Originally Posted by
be_rettSEA
Wonder what would have happened if passengers arrived with baggage too large to fit in the overhead compartment.. Bags checked on the next flight?
Probably this, or rebooked if they didn't want to be separated from their bag. I sure hope AS was also delivering bags on the arrivals end free of charge versus making people come to retrieve them.
It's not uncommon to see some checked bags left when an aircraft is weight balance limited due to cargo, a larger than normal fuel load, or something else. But usually that is only on longer flights. In this case, I'd bet on some heavy high value/high revenue cargo, a mechanical issue with the plane that affected payload but not its ability to fly, or some other strange explanation.