Travelers often question whether the scales airlines use to weigh checked bags are accurate. If they aren’t, passengers could end up paying more than they should. To see how the equipment stacks up to scrutiny, reporter Damian Trujillo tagged along on a “scale inspection” today at Mineta Sa n Jose International Airport. “These scales have to be perfectly calibrated,” Trujillo said of the strict standards. “They can’t be a tenth of a pound over or under, or inspectors will shut them down.” Ryan Atwood, an inspector with the county’s Weights and Measures Department, brought his tools to the airport for the operation. He quickly had to red-tag one scale that was two-tenths of a pound off. When Trujillo asked, “Some people might say two-tenths of a pound is nothing. Is it something?” Atwood explained the strict tolerances. “Two-tenths of a pound, it’s really a small tolerance,” Atwood said. “We’re checking from two-tenths all the way to 100 pounds because different airlines have different requirements on when to start charging customers for their bags.” Inspectors noted that airlines must adhere to weight limits on passengers and cargo in order to fly safely. The annual inspection is coordinated with the airport so officials can have repairmen ready in case a scale fails. The scale Atwood red-tagged required some recalibration to bring it back up to code. “It’s important what we’re doing so the consumer gets charged the correct amount when they check their bags, and our airlines so they’re not overweighing their planes,” Atwood said. “Consumer fairness across the board.” Out of 37 scales checked in Terminal B today, inspectors momentarily closed nine of them. Those scales were red-tagged and recalibrated on the spot. Over in Terminal A, one scale was underweighing by one pound—a problem that primarily impacts the airlines. Overall, inspectors said the required recalibrations were relatively minor. Passengers at the airport appreciated the department’s work. “I think it’s great cuz it seems like it varies,” traveler Marlana said. “Like you weigh it at home then you get here and it’s totally different.” “That’s great. Great news,” traveler Will added. “Don’t want to get charged more than I need to, right?” By tonight, all scales at SJC are accurate, with inspectors hoping to at least take that weight off the shoulders of passengers. ...read more read less