I discovered a youtube video today where a guy was asked to weigh himself on boarding an Air Panama flight. They do not have anything outlined in their regulations about passenger weight limits. I did see some hint in another Central American Airline about the possibility of a weight limit but there is nothing explicitly spelled out. Has anyone heard about this? Do they actually weight you when you check in? Or weigh people who they think may be over a limit? And has anyone ever heard of someone being denied the flight because they are over a certain weight, or asked to buy a second plane ticket? Thanks.
2
boomer1
In my experience small aircraft operators always weigh the passengers- Sansa & Nature Air out of Costa Rica certainly do. Its for obvious reasons as small aircraft have precise load limits and they have to add the total baggage weight to the passenger weight. If the load is too much then luggage follows on a later plane- so if you are huge other passengers will give you dirty looks for delaying their bags!
3
solohobo
Agree with #2, in Costa Rica, they weigh the passenger and the luggage, its for your protection, these are small commercial aircraft by Sesna, single engine for 22 passengers, and even the twin engines only hold 22-25 passengers. If a passenger is really big, and its full, they have to put excess luggage on next flight, drawing the ire of other passengers. Welcome to the developing world.
4
maliante
The air panama fleet is fairly new and they did not weigh me the last time I took it but the flight wasn't sold out.
5
misterbee
Has anyone heard about this?
Not only heard about it, but I have experienced it. It's common on smaller planes.
Do they actually weight you when you check in?
Sometimes passengers & bags are weighed separately, but usually a passenger is weighed with luggage (prevents revealing anyone's weight).
Or weigh people who they think may be over a limit?
Everybody and everything gets weighed.
And has anyone ever heard of someone being denied the flight because they are over a certain weight, or asked to buy a second plane ticket?
The passenger will be allowed to fly; the luggage will follow on another flight.
8
mrred
I just made this trip last week. Our luggage was weighed when flying out of Panama to Bocas but we weren't. However, our bags were 15 lbs. heavier than when we left Houston two days before so we had to pay an additional fee for the overweight bags. For the flight back to Panama, we were weighed and our bags were weighed separately. Surprisingly, our bags weighed 15 lbs less than our fight to Bocas. So, yes, Air Panama weighs bags and people. And like others have said, it's all in the name of safety.
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