Two flights in a row an American Airlines passenger found that overhead bins were virtually empty yet people were being required to gate check their carry-on bags. They weren’t allowed to bring their bags onto the plane, even though there was plenty of space.
This is one of the most frequent complaints about airlines I see in social media, day after day, alongside damaged checked bags. Those two complaints are related! Who wants to waste time at baggage claim when they land, only to find their bags lost or damaged?
Yet airlines don’t take advantage of the space they have in the cabin to accommodate their customers. Here’s why that happens.
AA 5030, YYZ-CLT. Everyone was required to gate check bags and nothing but empty overhead bin space. Thanks @AmericanAir @garyleff pic.twitter.com/bQ9zxraApS
— Matthew Zook (@mattzook) July 30, 2024
Flight 5483, CLT-LEX, made to check my carry on again, nothing but empty overhead bins. My feedback would be to let people carry on their carry one, @garyleff pic.twitter.com/AY1vHdh5qi
— Matthew Zook (@mattzook) July 31, 2024
You’re allowed to carry bags onto the plane – but only if there’s enough space on board. That’s the main reason it’s better to board planes early, rather than being last onto the plane. Priority boarding is a benefit to ensure you get access to overhead space. Otherwise you wouldn’t want to spend more time on board the aircraft than you have to.
Since airlines other than Southwest charge for checked bags, people bring as much of their belongings onboard as possible. Overhead bins get stuffed full, and passengers wind forced to gate check their carry on bags, even though airlines are installing bigger overhead bins – bins that are supposed to have enough space for everyone. And it didn’t used to be this way!
- Twenty five years ago U.S. airline passengers could generally bring two full sized carry on bags onto planes, and there wasn’t an issue with too-full overhead space.
- That’s because planes weren’t as full, and airlines didn’t charge for most checked bags, so passengers didn’t use all the space they were allotted.
Restrictions on carry on bags began with federalized security checkpoints following 9/11. The government didn’t want as many carry-ons having to be screened, so we got carry on limits as a way to limit how much gets brought through checkpoints and speed up lines.
The rush to carry bags onto planes by more passengers didn’t begin in earnest until 2008 when airlines began charging for the first checked bag. That pushed a lot more bags into the cabin. Southwest Airlines has far less of a problem of full overhead bins compared to United, Delta and American even without larger overhead bins, since they don’t charge for up to two 50 pound checked bags.
Airlines moved to larger bins both because not having to gate check bags is a better customer experience, and also because having to gate check bags slows down the boarding process.
- When customers find out at the last minute that bins are full, they’re often bringing bags off the plane after they’ve been boarded.
- This can mean delaying a flight five or ten minutes. And do that with every flight, you’re looking at delays that stack (and missed connections) and flights that are no longer desirable to customers to book (since they push flights outside of the most desired time windows).
- It makes fleet use less efficient, or put another way an airline needs more planes to execute the same schedule.
Unfortunately larger bins aren’t a panacea. Even where bins are in theory large enough to accommodate a full sized carry on bag per passenger,
- That requires turning carry on bags on their side, and too many passengers don’t do this (more generally, efficient use of the space isn’t done perfectly every flight)
- Customers put up more than one item, either their personal item doesn’t go under the seat or in winter people bring jackets etc.
Airlines are still on the lookout for flights that will need gate checking even with larger bins. And gate agents often start requiring it when there’s still plenty of space. They may not communicate with the cabin at all during this process.
And gate agents want to start checking bags before they’re told bins are actually full (there will be passengers already on the jet bridge with their bags if they wait until those on the plane already ahve used all the space). They’re under a lot of pressure to get flights out exactly on time and not a minute late.
- A gate agent doesn’t get rewarded for ensuring passengers can bring their items on the flight.
- But they may get yelled at by a supervisor if too many bags make it on, and gate checking bags delays a flight by a few minutes!
The incentives gate agents face are to require too many bags to be gate checked even when larger bins means there’s enough bin space for everyone.
This is why passengers carry more bags on planes than ever, airlines install bigger bins, and it’s still not enough space to prevent customers from having to gate check their bags.
Not as outrageous as what happened this weekend: “Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Rotherham was targeted by protesters who stormed the building”. And this time they really were after the guests.
That’s a regional net x2 and not e175
So most bags do get gate checked
Perhaps chexk your facts
AA5030 and AA5483 are both operated by CRJ-900 so everyone would have to gate valet their rollaboards. Only small personal items would be allowed on those type of aircraft.
Nothing like seeing someone with an expensive Rimowa aluminum cabin bag being told to gate check their bag for transport as checked-in luggage because the overheads bins are full only to find out that a lot of the overhead bin space is available. At that point, it’s typically too late to get the bag back and some of the damage is already done with more to be done by the time it gets delivered on the baggage belt at the destination noted on the claim tag.
there is a common denominator on those 2 flights
C
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@ GUWonder — They are practicing for Jan 6 2025.
While we are talking about Jan 2025, let’s all remember that Jan 20, 2025 will be the greatest MLK Day in US history, when our first black, female prez takes the oath!
My old and well-used Oakley rollerboard does fit in the overhead bins on most if not all barbie jets used by the US airlines. It’s a tight fit and the gate agents and flight attendants are often in disbelief that it can squeeze in to the bins and be shut in there without a problem. But that is while the bag is far from full and even then it does potentially hog up too much space from others.
Why do we keep talking about AA?
The issue is the airline itself!
Good point about CLT. What is up with CLT having some of the most snippity, customer-unfriendly gate agents that AA has. Even AA’s most customer-hostile gate agents at MIA, LAX, JFK and ORD are relative angels compared to the worst of their colleagues at CLT when dealing with comparable issues for long-haul international flights. Unfortunately, ever since AmericaWest/USAir took over American Airlines, the bad gate agent attitude has gotten worse across all of AA’s hubs.
I have seen Delta gate agents keep running count of number of roller boards as customers scan their boarding passes, so they only start forcing a pink tag once a certain number is reached. Much more effective and customer friendly approach I think.
If all bags were checked flight evacs would be safer because people would not be wasting time retrieving their bags from the overheads. Will the current two bag policy cause future deaths and Airline liability especially since passengers don’t listen to commands from the flight crew? I am posting this because the confusion caused by the current policy is dangerous and could be easily fixed by checking all bags.
The issue isn’t the gate checking. It’s that most airlines now check the bag thru to the final destination, rather than pick up at gate later. These days, there’s no guarantee you make the connection. And often you can’t get your bag back if you are delayed 24+ hours at the connecting airport…
@Gene: You seem to have forgotten that this is a TRAVEL BLOG. That post would have been fine at the NYT or WaPo. As it is, you just look stupid for posting it here.
Start letting one checked bag for free but charge for the carry-on. Same number of bags, same weight, just less crowded cabin
@ TexasTJ — You seem to have forgotten….
CLT has been a mess with nasty agents ever since US Air bought Piedmont. I was there days after US Air took over. Our incoming flight was delayed, but the flight attendants assured us that the policy was that all connecting flights would be held at the gate as long as our aircraft was on the runway before the scheduled departure time of the connection. Many passengers ran to their connecting gates only to find the jetway doors already shut and the jetbridge still attached to the aircraft. No such passengers were allowed to board. It was such a disaster that ABC network newsshowedupand did interviews of stranded passengers. The agents were horrendous. Cold and cruel to a lot of very upset passengers. Obviously,not much has changed.
Unchecked bags are not weighed. For accurate air raft weight averages do not work!
the FAs can go through the cabin and rearrange the overhead bins to their liking. passengers don’t know squat about it.
I have over 2 million miles on American and I have checked.my bags many of times and not once did AA lost or damaged……domestic and international travel. The problem is the carry on bags…..people abuse the carry on protocol…. and it takes for ever to de plane…
Just check your bags and fly hassel free people…..
I used to be a CRJ-900 pilot, the lie that gate agents tell customers that their bags do not fit in the overhead compartment are just lies.
We crew members have our bags packed pretty heavily as we no weight restrictions but yet, they always fit.
@kyle US Air purchased Piedmont in 1987 Build A Bridge it has been 37 years. The people that worked there then are a RETIRED or DEAD . They would be useless.
You mean former Kentucky State Geographer Matt Zook. I think everybody knows Matt.
What really slows all the airlines down is to many people taking big carry on luggage filling up the overhead bins up and they use the bins not located close to there seats .In the early 80 s I remember flying with United airlines and the over head bins had a blanket and pillow,. Bring back limited pilot bags for the overhead bins.It was more simple than how much people are in a hurry but they are the ones slowing everything down with the big luggage that should be checked in.
In both X posts shown, they are RJs. The airlines that fly the smaller jets on the codes hares need to come up with a better way of utilizing the overhead space. Instead of blanket bag checks for each flight.
As a retired AA pilot, I commuted the last 2 1/2 years online. I was impressed with how our larger overheads on the newer and redone cabins on our A321s swallowed large amounts of carry-ons. As long as everybody cooperated and put their bags in the overheads “like books” instead of laying them flat.
I also witnessed numerous FAs come up with ingenious methods of getting passengers to cooperate.
The gate agents I talked to really liked that they didn’t have to check as many bags on those flights. They also said the computer and programming had been improved greatly, so that they were never caught off guard with late gate checked bags.
The AA owned regionals don’t allow roller bags in the overhead bins, (in the ops specs) Been like that for ever. DL owned Endeavor does, seems like a competitive advantage. AA needs to change the paperwork with the feds.
One thing that wasn’t mentioned was seat pitch in coach. Airlines, including a lot of USA airlines, have decreased seat pitch. It wasn’t a problem when bags were checked for free, but with airlines grubbing for cash by charging for checked bags, the decreased pitch plays a part in whether the overhead bins fill up or not. An extra row or two by decreased seat pitch adds up to a dozen extra cabin bags on a narrow body airplane, or in some cases, even more. Add this to the flight attendants unwillingness to get the bags placed in the tightest configuration and the gate agents allowing oversized bags that not only have to go flat but also sideways. Asian airlines have flight attendants that always work to get the most bags in. Wide body airplanes are also better for overhead space because they have bins on both sides of two aisles, at least until they try to go twelve wide. By the way, it doesn’t surprise me that the cited flights in the article are both on American Airlines. Their policies, their employees and their equipment make for blanket gate checking of the carry-on bags while the overhead bins are almost empty. I wonder if there is an additional cost to having the gate checked bags handled at the destination such as extra baggage crew costs and extra monetary costs due to missed connections.
Gene. This is NOT about politics
Half black jamaican, half Indian. Slow your roll
I learned to travel light, pay whatever to board early … have no idea, do passengers pay when bags are ‘gate checked’? Would seem likely they have an advantage at luggage claim, their bags should be the first off.
Could care less. Have been on too many flights where the DYKWIAs stuff their bags into the overhead bins, even to the point of removing others luggage already in the bin. I once had this happen where a DYKWIA took my bag from the overhead compartment so he could jam his rollon luggage into it. He left my bag on the airplane floor and just walked away. Having had these expereinces, have no problem letting all those rollons end up in checked baggage!
Sorry Gene,
But if the Giggle Queen gets in we’re totally screwed!!! She’s just as CLUELESS as Bi-done!!!
Maybe it’s because they keep cramming more seats onto the plane. There are more people trying to fit bags overhead, plus there’s less room under the seats. And, people are bringing huge full-size luggage as carryons. People used to bring a small backpack (like a 20L), or a soft-sided duffel bag or tote bag. But airlines are also trying to look like they have cheaper tickets by making passengers pay extra for every little thing instead of including it in the ticket price. Include checking 2 bags and meals like used to be included and make flying pleasant again..
What a bunch of made-up gaslighting.
The airlines controll ALL the variables – luggage room, carryon room, fees, and they have the data to make it so EVERYONE boards with their luggage.
And yet, they don’t care if carryon bins are empty and people paid to check luggage. They don’t care if people took out stuff from checked baggage to bring as carryon. They don’t care if too many did the latter and they have to gate-check.
They just want to collect revenue. Not to make a profit so shareholders are happy… no so that when it goes down they can get a bailout.
This is one big NOTHINGBURGER created by the airlines. They could resolve it in one minute by making their policies passenger-friendly. But, they don’t want to reduce shareholder perceived value or CEO salaries.
This is not a proble travelers or consumers can solve.
Only the airlines can solve.
They have no incentive.
Stop the whining and focus on the problem and those choosing not to fix it.
Also that Houston pilot wasn’t drunk. Thanks for prejudging him.
On a United flight last month, I was allowed to have my carry on after they declared universal gate check. I was carrying a duffel bag. The Rimowa style bags are the issue for gate agents, as they less malleable for filling empty space in the overhead compartments. In two cases over the past year, my soft-sided bags were allowed on after everyone else was being forced to gate check. I have no interest in rolling a hard sided bag on any plane again where I don’t have priority boarding. If I’m likely in one of the last boarding groups, soft-sided bags are what I’ll use.
This happened to me on a flight between IAH and DFW for a work day trip. Everyone had to gate check, yet zero overhead bin space was used. Lots of green tags (United). Made no sense to me.
Ehud Gavron has it 100% correct! This is a pathetic attempt at gaslighting and grifting on behalf of the unprofitable airline companies.
Remember, this is an industry that would be LOSING MONEY net net, were it not for their CREDIT CARD deals! How absurd is that!
These companies LITERALLY cannot make a profit doing what it is that they do – fly people around – and now Americans are credit card saturated and defaulting on them at a rate not seen in over a decade. I can’t wait to see what their next scam is so that the CEOs and other oligarchs can maintain their status quo!
The problem is not the airline industry, it’s the overall corporate capitalist system that literally will ultimately DESTROY everything that PEOPLE have built, despite this system of exploitation, greed, and theft.
Sorry airlines, if you can’t make it work without selling me a sh*tty credit card, you suck and you deserve to fail!
“Sorry, I’m carrying 23 lithium ion batteries in this bag”
IMO a delay caused by having to check the bags that dont fit in the cabin anymore is a false problem. First off, i’ve rarely seen this “no more room in the cabin” situation in practice. Maybe once in 50 flights. Second, late luggage check would not take dedicated time to accomplish – it’s going to happen while other technical or operational pre-departure activities are taking place. When was the last time your flight started to push back at the actual time of the departure?…
I’m also a strong supporter of charging for the carryon bag, and not for the (first) checked one. I only see positives in that approach, maybe someone can point to the negatives. Essentially you pay for the convenience of not having to wait for your bag at the conveyor belt, which, to me, is more valuable time than the one purchased with priority boarding.
Spirit has the right idea with its new bundle — you get a carry-on OR checked bag.
“Misery on Airplanes: Why Boarding is Such a Nightmare and Passengers Hate the Experience and Start their Vacations Stressed” — that would be a fare more useful post.
It’s great to see airlines forcing less bags onboard: boarding is already such a nightmare, and all the bags just add to the misery and stress.
How many times do we have to sit through being loudly yelled by the crew on the PA about storing bags? Airlines should force even more bags to be checked in at the gate. Flying would be less miserable and we wouldn’t all be wasting all this time boarding and deplaning.
PS anyone who flies in Asia, where bags fly free with all airlines, knows the serenity of boarding over there.
Wellllll, it would help if the average person could learn to stow their bag(s) the right way! I was a F/A on DHC-7s and ATR 42s (both puddle jumpers with 50 seats), so the only F/A. We allowed one bag per passenger, plus purses. I rarely had to gate check bags, but I would go through the cabin, and rearrange bags in the overheads to make room for all. Each person has a space under the seat in front of them, and there should be overhead space for at least half the passengers to stow a normal size bag. I have seen people take down a number of bags, even though they appeared to be traveling alone. Some people are pigs. Some people are too stupid to know how to stow their bags to take up the last amount of overhead space. Some gate agents and F/As are just clueless as to how to judge how many bags will fit, and they don’t care about the passenger’s inconvenience. I never held up a flight’s departure due to rearranging poorly stowed bags. Perhaps a video should be shown in the gate area showing passengers how to stow their bags. A poorly stowed bag’s owner should be identified, checked, and then they will bother to watch the damned video.
You’re cherry-picking again. Yes, this happens but not always and in my experience a lot less than you imply.
LMAO! First of all, the human race is nothing more than a bunch of cry babies who whine about everything. I don’t fly and never, ever will. I drive. I have my solitude, pack what I need, load what I want, no damaged or lost luggage, stop when I want, don’t have to deal with mindless dimwits. Arrive at my destination sane and alive. Well, you get the picture. Happy flying dopies!
I was being forced to pay $40 extra dollars to United because my bag was almost over by 5 pounds! Until I slipped the guy a $20 bill and he let it slide! Where are the days when I checked my bags outside? I’m now handicapped and can’t control my wheelchair and luggage?
@ Floyd – Then what are you doing in the comments section of a commercial aviation blog? Are you really that bored? We don’t care that you have no life and can waste hours and days driving. Suggest you find a hobby.
@Bob Eubanks
THAT won’t even save you. Underwater photographer daughter and I carry a massive load of lithium batteries which I congregate in a safe burn bag. Plus laptops, tablets, etc.
Plus our prescription medicine and my one of a kind prescription dive mask. Lose it and I sit out a very expensive vacation to the Indo Pacific.
AA didn’t care. Made me remove everything and handed me a Walmart plastic bag to carry them on. And we were both in FC and the bins were completely EMPTY when we boarded.
This article highlights AA, but if you fly a smaller regional jet with Delta or United, the same applies. All roller bags are valet checked and returned in the jetbridge/planeside at your destination – these are not “checked” bags that go to baggage claim.
I’m a Professional full-time Flight Attendant.
Airlines number #1 priority is on-time departures. Period!
You answered your own question as to why carry-on bags are not allowed on even when space is available in overhead bins.
Any delay even just by 1 minute is stll a delay.
I’m able to communicate while on board the aircraft with the gate agent using a company provided tablet as to how much space is available in overhead bins for rollerboards or carry-on bags.
Usually by group 6 which is approximately 25-35 bags, overhead bins are full.
Thus, this is why starting at group 7 – 9 carry-on bags are checked.
However, gate agents who are also the gate keepers ultimately decide how many bags are allowed on board the aircraft.
If a delay is coded due to boarding, gate agents as well as Flight Attendants will be getting a phone call or in-person meeting with their supervisor and/or In-flight management.
These interactions are not pleasant. I can assure you that!
Just charging for reserved overhead bin space and start making checked. bags free or cheaper. So much time is wasted waiting for everyone to load/unload their bags.
If only 1 item per passenger was put in the bins, there would be much more space. A large number of p-ass-engers put 2-3 items in the bins rather than have anything at their feet. If extras such as coats, backpacks, shopping bags were kept out of the bins, there would be a lot more space for those unfortunate enough to be last to board.
@Dena. Thanks for the insiders information on “carry on bags”. The same holds true with a earlier post when many passengers want to change flights (standby) 5-10 minutes before departure, The gate agent may get disciplined should the flight be dispatched late.