Luggage scales used by airports in South Florida frequently give inaccurate readings, according to new research.
Analysis of 2,000 airport scale inspections has found that baggage weighing machines are inaccurate 25 percent of the time.
The analysis by The South Florida Sun-Sentinel looked at government inspection records from 2005 to 2008.
Palm Beach International Airport recorded the most weight-related scale failures at 12 percent, with scales at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International malfunctioning 4 percent of the time.
As a result, the newspaper suggested that customers could mistakenly be paying fees for excess baggage.
However, Scott Morecroft, Inspector for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Bureau of Weights and Measures, told the newspaper that “it’s rare that you see a scale seriously off.”
He suggested that airline employees do not always know when scales are wrong, adding: “”if it’s 1 or 2 pounds off, they’re not going to notice.”
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