What I meant was that a bag large enough to require plane side check in would likely be too large to place under a seat and therefore would likely be placed by passenger in overhead bin when brought on board.
Originally Posted by
warreng24
Huh?
I am confused by
smitty06's comment. Bags checked plane side are NOT placed in an overhead bin of the next flight. They are placed in the baggage compartment of the departing flight (or the next departing flight).
MDT (Harrisburg) to ORD is a United Express route. There is 3x daily ERJ-145 service.
It is standard procedure to gate check most carry on items on the ERJ-145. The only items that are permitted on board are those that will fit under the seat. There are overhead bins on this aircraft, but they will only fit (size-wise) objects which can also fit under the seat (size-wise).
Gate checked items on the ERJ-145 are tagged with a green gate check tag. They are left in the jetway (or on a cart if boarded by stairs) just outside the aircraft door. Gate checked items are returned at the jetway (or on the cart of de-planed by stairs).
Also, ground handling at MDT and ORD is contracted out. It is NOT done by UA employees. ORD ground handling is done by Air Wisconsin. I'm not sure who handles ground handling at MDT.
I suspect that this occured at MDT. There is plenty of time to go through a bag while loading. Unloading is done very quickly because passengers are waiting for the bags.