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Gate Check with fee for excess carry-ons coming [UNCONFIRMED]

Gate Check with fee for excess carry-ons coming [UNCONFIRMED]

Old Oct 31, 2015, 12:52 pm
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Exclamation Gate Check with fee for excess carry-ons coming [UNCONFIRMED]

Heard this from a United EWR "concierge" type service worker who is normally assigned to VIPs and high government offices and who is very well informed: United plans to combat excess carry on, so prevalent since the advent of checked baggage fees, in a lucrative and possible punitory way. Gate check will now require payment of the appropriate checked bag fee for a given passenger. Bag tag printers are being installed at gates to speed the process. If you manage to get an oversize carry on or in excess of the 2 permitted, be ready to be required to gate check in order to board AND pay the checked bag fee applicable to your frequent flyer status, or lack there of, and class of service and/or ultimate destination and the bag allowance granted and possibly already used at the landside bag drop. I am not positive they will use the exact same rates as checking at the landside kiosks but I could not if they are going to all the trouble and expense of gate side bag tag printers, it seems unlikely they would offer a lower gate check fee.

I am sure the gate agents will receive much venting particularly from infrequent flyers and the scammers who knew how to get around the rules and board with excess but the agents will be required to enforce carry on policy and I suspect much more challenging to "put the carry on in the sizer unit". Thank goodness they have never gotten into severely restricting carry on weight as is done on other continents!

Be prepared to be compliant or be prepared to gate check and PAY!

Last edited by goalie; Oct 31, 2015 at 1:24 pm
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:17 pm
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And what is wrong with this? As long as they're not charging to gate check bags carried by passengers that conform to the required dimensions but lack space.

If a bag doesn't fit in the sizer or one attempts to bring too much on, they should be checked and charged for. If the rules are strictly enforced, luggage stowage on the planes will be slightly less a hassle and boarding quicker. I think the cheaters (if the rules are enforced uniformly) will eventually either conform or check pre-security.

Interestingly, I actually had a bag challenged last week for the first time in years (it fit, and the challenger thanked me after seeing it fit). It was at SFO.

Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Oct 31, 2015 at 1:23 pm
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:25 pm
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MODERATOR NOTE

I have added the word "unconfirmed" to the thread title until we have official conformation from United on this issue

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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:27 pm
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This is fantastic for those of us who follow the rules!
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:30 pm
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If this rumor proves true, sales of wearable luggage should increase:

http://www.skyscanner.net/news/best-...aggage-charges
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:37 pm
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I do hope this is true. It will make flying UA much less unpleasant.
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:53 pm
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Originally Posted by lhrsfo
I do hope this is true. It will make flying UA much less unpleasant.
Unless you're seated next to someone wearing the wearable luggage.
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 1:56 pm
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Originally Posted by transportprof
If this rumor proves true, sales of wearable luggage should increase:

http://www.skyscanner.net/news/best-...aggage-charges


OMG!
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:11 pm
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Originally Posted by lhrsfo
I do hope this is true. It will make flying UA much less unpleasant.
IDK. I don't see any way that that they can implement this without slowing the boarding process down even more.
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:21 pm
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The printers exist at many of the gates throughout the system already. I dunno about EWR but I've seen them at several other airports recently. And it won't be too bad on boarding times if they also staff the gates with an extra agent to handle the offenders while others continue to board normally.

But there are a lot of "ifs" in this whole story, so...
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:22 pm
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What if the gate-check fee is higher than the normal checked baggage fee? Now, THAT will get everyone's attention.
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:28 pm
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Originally Posted by bse118
IDK. I don't see any way that that they can implement this without slowing the boarding process down even more.
Seeing as they haven't really enforced the sizer rule, it seems hard to imagine going to this . . . although I suppose if you have a 3rd carry on that takes less time to identify than an oversized bag.
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:29 pm
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Originally Posted by physioprof
This is fantastic for those of us who follow the rules!
Originally Posted by lhrsfo
I do hope this is true. It will make flying UA much less unpleasant.
Agree.

This would also bring some entertainment to the boarding process. Although I do feel sorry for GAs who have to enforce the rule.
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:30 pm
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Originally Posted by bse118
IDK. I don't see any way that that they can implement this without slowing the boarding process down even more.
Current boarding delay is not the gate agent. It's people sitting down on the plane. So you've got some slack available at the gate agent. If you use some of that slack to check bags theoretically it may help people sit down quicker.

But not by much. We won't be able to speed that up until people stop acting surprised that they're on a plane and all of a sudden need all sorts of crap out of their carry on before the take a seat. I always want to ask "when you were standing in line on the jetway, did you think it was the entrance to a cocktail lounge or something?"
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Old Oct 31, 2015, 2:34 pm
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Originally Posted by bse118
IDK. I don't see any way that that they can implement this without slowing the boarding process down even more.
Agent roams boarding area before boarding starts.
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