Second US Airline Removes All Bag Sizers At Boarding Gates

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

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

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

American Airways Joins The Pattern

Following within the footsteps of United Airways, 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.

However let’s be crystal clear about what this implies. This isn’t a free go to deliver an even bigger bag. The official carry-on measurement limits haven’t modified. As a substitute, this can be a transfer to cut back passenger stress and, extra importantly, to hurry up the boarding course of.

The vital distinction, is that the bag sizers are solely being faraway from the gates. They may 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 Actual Purpose For The Change?

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

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

What This Really Means For You, The Traveler

It is a big win for lowering pre-flight anxiousness, nevertheless it means you want to be smarter than ever about your carry-on.

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

• The Penalties Are The Identical: If a gate agent flags your bag as being too massive, you’ll nonetheless should examine it on the gate. And sure, this can nearly definitely include a charge, particularly in case you’re flying on a Fundamental Financial system ticket.
• The Sensible Transfer: An important takeaway is to measure your bag at dwelling earlier than you permit for the airport. In the event you’re unsure, use the bag sizers on the check-in counter to substantiate.

You may examine the keep it up measurement limits for all US Airways with our new instrument beneath

This pattern is a strong sign that airways are lastly recognizing {that a} much less traumatic boarding course of is a greater and faster expertise for everybody. It is 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.