Originally Posted by
orbitmic
The gate check fees are a new 'inspiration' by US airlines to discourage people on their new 'economy basic' fares (which do not afford overhead hand luggage on UA and AA) to 'try their luck'. So far, European airlines do not have similar concepts either of fares or disincentives. That said us gate check is also advantageous in that you typically get your bag back at the aircraft door. By contrast, gate check on European flights will join the regular baggage cargo and often (not always) be delivered last on the luggage carrousel.
Interesting. So there is no gate checking of bags like there is in USA? If they tag your bag as oversize it goes to the same baggage carousel as any other checked bags?
I'm curious because I'm taking a European trip later this year. My husband and I are debating what bags are too big to take with us onboard. He wants to take something that will fit the largest plane but maybe not the smallest. I want to take my new-ish Samsonite bag that should fit everything. One of our US flights is on a CR9. The others are 764, 320, 739. Probably the only place where it will be an issue is on our flight RDU-JFK (CR9) where we could gate check if we had to. The rest of the flights should be OK.