Originally Posted by
lowfareair
On a flight out of CLT today on a 319/320 with the older bins and heard a new announcement that I haven't before: If you gate check your bag for free, you'll get group 5 boarding.
I know it won't be beneficial to most people here, and I don't know if it's a corporate-sanctioned item, but it seems like a good way to encourage people to volunteer to gate check for the flights where they will run out of overhead space (esp those without the Oasis/Kodiak bins).
Seems to me like a bit of a trap since the main reason to board early in economy is to ensure you have space for your bag. That said, while I've never understood it, many people want to board asap to spend more time crowded into an economy seat, plus I suppose the earlier boarding group may appeal to some as an exclusive experience. All said, I can't personally imagine why this would be an enticing offer, but I could see it working anyway.