Q: What model of portable luggage scale do you recommend to double-check the airline’s or airport’s luggage scales? Also, why would the airlines “trust” these scales over their own? Is there any legal recourse if the airline’s scale disagrees with one’s own portable scale and the airline tries to overcharge you?

A: We like portable digital luggage scales made by Balanzza. They’re available from local luggage stores, Amazon.com or Balanzza.com and they’re very accurate and lightweight. A recent expose by WBZ-TV Boston discovered that airport scales at one terminal at Boston’s Logan Airport were severely inaccurate in the airlines’ favor, so these airport scales should not be blindly trusted. We highly doubt that the airline would question you if you demonstrate that your luggage is lighter than what their own scales show.