The Fight for Overhead Bin Space May Soon Come to an End
The fight for baggage space in the overhead compartments on United Airlines flights will soon be over as the company plans to systematically go through the fleet of aircraft and update the overhead bin spaces to allow room for more passengers’ carry-on luggage, allowing every passenger to have their own bag.
One of the most frustrating and panic-inducing things to happen when you’re boarding an aircraft is to dutifully wait for your group to be called, then haul your bag onto the plane only to find that there’s no room left in the overhead bins for your luggage. It used to happen—and still does—regularly on United Airlines flights, because the planes generally only have enough space to hold one carry-on for every two people. This lack of space leads to the ultimate need to gate check carry-on bags for most of the people at the end of the boarding process. Or, it creates a mosh pit effect, when passengers are trying to find a bin for their bag and get back to their seats during boarding.
But that’s all about to change. According to a recent announcement by United chief customer officer Toby Enqvist, reported by USA Today, the airline is planning to update overhead space to allow a carry-on bag for every customer. On some of the 737 series planes, that means space for an extra 65 bags, no more gate checking, and no more mosh pits.
“With the one-to-one (bag) ratio, all that stuff goes away because everyone will have rooms for their bag,” Enqvist told USA Today.
The updates will begin next year, with 80% of the fleet getting bigger overhead compartments by 2023.
[Featured Image: Wikimedia]