mrcaptain

My bag is slightly bigger than dimensions they officially allow. I never had a problem on Southwest or American. I haven't flew United for a while so wondering if they check or enforce strictly?

mahasamatman

I've never seen them measure the bags, but that doesn't mean you won't find a gate agent who wants to stick by the rules. Just don't wear an "I know I'm trying to get away with something" expression.

bocastephen

Slightly larger? Should not be a problem, but the root of United's operating excellence is based on completely random forms of service delivery - so it's completely the luck of the draw if the agent wants you to size it or not. From a practical standpoint, if you're in Group 4 or board late in Group 3 and the flight is full, you're likely unable to find space anyway so the real decision line here is where you are boarding.

WineCountryUA

define "slightly" -- an inch in a couple dimensions or multiple inches in all dimensions ?
UA allowed 1 inch extra when it used bag sizers.

Believe UA bag sizers are (mostly) gone

Baggage sizer use at the gate? (No longer at gates after 23 Jan 2020)

prestonh

Mainline probably not a problem unless it won't fit when you stow it onboard. Express....they look closer and will give you the green tag even if you think it should fit. UA has a lot of Express flights.

mrcaptain

Including wheels it appears mine is 1 inch larger in each direction. Not sure if that's just the right amount?

dmurphynj

The only place I've ever had an issue was at SFO. The counter agent was downright nasty with me about it.

Otherwise, not very strict in my experience.

WineCountryUA

That's was the overage allowed by the sizer. I would not worry about 1 inch
My home airport is SFO and I have never had an issue with my bags. My carry on is closer to the 1 inch limit in depth and my computer bag (personal item) is out on two dimensions and closer to 2 inches for one.

dmurphynj

I was *very* taken aback when it happened because everyone I've ever encountered at SFO is always so pleasant. Was quite jarring - I was wondering if I were in Newark (my home airport!) It was in the first bag check/counter area to the right of the escalators up to the garage/AirTrain level, in the Before Times. This whole pandemic thing has my sense of time way, way off. Was likely 5 years ago now.

The reason she called me out was because my bag was bulging in the front. The bag itself was actually regulation sized; I had put my (from United Shop, thankyouverymuch duvet in the front pouch so it bulged out. She made me remove it, or was going to force me to check the bag. Was a very silly interaction, as it was truly much ado about nothing.

whitethunder

my carryon is an inch bigger width and never had an issue even loading it to the brim and it weighing probably 25lbs

just flew TAP 2 weeks ago and they were measuring and weighing bags at the gate hahaha, crazy

If flying mainline UA I would not worry

SF_DUKE

Not all SFO gate agents are great. Seems the ones for LAS flights make up their own rules.

I travel with a 20" roller that easily passes the sizers. Standby cleared before I boarded during 1K boarding. Gate agent insisted it needed to be gate checked. Reason was I was a standby. Gate agent printed a gate tag.

Spoke to Purser onboard and they agreed plenty of overhead space and just a non-sense made-up rule. Insisted that I go back and retrieve my bag and tell the gate agent to call the Purser if needed. Gate agent gave me a long stare.

Always fun when I see the same gate agent at SFO. Happens about 1-2 each month and I remind her that I was that standby passenger.

emcampbe

wait - are saying that there are GAs that are specifically assigned just to LAS flights, and no other destinations.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but guaranteed that before and/or after the GA you reference worked the LAS flight, they were working flights to other destinations. Maybe some agents work specific destinations more than others, or request to work [XXX] flights, but I can assure you that they don’t have agents exclusively work certain destinations.

basing this on one experience, not to mention using that experience to generalize to all agents working flights to that destination, is pretty wrong. The interaction you speak of doesn’t really reflect on all agents working flights to LAS, just the one you were dealing with.

Collierkr

well if everyone just played by the simple rules then the service would likely be more consistent and enjoyable. It is when people try to break those rules all the time that the FAs just get pissed off.

tennessetom

United rarely pays attention but you can always get a gate agent that is difficult. also more and more airports are rolling out what I call the bin system at security. I was in an airport the other day
where the woman in front of me had a bag that was too big for the bin. She argued with the tsa but they basically told her if her bag didn’t fit in the bin it wasnt going thru security. I didn’t get to see how the argument ended because the positive about the bin system is you aren’t held up by someone in front of you.

fumje

It's been quite some time (a decade?) since I've seen the metal plate sizer at the inlet to the x-ray. Is that what you're referencing?