Weight limits are critical for the flight. An overweight plane can fail to take off. The more weight in passengers a plane carries, the more weight in fuel they need to add. This extra fuel weight also requires more fuel to carry it. And so on and so on.
There’s a tipping point with weight of passengers and cargo combined with flight duration where the plane becomes uneconomical to fly. Planes have crashed on takeoff because they were overweight but the weight was miscalculated. Temperature and weather also play a role.
It’s because of safety standards. 50 pounds isn’t a set limit, but you can see how any decent lawyer can take that NIOSH model used and get a crapton of money from a company if an employee does get hurt lifting more, so conservative companies that don’t want to have to pay out will set that limit themselves.
How is that logical that the man should pay extra cause he’s bigger/taller but small people should get extra luggage bonus?
Not even taking into account that this very short lady will be far more comfortable during the flight than the gentleman.
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The logic being that there is ~$0.82 USD per KG of fuel cost that has to be accounted for
Adding to that, people need to load all those suitcases in. The man doesn’t get carried into the plane.
Its not logical - Weight limits aren’t there for the flight, they’re there so the luggage handlers don’t injure themselves
Weight limits are critical for the flight. An overweight plane can fail to take off. The more weight in passengers a plane carries, the more weight in fuel they need to add. This extra fuel weight also requires more fuel to carry it. And so on and so on.
There’s a tipping point with weight of passengers and cargo combined with flight duration where the plane becomes uneconomical to fly. Planes have crashed on takeoff because they were overweight but the weight was miscalculated. Temperature and weather also play a role.
Of course… What airline companies are most concerned about is the well being of their luggage handlers.
Even if they claim that this is one of the reasons, it’s a by product of cost management.
It’s because of safety standards. 50 pounds isn’t a set limit, but you can see how any decent lawyer can take that NIOSH model used and get a crapton of money from a company if an employee does get hurt lifting more, so conservative companies that don’t want to have to pay out will set that limit themselves.