Do they really weigh passengers at rural Indonesian airports?
Former Qantas chief economist, Dr Tony Webber, has stirred indignation in Australia with calls for a “fat surcharge” to be applied to overweight passengers because they increase costs through higher jet fuel consumption.
However, what caught the author’s attention was this comment:
In different parts of the world, for example in Indonesia, particularly rural Indonesia, they actually weigh the baggage and the passenger at the same time.
Can anyone vouch for this, through personal experience? If so, which airport/airline/destination?
If not, maybe you can list the smaller/remote airports you have visited, so people can be confident where it does not happen.
BB,
“whilst our Indonesian fellow passengers will all be turning on their handphones or trying to walk 17 rows down the plane to retrieve the neatly boxed up rice cooker they spent twenty minutes loading into the overhead locker when they boarded”
life must be very tough and miserable for foreigners who have to struggle on daily basis in Indonesia, you know, dealing with us, shallow Indonesian people and poor facilities everywhere, not to mention all those crazy systems and regulations. Honestly, I admire your courage to live in this madness, and at the same time, I’m sorry that living in Indonesia make most of you (in this forum) being so cynical, grumbler and forget all those politeness and manners that your parents – back in your beautiful-developed worlds – had taught when you were a little boys.
If life so awful like that, I wonder why – with all of your amazing knowledge, skills, and superiority – you’re still staying in this pathetic country.
ET,
I noticed some Indonesians have also very long toes.
I believe they so, just like some other people with different nationalities in this planet. But if you somehow referred it to me based on my previous comment, nah, you took me the wrong way. I didn’t get offended, I was being sympathetic with foreigners in Indonesia who have to deal with us, some shallow Indonesian fellows. In fact, it’s easy to laugh at Indonesian with all these crazy situation. I often do that too, of course. But yeah, there is a difference between laughing at yourself and others laughing at you. Perhaps, too much sunshine and sambal that make some of us have very long toes, while in some continents, winter makes some people’s heart cold that they lost their ability to be sensitive with their jokes. But hey, as Agan said:
You got Kopi all excited for nothin’
I must be forget to add “great sense of humor” to this line:
with all of your amazing knowledge, skills, and superiority
have a nice day, gentlemen.
4-6 seater planes flying some of the more obscure routes in eastern Indonesia, like Wamena (Papua) – Lolat, Wamena – Nalca, etc. always bill by the kilo or passenger and luggage. You stand on a scale then you put your gear on a scale. This is a standard for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and other flights.
we were weighe at labuan bajo on an aviastar flight to denpasar in 2011. i didn’t know why but there was no charges involved for us or anyone else on that flight.
i was happy as the scale showed that i had lost some weight
“i was happy as the scale showed that i had lost some weight”
hehehe, me too if it was me :P
In Tonga they definitely weigh each passenger with their hand luggage in order to distribute the weight (which can be considerable in some
Cases!) evenly in the small plane. They don’t charge you extra unless u carry excess hand luggage though, I think. It’s Chathams airlines which is a nz airline servicing all of tongA and it’s alwys
Been te prActice. . I have Photo of myself on the scales there! Secondly in bali, I know that the local truck in the Kintamani area weighs passengers before and after their trip to the markets and charges them accordingly. Hence I guess u send the skinniest family
Member to buy dehydrated food?! I can also get the details to verify that location. Haven’t flown domestically though.
It is a question though – in a small tour group I led to Indonesia recently, because of ther limited seats in te tour minivan, the two larger members ALWAYS got the front seat as it was biggest and also had the best views and safe seatbelt. Others were squashed and less able to see or be
Safe. Normally you’d rotate having the
Best seat but this was taken out of everyone’s control. Similarly on
My flight over to Tonga, 1/4 of my personal space for legs, armrest, tray movement, direction I had to lean was all taken by the person next to me who required extra. I didn’t say anything or
Really mind, but I did arrive tired due
To much less sleep than previous trips. I see this
Becoming a ‘larger’ issue All te time in different unexpected ways.
Last week I went to Sumbawa (West Nusa Tenggara) from Lombok by Trans Nusa, and no weighed to passengers, also from Sumbawa to Bima. The maximum baggage capacity is 15 kg. But its flights (at least during last week, everyday) always delayed (averagely about one hour) due to the bad weather. Surprisingly – in my opinion – the crews on board are more professional than those of, let’s say, Lion’s…
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To get the ball rolling, I wasn’t weighed at:
Ambon (Maluku province), flying Batavia Air
Maumere (East Nusa Tenggara), flying Merpati
Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara), flying Riau Airlines