Originally Posted by
PHXflier
I have seen the C group carryons getting gate checked to their final destination, but it was done in a friendly manner (typically just an announcement that overhead bins had filled and that whatever could not fit in the seat in front of them would need to be checked to their final destination for free). It added maybe five minutes to the boarding process. No nastiness or aggressiveness on the part of either gate agents or passengers that I have witnessed.
Some of the social media posts will be exaggerations. The 99.9% of normal WN flights dont get any publicity as they are boring..thats just the nature of news cycles. And yes, this should be the way. C groups should have their carryons gate checked if bins are getting full. Ask for volunteers, if none or very few then automatically start to gate check C boarders. Simple as that.