Holiday travel can be stressful, especially given the unusually large crowds at the airport and the possibility of delays as winter weather moves into the United States. However, American Airlines has recently made a change that could make travel a little less stressful this holiday season and beyond.
American Airlines has long had a strict policy regarding the size of its carry-on baggage, forcing customers to check the size of their carry-on bag at a size-checking station at the airport gate immediately before boarding the plane. However, that has since changed, which could perhaps help American Airlines shed its poor reputation among travelers.
American Eliminates Size-Checking Station
Back in October, American Airlines announced that it would “soon” remove the size-checking station from its gates in an effort to speed up the boarding process.
“As we further simplify the boarding experience for our customers and team members, American will soon remove bag sizers from the gate area,” the airline said in a statement back in October.
Previously, the airline forced passengers to place their carry-on luggage in a physical size-checking station at the gate to prove that it was within American’s limitations for carry-on baggage and would fit in the overhead compartment.
This procedure led to a slower boarding process and more bags being checked at the gate.
Now, that policy has officially been changed as the airline eliminated those physical size-checking stations from the gate last month, just in time for the busy holiday travel season.
How the Process Has Changed
While American Airlines has not changed its sizing requirements for carry-on luggage, stating in its policy that carry-on bags can be no larger than 22 x 14 x 9 inches, including the wheels and handles, the airline has changed the process for verifying the size of these bags.
Instead of a rigid size-checking station at the gate, American will now allow gate agents to use their discretion to determine whether or not a carry-on bag is too big to fit in the overhead compartment, allowing for a little more flexibility and fewer delays.
“The airline’s policy is designed to make it smoother and less stressful for everyone as the airplane opens its doors to flyers on the move. The new visual assessment policy is intended to err on the side of the customer if bags appear slightly oversized. That doesn’t mean a free-for-all is coming; instead, adhering to strict dimensions is replaced with more discretion on the part of staff to make things easier for everyone,” Luke Diaz wrote for Simple Flying this week.
“Last-minute disputes between gate agents and passengers over whether a bag fits can be stressful and embarrassing for everyone involved. This change aims to minimize these negative interactions and empower agents to use discretion, ideally ‘erring on the side of the customer’ for borderline bags.”
It’s worth noting that size-checking stations will still be available for customers to use at the check-in desk, but they will no longer be used at the gate.
What if Your Bag is Oversized?
While this policy is undoubtedly more customer-friendly, it does not mean that passengers can bring a blatantly oversized bag aboard as a carry-on item without penalty.
If a passenger arrives at the gate with a bag that is deemed to be oversized by the gate agents, the bag will still have to be checked, and the passenger may be charged a checked bag fee, which could depend on a few factors.
The fee for the first checked bag is typically $40, with additional bags costing more. If the bag is also overweight, additional fees will also apply.
