Annual Review of Luggage Weight Bargaining
The suitcase is 24.2 kilograms. The limit is 23 kilograms. The redistribution is underway.
Year in review: luggage weight bargaining. Period: Three checked trips in the past year. Trips requiring redistribution: three. Net weight change from redistribution: zero. Trips avoided due to overweight bag: zero.
The System
The weight limit applies to the checked bag. The carry-on bag has a separate limit that is typically less enforced. The redistribution strategy exploits this asymmetry: items moved from checked to carry-on reduce the checked bag's weight while increasing the carry-on bag's weight.
The total weight being transported does not change. The distribution across bags changes. The airline's charging mechanism applies to the checked bag only.
The Year's Redistributions
Trip 1: Checked bag at 25.4kg. Redistribution: winter boots and one sweater to carry-on. Checked bag reduced to 22.8kg. Carry-on: 11.3kg.
Trip 2: Checked bag at 24.2kg. Redistribution: two books and one pair of shoes to carry-on. Checked bag reduced to 22.9kg. Carry-on: 9.6kg.
Trip 3: Checked bag at 23.8kg. Redistribution: toiletries bag (the heavy one) to carry-on. Checked bag reduced to 22.6kg. Carry-on: 10.1kg.
The Carry-On Consequence
On Trip 1, the carry-on was inspected at the gate. The weight was not checked but the dimensions were. The carry-on passed. On Trip 3, the carry-on was gate-checked because the overhead bins were full. It was checked as baggage at the gate, reunited at the destination.
The redistribution strategy is consistently successful. The total weight carried has remained approximately constant. The overweight fee has been avoided three times.
The carry-on bag needs new wheels.