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ORD was a zoo today. I had 3 hours of delays going into Chicago today and three more hours od delays getting home tonite... Anyway my flight was canceled. The AC advised me to standby for an earlier flight that didn't leave yet. Eventhough the standby list was a mile long I went to number one. The GA gave me my boarding pass an then asked if I had a rolling bag? I said yes. She then said I have to gate check it and it would be at the bag claim at my final destination! I said why can't I carry it on? She answered the flight is so full there is no room.
Now at that time they were still boarding priority so there was plenty of room... I assume she ment a standby passenger shouldn't get the overhear space before a confirmed passenger!
If I wasn't so tired and didn't need to make that flight I probably would have questioned further.

Anyway is that AA policy or the GA trying to keep things "fair"?

Austinrunner

Did your bag arrive on time?

Doc Savage

$hit happens.

Spiff

Smile, nod, remove tag in jet bridge, board with bag.

BStrauss3

GA is trying to get a late flight out on time. If there turns out to be insufficient room for bags, that delays things. So s/he is being pro-active.

The previous piece of advise can also cause delays - if the # of bags loaded doesn't match expectations (# of bag tags issued), weight and balance may need to be recalculated.

Mark_T

Really?

I've never noticed the GA tracking the number of tags issued, I had thought that was down to the guys actually loading the bags to provide the count?

TechMarauder

+1
Same philosophy of call back if you get an answer you don't like!

Pinned

I've had to gatecheck my bag when I've boarded late a few times (my own fault really), but they brought it up to the jetway for me. That was actually kind of convenient. But at the end of the day I wouldn't complain too much, at least you got on the flight and eventually got your bag.

FWAAA

Welcome to Flyertalk.

Gate-checked bags are not generally returned to the jetbridge when you deplane; typically, they're sent to baggage claim, and that can be a real PITA.

Perhaps you're thinking of valet-checked carryons on Eagle flights? On most Eagle flights, rolling bags are valet-checked either planeside or on the jetbridge and returned to you planeside or on the jetbridge.

Generally, strollers and wheelchairs are the items that are gate-checked and then returned directly to you at arrival (not sent to baggage claim).

allenh91801

I thought when you gate checked it, the agent normally takes the bag from you and it is out of your control at that point.

swag

Back in the 90s, I forget if it was MSP or DTW, but this was standard operating there. The end of week flights back to DFW were regularly packed, and they always announced that if you wanted voluntary standby, you would have to check any roll-a-boards.

Often1

-3 - Ignorant and delay-causing. We're talking about tagged hold bags. If the count of bags tagged doesn't match what's loaded, it's recount time. Shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes, but that can also have other rolling impact and cause even worse delays.

As to the underlying issue, last minute gate-checked bags cause even further delays. Kudos to the GA for being proactive. The other 120 people on the aircraft would appreciate it if they knew.

AAFA

It depends which airport you are departing from. Some bag drops are near the counter and some are down by the airplane entrance at the end of the jet bridge.

If you do something like this you have to act cool to carry it through but be prepared to be contrite if caught doing it.

There are some airports, dallas mostly, that disregard anything the FAs on the plane have to say and start checking bags after about 20 of them so the airplane goes out with 20 overhead bins completely empty and about 100 people completely twisted and ready to yell at the FAs.

Then there are other airports, like Miami, where you tell the agents the bins are full and they keep sending them down and then send 2 agents on the airplane to open and close bins for 15 wasted minutes in order to realize the FAs working the flights weren't a bunch of morons.

You can't win. My advice is that if you think you can get your bag on then try. As long as you don't start yelling at the flight crew that you have the lost scrolls of whatever in your bag and it must get on, and you actually find a spot yourself within a reasonably short amount of time, you should be fine.

Pinned

Perhaps it was an Eagle flight, you may be totally correct. I can't recall, but I pulled it up on my AA account and it says it was a standard American ticket.

BStrauss3

Depends on the airport, some have a 'collection point' for strollers and such with a little slide down to the tarmac.