Is checking bags under-appreciated?
 

For the past couple of years, especially with frequent domestic work travel, I will typically check a large yellow north face duffel - enough stuff to last about a week or so, dont have to worry about liquids, plenty of room
dont have to lug around the airports - looking at you DEN, TSA, etc....
no more fighting for bin space (still carry a small carryon with computer and little stuff)
and I think UA/etc has gotten much better at unloading - as often the bags will be waiting for me by the time I get to the baggage claims
even with smaller airport - like RAP - get off the plane, pick up my rental car keys and my bag is waiting
checking bags is a no brainer - ok, helps that I get free checked bags
even yesterday - flying back SFO-OGG had a case of wine in a Fragile box.....the box came out before anything else, the customer service person at the baggage claim even called me and said "your box is here - come pick it up"

hmmm - maybe I will just keep this secret to myself and let you all fight over cramming all your stuff into a roll-on and the battle over bin space.....


yes - this MM has had luggage lost over the years - and sometimes for over a week....but the tracking bags tech that UA has invested in - impressive......

Hey, if it fits your style, go for it!

I pretty much agree ... except for when it comes to irrops. Checking a bag reduces one's flexibility to a degree that can make it harder to navigate the unexpected. That said, that flexibility isn't as quite important if one is flying nonstop. Soooo ...

If UA's baggage delivery would be faster and more reliable, I would do this a lot more often. The DL (less than 15 mins) system works much better. My average this year is a 30 min wait for bags ... main reason why I only check if I need to.

I’ll occasionally check a bag if delivery time on the other end isn’t a concern. I really hate waiting on UA’s slow delivery at HNL and seeing my limo driver (with his #20 bus) moving along on the departures level roadway on the Transit app, knowing I’d be on it if I just had carry-on.

I mean last time i came through ORD international with checked luggage there was 0 line at immigration and I then had to wait for 45 minutes before any bags showed up on the belt.

fortunately, I have not had to deal with baggage claim at ORD/EWR/IAH/IAD in some time....recently did SFO and LAX and wasnt that bad
I recall international travel being a fixed time - the faster I get thru customs/immigration the longer I wait for bag and vice versa - but hat is a different story

have had a few IRROPS over the year and UA has been pretty good at keeping my bags with me - heck, I have even had them show up at my destination before I did - sometimes that is a local team headache, but not that bad
.. also, I have gotten my mindset around the idea that if my luggage doesnt show up for a day or so - that isnt the end of the world.....

yep, had 45 mins at IAD this year twice. Totally unacceptable.

no concerns with checking my bag, but dang, really wish my bag was not in the last 2% of bags. Seriously, its like every time my bag has a placard that says "please put me on the belt last after all the basic economy passengers" !!

I've found UA to be one of the better airlines when it comes to checked bags- feel like Southwest has been 50/50 on losing my bags the past 10 years. I generally only check when traveling with someone else who does, but its been a pretty good experience. If it were 20 minutes faster I'd probably check every time.

I agree 100%. I would rather check my bag and be the last guy on the plane every time if this were true.

It feels like checking bags overall got a bad rap with the summer from hell after covid restrictions were rolled back. We saw months of fiascos, which typically involved checked bags that didn't make it to the final destination, and that burned a bad image in everyone's minds.

I had to carry a poster tube for an architect friend of mine (he had a backpack, carry on, and poster tube but forgot to check his carry on). All I had was my carry-on but I ended up gate-checking it even though I didn't have to as my mind blanked for some reason that day. It saved a lot of stress when boarding and I now try to check my bag whenever but place two Appletags in my checked bag just in case and things have been going very smoothly.

Mostly personal travel these days and 50% with wife
 

As a formerly fierce "never checker" solo traveller, I'm now often with my wife who struggles with her carry-on and I'm not going to manhandle two carry-on suitcases and a computer backpack through the terminal so we usually now check our bags. Once I've mentally got my mind to accept that I'm not racing out of the arrival airport's terminal as soon as the door opens but have to cool it for 15 minutes, it's really not a bad experience at all.

With some exceptions, I check a bag on nearly all of my domestic trips due to some items which can't be carried aboard. Even at the larger stations, such as DEN, I've not had to wait for than a few minutes. If the airport has a lounge, I stop in for a short visit and usually find my bag coming off the carousel by the time I make it there. If I board late, my only item is my backpack which easily fits under the seat and I don't have to swim upstream on the off chance I have to stow something away from my row.

The wait time at my home base of Newark isn't great, but that's not my main issue.

IRROPS is a concern, but not the main one.

For me it's just about movement. My work laptop bag has a ton of stuff I need, and it has a handle loop on the back. If I checked my roller bag, I would have to lug that thing on my shoulder and in large airports, I just don't like to do that. This is honestly my main thing.