight is to facilitate handling. The purpose of a per passenger baggage allowance surely is to manage total plane load, hence high excess charges.

Even first class passengers can't turn up with unlimited luggage but, in my experience relating to families flying between London and the middle East, have household staff who make arrangements and coordinate with carriers.

I'm sure some airlines do this. But most airlines allow 20kg per bag.

Might be talking at cross purposes here: per bag 20kg is so the bag can be safely handled by staff.

When I fly between London and East Asia I shop around between different carriers and, in economy class, I'm normally offered up to two checked bags with a total weight of between 30 and 35kg depending on carrier and promotional offers.

Obviously you've never lived through having the weight balance of the baggage on your aircraft being deemed improper. 30 minutes to move to the other side of the airport, whereupon the weight balance is deemed OK, 30 minutes to return. Yes, Chicago.

looooooooooooooooooool (talking as someone who really needs to shed off 20+kgs)

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