Second US Airline Removes All Bag Sizers At Boarding Gates

It’s one of the anxious moments in trendy air journey: the stroll of disgrace to the gate, the place that dreaded steel cage—the bag sizer—sits ready to move judgment in your carry-on. We’ve all felt that pang of hysteria, watching as a gate agent asks a fellow traveler to squeeze their overstuffed bag into the unforgiving body.

Well, get able to say goodbye to that pre-boarding panic.

Here at Travel Off Path, we’re all concerning the information that makes your journey expertise higher. In a significant, traveler-friendly transfer, a second main U.S. airline has simply introduced it’s eradicating bag sizers from its departure gates, signaling a big business shift away from the anxious, last-minute enforcement that slows down boarding for everybody.

American Airlines Joins The Trend

Following within the footsteps of United Airlines, which made the identical customer-friendly change again in 2024, American Airlines has simply confirmed it’s formally eradicating the carry-on bag sizers from all its airport gate areas.

But let’s be crystal clear about what this implies. This is just not a free move to carry a much bigger bag. The official carry-on measurement limits haven’t modified. Instead, it is a transfer to scale back passenger stress and, extra importantly, to hurry up the boarding course of.

The essential distinction, is that the bag sizers are solely being faraway from the gates. They will nonetheless be obtainable on the check-in counters, the place vacationers can voluntarily examine if their bag meets the necessities earlier than heading to safety.

So, What’s The Real Reason For The Change?

This is not about being good; it is about being environment friendly. The technique of stopping passengers on the gate, forcing them to make use of the sizer, after which coping with an outsized bag is a significant bottleneck that contributes to boarding delays.

By eradicating the sizers from the gate, the airways are making a transparent assertion: it’s now your accountability to know the principles earlier than you get to the gate. The new course of empowers vacationers to be ready and shifts the main focus from last-minute punishment to proactive planning. Gate brokers will now primarily use a “visual sizing” technique, solely stopping passengers whose luggage are clearly and considerably outsized.

What This Actually Means For You, The Traveler

This is a large win for lowering pre-flight nervousness, however it means it’s good to be smarter than ever about your carry-on.

• The Rules Still Apply: For American Airlines, your carry-on bag should not exceed 22 x 14 x 9 inches, together with handles and wheels.

• The Consequences Are The Same: If a gate agent flags your bag as being too massive, you’ll nonetheless must examine it on the gate. And sure, this may virtually definitely include a price, particularly when you’re flying on a Basic Economy ticket.
• The Smart Move: The most necessary takeaway is to measure your bag at residence earlier than you permit for the airport. If you are undecided, use the bag sizers on the check-in counter to verify.

You can examine the stick with it measurement limits for all US Airlines with our new software beneath

This development is a robust sign that airways are lastly recognizing {that a} much less anxious boarding course of is a greater and faster expertise for everybody. It’s a transfer away from the “gotcha” moments on the gate and a step in direction of a extra streamlined and passenger-focused journey. For the savvy traveler, it is a welcome change—so long as you do your homework earlier than you fly.