Relief for one irritating boarding headache is finally on the way
Flying these days involves a long and constantly evolving list of rules. Keep your liquids under 3.4 ounces in carry-ons! Prove your identity, but only with a Real ID or passport! And don’t even think about sneaking that Magic 8 Ball into your hand luggage! Most of these rules exist for our safety, of course, but let’s be honest—keeping up with them can make navigating airports, and even just getting on the plane, feel far more stressful than it should.
While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for handling most of the regulations, airlines often have their own carrier-specific quirks. And when they make a change, it’s usually not great news for travelers. Well, one major U.S. airline has a pleasant surprise for passengers: It’s actually lifting a carry-on restriction that most find very annoying, especially frequent fliers who often get caught in the crossfire of unseasoned travelers.
I talked to Scott Laird, an aviation veteran who has worked everywhere from the ramp to the strategy office at multiple major airlines over the past two decades, to learn more about the new rules. Read on to find out which frustrating gate obstacle is on its way out.
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What’s the latest change to carry-on rules?
American Airlines is doing away with gate bag-sizers. The airline told Los Angeles’ KTLA news station that the surprise change, which began rolling out nationwide on Oct. 6, is meant to improve the boarding process and reduce gate congestion.
What are bag-sizers, exactly?
Bag-sizers are those rectangular metal or hard-plastic stands typically found near airline check-in counters or boarding gates. Passengers slide their suitcases into the devices to make sure they meet size requirements and will securely fit in the plane’s overhead bins. If luggage doesn’t easily slide in, a gate agent can require the piece be checked.
What does this mean for passengers?
American Airlines hopes the change will streamline boarding for everyone. In the past, passengers whose bags looked a bit too big had to test them in the sizer, creating a bottleneck while agents went through the process of gate-checking the offending piece.
That’s not to say it’s now a free-for-all: “Team members will continue to monitor carry-on baggage in the lobby and at the gate, and oversized items will still be required to be checked in ahead of the flight,” American Airlines told KTLA.
Laird says that agents retaining the right to flag and gate-check oversized luggage makes sense, especially in special cases. “On regional jet flights, for example, where the aircraft have smaller overhead compartments, carry-on bags often need to be gate-checked and returned planeside upon arrival,” he explains. “Having a bag-sizer in the gate area for those flights makes the conversation [with passengers] harder because the standard carry-on size comes with an asterisk on some flights.”
And a word of warning now that agents will rely on visual judgment: With great freedom comes great responsibility. American Airlines passengers whose carry-on bags are deemed oversized, especially those flying on basic economy tickets, will likely incur a fee.
Are carry-on size limits also changing?
No. The airline’s carry-on size limits remain the same. Just because sizers at the gate are going away doesn’t mean you now have a free pass to traipse onto a flight with that oversized or overstuffed suitcase. The airline still restricts passengers to just one carry-on bag with dimensions not exceeding 22 by 14 by 9 inches, including wheels and handles.
Are all bag-sizers disappearing from the airport?
Not quite. Sizers will remain at American Airlines’ check-in areas so customers can voluntarily verify their bags are within limits. Policies at other airlines vary. United, for one, was the first major carrier to ditch bag-sizers at the gate to speed up boarding, while some airlines still use them.
“The easiest thing to do is check your airline’s Contract of Carriage on their website, and get out the tape measure before heading to the airport,” Laird advises.
What other carry-on rules do you need to follow when flying on American Airlines?
Not much has changed with the elimination of bag-sizers since you’ll still need to respect the rules regulating the size of bags and their contents. In addition to a single carry-on, American Airlines allows one personal item in the cabin that is no larger than 18 by 14 by 8 inches and fits underneath the seat in front of you.
It’s important to note that the airline counts several items as neither a carry-on nor a personal item. These include diaper bags (one per child), a breast pump, a soft-sided cooler of breast milk, child safety seats and strollers, and medical or mobility devices.
What else has American Airlines changed lately?
The elimination of sizers isn’t the airline’s only tweak to boarding. The company recently tacked on an extra five minutes of boarding time to accommodate families traveling with young children, according to KTLA. It’s also been testing new boarding technology to help manage “gate lice,” those overeager passengers who clog the gate before their group is called.
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Sources:
- KTLA: “American Airlines Announces Bag Policy Change to Speed Up Boarding”
- American Airlines: “Carry-on Bags”
- USA Today: “American Airlines Tests New Boarding Platform in Some Airports to Stop ‘Gate Lice'”
