Comments

1. I love gate checking when I don’t feel like lifting a bag. It feels like I saved $25.

2. I politely tell the gate agent that my bag contains medical necessities (which it does, I’m not being dishonest). It also helps that my status lets me board with the first groups. It has never been an issue.

3. How many times are we going to see this same article?

4. Yeah, it’s just ‘stuff,’ but I prefer to keep mine, unless we literally have to evacuate the aircraft in an emergency, and only then are all bets off. People (and their pets) still should come before ‘stuff’ (besides, you don’t wanna damage the slides).

   Even for a week-long trip overseas I still prefer to pack minimally, just a rolly carry-on (like the hard-shelled Away, Monos, etc., are fantastic and they nearly always fit almost everywhere, though gate agents do give you the stink eye, even if you’re flying First and ‘beg’ to ‘give it a try’). The key is to not extend those bags (like don’t overload the front pocket).

   Those types of bags fit on even the smallest commercial aircraft, like many operators of the ATR42/72s, American Eagle’s ERJ145s, Delta Connection’s former CRJ200s, or Air Canada’s ancient CRJ900s, which ironically may be some of the tightest.

   The only time I’ve been ‘forced’ to check a carry-on bag was in Indonesia on domestic flight from Bali to Java with Garuda where the airport security did not allow tripods through security for some reason. The Philippines may have a similar rule on tripods on its domestic flights. Oddly, both countries allow tripods for international flights (separate security).

   @Raphael You must have never experienced an airline ‘losing’ your checked bag. Please, by all means, ‘save’ your $25… (and end up ‘losing your shirt’).

5. I haven’t had a problem having to gate check a domestic carry-on roller bag since flying only on JetBlue. Of course, I use a large backpack as my carry-on now because it holds as much in a smaller size. I used to occasionally gate checked my carry-on roller bag before Covid-19 when requested to by one of the gate agents. I always have medications with me along with power banks so I carry a lightweight nylon duffle bag to take those in the cabin if I am ever required to gate check my backpack and they won’t fit in my personal item.

6. Update: I used to occasionally gate checked my carry-on roller bag before Covid-19 when requested to by one of the gate agents on EVA flights.

7. AA gate agents don’t arbitrarily check bags. It’s a pain to check them. We would love to let everyone take a bag onboard. Gate agents count the number of carryons (we have “clickers”) and each plane has a certain number that is allowed. Once that number is reached, we check any remaining bags. Early boarding groups, consequently, never have to check a bag at the gate. Later boarding groups are warned they probably will have to check a bag well in advance of boarding. If you arrive late and you are in an early boarding group you may have to check your bag. Yes, you see some available bin space when you board but bags vary in size and that does not figure into the metric. If it is an issue, make sure you are in an early boarding group.

8. Actually, the annoying part is watching carryon rules being ignored at the start of boarding, so that not everybody can get the storage space they are entitled to.

9. Recently traveled United and only checked 1 bag due to the fees, put the rest of our stuff into 2 “free” carry-ons. The airlines drive people to overload carry-on baggage because of their nickle and diming fees for everything. Hours before departure we were offered an opportunity to check our carry-ons. Of course we did. Would have just had 2 checked bags if they were no extra charge (as it should be)

10. They start closing the overhead bins when they’re half empty as well! 🙂

11. 1. If you don’t want to gate-check your bag, pay a little extra and make sure you’re in one of the earlier boarding groups.
    2. If you don’t care either way and aren’t in a huge hurry, why not gate-check the bag? It’s free.

    What airlines SHOULD do is offer free checked bags (only one free bag for cheap tickets), and then charge by the bag for space in the overhead compartments! This would solve so many problems, and make boarding so much quicker. I wonder which of them will have the courage to be the first to do this.

12. And why mention a 10 year old article about automatic doors?

13. I miss the old days. Pull up in front of the terminal 15 minutes before boarding, rush to the gate, check your bag, hustle to the gate, and get in line with a book in your hand. Get to your seat in seconds, stuff your coat into the coat rack above your seat, and relax. The plane lands, gets to the gate, you stand up with everyone else and walk, everyone exiting in a few minutes. Your bag would be circling the baggage claim before you got there.

    But wait, the airline did not collect the $45 to store your luggage in the luggage hold under the airplane.

14. Airlines should give incentives for voluntarily gate checking bags. Allowing volunteers to board early is not a good incentive because the only reason people want to board early is to avoid gate checking.

15. When gate check means you get the bag back at the arrival gate, sure. But when gate check means the bag goes to baggage claim, I just rip the gate check tag off while I’m in the jetbridge. There has always been space.

16. @1990 – I’ve flown at least a thousand flights over a number of decades and while I’ve had mishandled bags take up to 5 days to arrive (thanks Delta) I’ve never had any lost. Gary has never responded to my question as to exactly how many bags he’s had lost and given Gary’s vehemence on the subject he’d be crowing about it so that tells me that he hasn’t had any lost either. Obviously airlines do occasionally lose bags but it seems like it’s more of a scare story than actuality. Have you actually had any bags lost rather than delayed or mishandled?

17. The only annoying rule is airline charging for checking bags. All of this would go away.

18. If you are gate checked without wanting to be I think the law says you are eligible for a smoke detector.