American Airlines (AAL) has a 96-year-old legacy and is one of the top four U.S. carriers. Operating around 950 and 1,000 mainline aircraft and hundreds of regional jets, it is considered one of the world’s biggest airlines by fleet size.
In the highly competitive airline industry, fleet size and the number of flights and destinations are not the only things that matter. Despite many consolidation moves in recent years, the market is still fiercely competitive, according to Bernstein analyst David Vernon.
Air travel has reached incredible heights over the past two decades, and carriers are constantly looking for ways to innovate and upgrade their experience to win a larger market share.
Airline passengers have also become highly demanding, often looking to be pampered during the flight.
These days, it’s not enough that a flight was without turbulence, safe, and on time; many travelers expect flight attendants to “dance” around them and serve premium food and drink, while internet connectivity remains perfectly stable 35,000 feet in the air.
Just recently, one major airline went a step further and started serving free wine and beer to all passengers on flights.
On the other hand, if they are paying hefty amounts for those tickets, passengers want the value of the service to match the price.
That’s not easy for the top U.S. carriers, which is why they constantly change and upgrade their offerings.
Over the last few months, American Airlines has made several major moves, and the latest change is focused on speeding up the boarding process.
American Airlines eliminates bag sizers from its gate areas
American Airlines has made a major change to its carry-on baggage policy, removing metal bag sizers, which were used to check whether carry-on luggage fit its size limits, from all boarding gates across the country.
The carrier confirmed that bag sizers will remain in the lobby so passengers can determine whether their carry-on will fit in the overhead bin.
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, the airline stated, according to CBS42.
Starting October 6, agents will use their discretion instead of an objective bag size that is often a little bit larger than the dimensions allowed, writes Gary Leff for ViewFromTheWing.
Speeding up the boarding process across crowded U.S. airports
The idea behind American Airlines’ removal of bag sizers is accelerating boarding. Gate agents are supposed to “err on the side of the customer” if a bag is just a bit oversized, according to the airline’s internal memo to employees shared by ViewFromTheWing.
If a traveler is unsure if a carry-on bag fits, they can check it themself in the airport lobby, and if it doesn’t, they can check it.
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While there’s a chance that at the gate, you might not be charged for checking it, doing it before you get there will avoid awkwardness and ease the boarding process.
Leff also points out that with this change, travelers who use bags that are advertised as compliant but actually aren’t (for example, due to the wheels that weren’t counted in the measurement) might pass this time.
American Airlines is not the first carrier to make this bold bag policy change; United Airlines did the same thing about five years ago.
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At the time, Live and Let Fly’s Matthew Klint explained why United made this choice, arguing that gate sizers were rarely used and did not provide a clear picture of what will fit in the overhead bin. Further, United shared that its overhead bins would be able to accommodate even more hand baggage by the end of 2020.
The question is how passengers feel about this move.
Travelers slam American Airlines change, argue against giving agents more power
Eliminating bag sizers at the gate might sound a bit controversial for some passengers who see the sizer as more objective than agents’ discretion.
According to a Reddit thread commenting on American’s policy change, some travelers believe the change will lead to inconsistencies, disputes, or unfair rejection of carry-on bags.
User Jazzlike_Property692 said:
Honestly I think this is an unnecessary and stupid change. The size restrictions haven’t changed, but now there’s no way to check them at the gate?
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A smaller number of users expressed opinions that sizers were rarely used anyway, so the change is not that significant.
FWIW, I’ve been EP for the better part of a decade … and despite averaging over 150 flights/year, I have never once seen them actually use the bag sizer, wrote user BandicootOnly4598.
Users also expressed concerns about giving more power to the agents, sharing bad experiences they’ve had with the boarding process. Several of them described having been asked by agents to check in bags, even though the carry-ons fit the sizers.
User fenix1230 said: I think it’s so the gate agent can tell a passenger the bag doesn’t fit, and there’s no way to prove the gate agent wrong.
Key Takeaways:
- American Airlines removed bag sizers from all gates to speed up boarding.
- Passengers must now check bag size in the lobby before reaching the gate.
- Gate agents will decide by visual inspection whether a bag is too large.
- Travelers worry this gives agents too much power and might lead to unfair calls.
Related: American Airlines quietly cancels flight, adjusting its routes
