United Airlines is eliminating baggage sizers at the gate because they no longer represent an accurate indicator of what will fit in the overhead bin.
Brian Sumers shared of the change on Twitter, but did not share the full contents of the memo. I asked a United agent to see the memo and reviewed it in its entirety.
As Sumers shared, it does start by emphasizing that gate agents are being empowered to exercise more discretion:
We’re removing bag sizers from our gate areas
As part of our continued efforts to empower employees and deliver a friendly experience for all, we are removing all gate area bag sizers by January 23. With this change, we will not be removing bag sizers from the lobby and security checkpoints, where we will seek to better identify and check many oversized bags, and we will continue to remind customers about our 1+1 carry-on bag rule in a variety of ways.
In the event an oversized bag makes its way from the lobby to the gate, we know that our customer service representatives can apply our core4 principles and make the best decisions for our customers in the moment. If a bag is oversized, please gate check it to its final destination per the normal process. If it looks like it fits, let it go. Use your best judgment. Do keep in mind that Basic Economy customers are still only allowed one personal item that fits underneath their seat.
But the memo also includes pictures and a caption which states, “This bag is too big for our bag sizer, but fits into the airplane’s overhead bin and is compliant with FAA size rules. Let it go!”
United is no longer enforcing specific dimensional limits on carry-on bags, because 1.) overhead bins can accommodate larger carry-on bags and 2.) United is in the process of updating its carry-on bins to allow for even more storage.
At United’s Media Day last October, Toby Enqvist, United’s Chief Customer Officer, announced the installation of bigger overhead bins on more planes, with the goal of creating space so that every single passenger onboard can place a large carry-on bag in the overhead bin.
United will be updating its employee manual to “remove any reference to specific dimensions of bags” and will also be notifying flight attendants of the policy change.
The memo also still calls upon gate agents to ensure that Basic Economy passengers are limited to only one personal items that fits under the seat in front of them.
Gate Agents Never Checked Anyway
One Mile at a Time is fair in arguing “something as black-and-white as carry-on sizes doesn’t seem like an area where empowering employees adds any value.” The threat of inconsistent application is a concern when there is no sizer present to back-up the subjective judgement that a particular carry-on bag is too big.
But for what’s it worth, I fly over 100,000 miles on United each year and did not see gate agents actually use one of the sizers even once last year. Not even once.
I do wonder why United is bothering to keep these sizers in check-in lobbies and outside security checkpoints when it admits that they do not provide an accurate indication of what will fit in the overhead bin.
CONCLUSION
United is removing gate sizers because they simply do not provide an accurate picture of what will fit in the overhead bin. Furthermore, they just gather dust and are rarely used. Finally, United’s overhead bins, on average, will be able to accommodate even more hand baggage by the end of 2020. For those reasons, I think it makes sense to remove the carry-on sizers. Now whether to replace them with larger ones is a whole other issue…
Are you afraid of renegade gate agents who will inconsistently deny carry-on bags onboard?
> Read More: United’s Strict New Carry-On Policy or Business as Usual?
I just had my bag size-checked by United four days ago! The gate agent in SAN was pretty rude and forced me to gate-check my bag since it was barely too big for the sizer (but would easily fit in the overhead), even after I pleaded with him that I had a 60 minute connection.
Glad to know this won’t be happening any longer.
Interesting. I’ve honestly never seen it happen and I fly United a whole lot, though not out of SAN. Thanks for the data point.
My last United flight had them make me gate size a bag at CUN.
External dimensions of the bag fully packed were oversized but all it had in it were winter jackets for getting off a flight at NYC in the cold. I didn’t have any compression straps to correctly size the bag.
This blob of bag and coats went in the sizer without issue and then into the plane. Not sure how that would have worked in the new world.
However, then and now, if they had told me to check it the bag would have disappeared in front of their eyes. 4 people would put coats on and the bag would fold up into its own pocket and go into a purse!
I’m not worried about rogue agents, I’m worried about passengers with long duffel bags or hard sided cases/chests bringing bags on board and putting them sideways in the bins. It happens enough already… :-/
Time to bring people sizers. Fat people should have a separate section where they can share body positive messages with each other.
Only in this era of trump can this non- PC thing be possible. Let’s get it done before nov/20.
Have you looked at the size of that (jack)a$$?
Maybe you were being sarcastic? I doubt it somehow.
I was charged for my purse 68$ Just because the gate agent decided so, I wrote a letter to United which I still waiting for a response.
I should sue United because that was the most embarrassing moment en front of all others passengers He became rude and aggressive, when I approach the desk to talk to another agent She tried to tell him that I have a normal purse, but he twitched to her like saying Just charge and be quiet. All registered but like I said United never answered.
How does United handle a Basic Economy Passenger shows up at the gate at departure time with a bag (and no credit card/cash)? Does the passenger leave the bag? Does the agent delay the flight to run a credit card? I’ve seen AA delayed flights before they changed their policy.
I don’t think this is a real-life scenario frankly
This has nothing to do with the size of their bag fitting onboard? Check with the policy now regarding basic economy passengers. That will answer your question.
You can’t get a United basic economy boarding pass without an agent verifying your lack of a carry on at the counter. It’s an annoying process (and uses more labor than a normal check in)
I’ve seen it sizing happen fairly regularly, also at SAN but at SFO and other United hubs, too – where you’ll have very full flights. Further, the removal of the sizers doesn’t deliver more or less power to gate agents than it did before at all. With the sizers in place, GAs were empowered to not force people to plop their roll-aboards in the sizer if they didn’t want to. With the sizers removed, now they are empowered to make arbitrary decisions on what’s “too big”. They still have the ultimate say as to what gets taken down the jet way – no power had been added or removed. What has been added, though, is an increase in people that will be superfuckingpissed when a GA decides – somewhat arbitrarily and not “scientifically” – that their carryon is too big. But not GAs have no quantifiable way to justify it. If anything, United just painted a target on their GAs if the GAs choose to enforce rules.
Ohhhh get ready for huge issues with rogue gate agents that are having a bad day and decide your carry on is too big. The sizers are obsolete but at least if your bag fits they cannot say anything.
“I do wonder why United is bothering to keep these sizers in check-in lobbies and outside security checkpoints when it admits that they do not provide an accurate indication of what will fit in the overhead bin.”
To encourage people to check their bags while they can still do so at a check-in counter?
The issue of rogue GAs denying legal carry-ons IS going to happen, though I suspect that’s going to be an isolated occurrence and not the real problem. As AR pointed out, you’re now going to subject GAs to even more arguments with passengers with oversized carry-ons, and now they (the GAs) will have nothing to back themselves up with. My guess is this will cause the vast majority of GAs to just give up on policing carry-ons entirely. Maybe that’s the point, but I don’t know that it’s going to be the positive that UA management envisions.
AA agents love to use the bag sizers. Especially in PHX. I’d love to see them done away with.
I agree Matthew. I’ve never seen GAs enforce this and now seems like a common sense approach. I’ve actually seen Austrian Airlines weigh roller bags prior to boarding – imagine that in the US!
Just check the bags. Plenty of space in the luggage hold.
It wil make boarding and unboarding a lot faster.
You’ve probably never seen it because you board with first class and Group 1. GAs reserve all their attitude for the plebes, out of sight of the elites already onboard.
LOL.
“I don’t know why these nasty things keep happening to you poor people. I never see that in the front.”
This will create a HUGE problem for coach and non elite passengers connecting from United to its European Star Alliance partners. I know you’re supposed to know the carry on rule on the partner airline, but this policy will only amplify the inconsistencies and I bet the fee-hungry European gate agents will see this as an opportunity to pounce on unsuspecting UA coach/non-elite flyers connecting intra Europe or further onwards.
It seems that folks are concerned about rogue gate agents. I’m also more concerned about entitled passengers who feel that rules don’t apply to them. I regularly see passengers arrive at the gate with 2+ pieces of luggage, lunch, a topcoat, a pillow, etc. When asked to consolidate or check they become loud and abusive. Or the ones who take their 2 bags onto the flight, putting both overhead along with their coats, etc. Or the little old lady who brings on only 2 pieces of luggage neither of which she can put in the overhead. Americans are known to push the limits of ANY rule they dont like and when faced with enforcement they whine. Check it or dont take it!
What I’d really like to see is an end to contract people at the entrance to security lines trying to enforce baggage size limits. I get why airlines want to head off oversized bags at security but the airlines don’t get to decide who goes through security.
So unless there are federal rules (and their are not) limiting the size of an object that can go through security the airlines have no right to divert people with oversized bags from entering the secure area.
I’ve experienced mixed results using the same carry on bag on both United and American. United never questioned bag size. It fit in the overhead.
American had a gate agent roaming the area, looking for oversized bags. I was told I needed to gate check the bag to my destination. On the way back from my destination, I was flying first class. There was a gate agent roaming the waiting area at this airport, as well. She was going to ask me to gate check…until she saw my boarding pass. Apparently fare class did make a difference.
I changed to a smaller dimension bag for overseas, since size limits vary among different airlines. I’ve never had a problem bringing it with me.
The elephant in the room of course, is that all these machinations would not be necessary if checking luggage was once again included in the price of airfare.
The real issue will be agents now letting on these huge bags with passengers as they 1) dont care or 2) they succumb as they dont want to deal with an arguementive passenger.
The passengers then delay the boarding as they try to jam their bag in the overhead that doesnt clearly fit, taking 5 to 10 mins while the line doesnt move behind them since they refuse to check it….then when they finally realize it will NOT fit under any circumstances they stand there staring at the line behind them as they try and figure out how to get from row 32 to the boarding door. You wait and see…a disastrous policy change from a consistancy and flow perspective. I get that we are trying to be more “passenger friendly” but is what I described above worth it?
Both off topic and kinda on topic but I typically fly first class *and* board absolutely last (right before they close the door behind me). Nearly every time the gate agent tells me I need to check my carry on roller as there is no more room. I plead with them for me to confirm so I board with the roller with me. 90-95% of the time there is (plenty of) room.
Once more (United always in the lead) with just another layer of confusion and causing arguments, debate, nit-picking between gate agents, flight attendants and passengers. “Using your best judgment” is code for or translated as “I’m boarding a flight, I have to get it out on time and I’m certainly not going to argue with people at the 11th hour 59th minute about their bags = let everyone on board take on with whatever they want – go right ahead”