Reports are surfacing that United Airlines is trying something new at Denver—placing priority tags on gate checked bags for first class and elite flyers.
This is a wonderful and cost-efficient idea. I fly, or at least used to fly, quite often on SkyWest/United Express from Burbank to San Francisco. The flight is always operated by a CRJ and if I had my larger carry-on bag, it always ends up gate-checked.
Upon landing in SFO, the routine entails lining up on the right side of the jetway and waiting as long as ten minutes for the carry-on bags to be brought up. Of course mine is always among the last to come out.
While it would only save a few minutes, I know I speak for my fellow elites: we would very happy to see our bags come out first. Little things like this foster loyalty and this extra touch would go a long way.
Those orange Star Alliance priority tags that are affixed to your bags when you check luggage used to mean nothing, but over the last couple years I have had occasion to check bags once in a while and have seen a marked improvement. Even on UA, priority bags have been coming out first.
Every minute counts and I hope this concept spreads to all United stations. I just wonder why UA didn’t think of this sooner!
This is a great idea, but the main problem that I see with it is overburdening a gate agent with having to keep track of two separate bag tag types. What might work a little better would be to include higher quality priority bag tags in the elite kit, that the elite members could place on their bags. Done properly this could also improve the tagging for elite gate-checked bags as elites would always be able to pull up their tag, and not having to rely on a tag that they may have lost the stub for.
Matthew, I wholeheartedly agree. Being based in MKE, I seem fly Skywest CRJ’s much more frequently than I like. Even a few minutes saved would be a significant improvement.
I am flying COS-DEN on Sunday. I’ll check with the agents at COS about the new program, and report back on my experiences.
Great idea! Shouldn’t be much extra work at all, and appreciate the benefit, especially if running to a tight connection
To follow-up, COS GA gave me the priority tag on COS-DEN. When we landed in DEN, the rampers waited to open the door of our CRJ until they unloaded all of the bags.
I must be missing something … this article was published only 10 months ago … yet I have been seeing these tags on both checked luggage and attached to my roll on bags … for YEARS … I travel ORD-LHR every 8 weeks. PE level.
@Robert: While Star Alliance orange priority tags have been on checked bags for years, I have never seen them attached to roll-on bags when you do a planeside gate check.