I want to give airlines the benefit of the doubt here and hope they really double check the scales before they charge customers an extra fee for overweight baggage. But who knows? Things get busy, no one's paying attention, and next thing you know, you're on the floor repacking your bags so you can avoid the extra fee... or worse, you're paying the airilne that extra fee, which can get costly depending on who you are flying.

It's frustrating enough to fly these days. If airlines are going to charge people for heavy bags, they should go above and beyond to make sure those scales are accurate.

Just what you need to worry about while you're flying away for the holidays, right?

Just do yourself a favor at the airport and take a moment to make sure the scale is on zero before you put your luggage on there to weigh it. If you think an airline has inaccurate scales and a complaint to airline personnel doesn't get help, call the state's Weights and Measures Division, which inspects and regulates measuring devices used for commercial transactions. Don't pay more than you have to this holiday to fly.