American Airlines has announced it is changing one of its rules for carry-on baggage in an attempt to make the boarding process quicker.
Starting Monday, the airline will be removing bag sizers from its gates across the country, according to a statement made to Nexstar’s KTLA on Sunday.
Although the size of a carry-on will no longer be checked while boarding the plane, it should not be used as an excuse to bring larger luggage.
“Team members will continue to monitor carry-on baggage in the lobby and at the gate, and oversized items will still be required to be checked in ahead of the flight,” the airline said.
According to the airline’s website, American Airlines allows passengers to bring one personal item and one carry-on piece of luggage.
The personal item must fit under the seat in front of the passenger and should not exceed 18 x 14 x 8 inches. The carry-on can either fit under the seat in front of the passenger or in the overhead compartment. Total size of the carry-on, including the handles and wheels, cannot exceed 22 x 14 x 9 inches.
The update on the bag sizers comes one year after American Airlines announced other changes being made to its boarding process.
Last year, the airline announced that they were testing a new piece of boarding technology.
Now, when a ticket is scanned during the boarding process, a staff member can detect what zone the person is supposed to be in, and they will be notified if a passenger is boarding too early. That way, when someone attempts to board the plane alongside the first-class and priority-boarding passengers, they will be directed to the back of the line.
Staff will be able to clear the notification and allow passengers to board early if there is a valid reason.
According to View From the Wing, the airline tested the technology in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Tucson, Arizona; and Arlington, Virginia.
The boarding process was split into ten groups, ranging from ConciergeKey members to basic economy. The airline will usually start boarding one group at a time the 30 to 50 minutes before a flight’s scheduled departure, using a priority lane and a general boarding line, which will now have the new scanning technology.
ConciergeKey members are an elite membership status for top-tier frequent American Airlines flyers. After they board, the next group will be first-class passengers, active duty U.S. military with military ID, and AAdvantage Executive Platinum travelers.
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