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State shuts 15 scales at Tucson airport

09:35 AM MST on Wednesday, December 3, 2008

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Scales that failed to accurately weigh luggage at Tucson International Airport have been temporarily shut down pending repair and recertification, according to the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures.

The 15 scales are used by United Airlines and Delta Air Lines to weigh luggage, and extra fees are charged if bags are overweight.

The two airlines were the first chosen as part of regular but rare state testing last done in 2004.

The results were disturbing, said Weights and Measures spokesman Steve Meissner, because every scale tested failed.

"United failed because security seals on the scales were missing and Delta workers had put wood and foam rubber pads under its scales," Meissner said.

How much each scale was off was not released.

United charges a $125 fee for luggage weighing more than 50 pounds. Delta charges $25 for bags from 50 to 70 pounds and $80 on luggage weighing between 71 and 100 pounds, according to information provided by Meissner.

A spokesman for Delta in Atlanta said the weight discrepancy was minor and likely did not affect many passengers, but added the company will fix the problems.

"We apologize if anyone was improperly charged by scales that were out of line," said Anthony Black, a Delta spokesman.

United certified its Tucson scales in June and will investigate to see what went wrong, company spokesman Jeff Kovick said.

"We're working now to quickly correct the problem with the scales," Kovick said from Chicago.

Each inaccurate scale means a fine of at least $300, Meissner said.

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Information from: Tucson Citizen, http://www.tucsoncitizen.com

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

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