Travelers warned over ‘underweight' bag issue as flyer is stopped by airline agent – it was all down to what was inside

The Sun

13 hours ago

ONE disgruntled passenger has come under fire for their bag - which was deemed too light.
A frustrated Delta Air Lines passenger shared his confusing experience on Reddit - which garnered plenty of attention.
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The vexed traveler wrote: "I bought some large lightweight souvenirs that wouldn't fit in my checked bag or carry-on, so I stuffed them into the secret duffel bag that I always bring for such contingencies and tried to check it.
"Imagine my surprise when the agent said I couldn't check my fluffy bag because it didn't weigh enough! Is this the bizarro luggage counter?"
He continued: "The agent said I should go ahead and take it as a third carry-on, but I didn't want to get hassled by the gate agent. I've read in this sub that the counter agents will say stuff just to get rid of you, only to have the GA say 'nuh-uh'.
"I didn't want to be forced to gate-check my backpack... so I found some heavy things in my other carry-ons to bring it up to three kilos.
"Has this happened to anyone else? What do you think is the reasoning behind this? Maybe they have some weight-based tracking systems that wouldn't work?
"Are they worried my bag could literally slip through a crack? I wonder if there are also minimum dimension requirements?"
Users commented: "Might have been too lightweight and flexible to make it through the sorting machines and various belts to get from the bag check conveyor to the plane.
"Need some heft to push through turns and flaps and rollers."
A second admitted: "I work at the airport and I see how the ramp people treat those bags. They also get stuck between the belts."
A third suggested: "Could easily be blown from the belt or from the cart."
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"It actually makes perfect sense. The bags get thrown around, piled on etc. Your lightweight half-empty bag would have been smushed like a pancake. The only checkable bags are tightly packed ones that wouldn't get damaged in usual handling. Sometimes it's possible to have things boxed so they can be checked," proposed a fourth.
A fifth mocked: " You checking helium balloons?"
"Weight itself definitely isn't an issue. I've checked a small item under 1lb and had no issues," proclaimed another.
Most airlines list the maximum weight of a checked bag on their website, but they do not state whether there is a minimum weight limit.
Delta's website lists its price for the first and second "standard checked bag under 50 lbs."
"I would've just checked my carry on and taken souvenirs with me," another user encouraged.
While Delta's maximum checked bag weight is on their website, there is no minimum weight limit stated - nor items listed too light to carry.
The website points to a "standard checked bag under 50lbs."
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