6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed had one or more instances in last 3 years where the check-in and carry-on luggage weight was determined to be higher by airline weighing scale than at home

August 15, 2025, New Delhi: Many air passengers, particularly those booked on a budget or no-frills airline, make at least a kilogram allowance when planning to check in luggage as the common experience is that airport weighing machines rarely show the same weight as seen at home. Of course, there can be discrepancies at both ends.

On August 5, an IndiGo passenger, Rattan Dhillon, shared on ‘X’ how the same luggage showed different results on three weighing machines at the Delhi airport, leading him to question the airline.

“One of the biggest unnoticed scams by IndiGo is the inconsistent weighing scales at their check-in counters. Yesterday, while boarding flight 6E724 from Goa to Chandigarh, my bag showed 18 kg on one belt, 16 kg on another, and 15 kg on a third. When I questioned the discrepancy, the IndiGo staff simply replied, “Sir, the 15 kg machine must be wrong, 18 is the correct weight.” Seriously? What’s the justification for this? I ended up paying INR11,900 for extra baggage including INR1,500 just for carrying an umbrella! (Receipt Nos: VYU6U-02, Z8GZTD-02).

To verify, I even weighed the same bag at my hotel, and it was exactly 15 kg proving that their belts inflate the weight by 2-3 kg.” Dhillon wrote on the social media platform.

Another aggrieved Indigo passenger has shared on the ‘X’ platform that he had to pay more for “excess baggage” though “at Delhi, same luggage weighed on Air India scale showed DIFFERENT weight – proving IndiGo’s scales were faulty! Total checked baggage: 67.3kg (within our 68kg allowance). We should never have been charged…….”

This is not the first time this year that passengers have complained about the inconsistency in the weight of their luggage on different machines, raising questions about the reliability of weighing equipment at airport check-in counters.

In February, Daksh Sethi discovered a 2.3 kg difference for the same bag between two adjacent weighing scales while checking in for his IndiGo flight at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Chandigarh.

The matter gained attention when Sethi documented the discrepancy through an Instagram post, showing both weighing machines displaying different weights for the same suitcase.

These revelations have prompted other travelers to share similar experiences, indicating this might not be isolated incidents.

In both cases mentioned above, IndiGo assured the passengers that they would probe the issue. After the earlier incident, airport authorities acknowledged the issue and stated that the discrepancies were due to technical faults in the scales. They also emphasized that the scales are regularly calibrated and certified for accuracy.

These and many other similar incidents this year and in the past highlight the importance of accurate weighing systems at airports, as luggage weight directly affects both airline operations and passenger charges. Airlines world overcharge substantial fees for excess baggage, making accurate weight measurements crucial for fair billing.

Through a survey LocalCircles has strived to find out whether discrepancy in luggage weight during check-in is a rare thing or do several others become targets of fines due to regulations or malpractices. The survey received over 36,000 responses from airline passengers located in 289 districts of India. 68% respondents were men while 32% respondents were women. 45% of respondents were from tier 1, 30% from tier 2 and 25% of respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 & rural districts.

6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed say they have had one or more instances in last 3 years where the airline staff weighed their check-in baggage to be higher in weight than at home

The survey first asked airline passengers, “How many times in the last 3 years (2022-2025) have you had a situation when you went to check-in your bags, the airline staff weighed the bags to be heavier than what your weighing scale at home indicated?” Out of 18,456 airline passengers who responded to the question 8% indicated “over 10 times”; 21% of respondents indicated “6-10 times”; 21% of respondents indicated "3-5 times”; 10% of respondents indicated "1-2 times”; 19% of respondents indicated "never”; and 21% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, 6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed say they have had one or more instances in last 3 years where the airline staff weighed their check-in baggage to be higher in weight than at home.

6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed say they have had one or more instances in last 3 years where the airline staff weighed their carry-on baggage to be higher in weight than at home

As there is weight limit for carry-on baggage too, the survey asked airline passengers, “How many times in the last 3 years (2022-2025) have you had a situation in India where an airline staff weighed your carry-on luggage and found the weight to be higher than what your weighing scale at home indicated?” Out of 18,054 who responded to the question 8% indicated “over 10 times”; 21% of respondents indicated “6-10 times”; 16% of respondents indicated "3-5 times”; 16% of respondents stated “1-2 times”; 26% of respondents stated "never” have they faced such a situation and 13% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, 6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed say they have had one or more instances in last 3 years where the airline staff weighed their carry-on baggage to be higher in weight than at home.

In summary, in the last 3 years, 6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed say they have had one or more instances where the airline staff weighed their carry-on baggage to be higher in weight than at home. Similarly, during last 3 years, 6 in 10 airline passengers surveyed say they have had one or more instances where the airline staff weighed their check-in baggage to be higher in weight than at home.

In fact, the survey shows that 40-50% of those surveyed have faced this issue much more – anywhere between 3 -10 times- indicated that there is considerable room for authorities to probe and take corrective action. The airlines must be taken to task if they continue to use this underhand method to make extra money.

LocalCircles supports the views of aggrieved airline passengers that all commercial weighing scales should have a valid calibration from a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited lab. It should be made mandatory to show a calibration record and validity sticker on each airline weighing scales, including those used on all Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports.

Survey Demographics

The survey received over 36,000 responses from airline passengers located in 289 districts of India. 68% respondents were men while 32% respondents were women. 45% of respondents were from tier 1, 30% from tier 2 and 25% of respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 & rural districts. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform, and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.