American Airlines has quietly changed its bag-check policy. If you travel with large luggage, plan accordingly

If you’re a frequent flier, chances are you’ve been seized by the fear that your carry-on bag is too big for the overhead compartments.

Now, for American Airlines passengers, it’s even more important to make sure that your bag is within the size limit before boarding. This week, the airline announced that it’s getting rid of its bag-sizers at gates.

American Airlines told the news station KTLA that it started removing the metal sizers, which typically allow customers and gate agents to decide if luggage will fit in the airplanes’ overhead bins, on October 6.

According to the airline, the move is intended to simplify the boarding process—bypassing the bottleneck that sometimes forms when multiple passengers need to check the size of their bags.

How will bags be checked for size? 

Starting this week, gate agents will be responsible for visually assessing whether carry-ons are the appropriate size.

According to American Airlines’ website, customers are allowed one personal item, which should be 18-by-14-by-8 inches or smaller, as well as one carry-on, which cannot exceed 22-by-14-by-9 inches. The airline noted to KTLA that bag-sizers are still available in airport lobbies for passengers who would like to use them.

“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.

This procedural change is only the latest update in American Airlines’ recent effort to get passengers boarded faster.

In late 2024, the company began cracking down on “gate lice”—passengers who swarm the gate before it’s their time to board—by implementing a new boarding pass technology that makes an audible beep if fliers try to board in the wrong group, sending them back to the end of the line.

Other airlines are increasingly focused on streamlining their boarding processes, too.

Over the past several years, the air travel industry has become reliant on charging customers for an ever-expanding list of ancillary fees to boost profits, forcing the U.S.’s biggest companies to compete on offering the most desirable perks. For Southwest Airlines, that’s meant scrapping its iconic open boarding system in order to implement an eight-group boarding process with premium seating options.

American Airlines did not immediately respond to Fast Company’s request for additional details on its new bag-sizer policy.

View the full article