HOW TO ENSURE YOUR CARRY-ON DOESN'T GET GATE-CHECKED THIS SUMMER

There is no denying it: we have fully entered carry-on only culture. The trend began in the summer of 2022, when understaffed airports coupled with a wave of travelers ready to take their post-pandemic, once-in-a-lifetime trips led to a surge in missing bags. As Town & Country described it at the time, it was the "summer of lost luggage". And the only apparent solution to the growing piles of misplaced suitcases was to forgo checking a bag altogether and simply packing a carry-on. While this strategy alleviated air travel issues for some time, it appears more and more passengers are now swearing by hand luggage exclusively, which is causing flight delays and the overhead bins to reach full capacity faster, forcing some people to check their bags at the gate.

"There's more chaos at the airports now than ever before," says Michael Holtz, founder and CEO of SmartFlyer, a full-service luxury travel agency. "Things are coming back stronger than they've been, and people are bringing more stuff than they brought before Covid."

Aircrafts are clearly not designed to hold this many suitcases in the passenger cabin, and as summer travel picks up, we at Town & Country are wondering: how do we ensure our bag makes it on that flight?

Ahead, we tapped some of the industry's most reputable travel experts for tips and tricks on how to avoid gate-checking your carry-on bag in this overcrowded space.

Be loyal to one airline.

Joining a frequent flyer program can help mitigate the gate-checked bag dilemma. "If you try to concentrate your travels to one or two airlines, you're going to get status," says Holtz, noting that gate agents are likely to be more accommodating to loyal customers. "They will be nicer to people with status than say the Expedia crowd that's just booking to save 10 cents and they're not loyal to an airplane."

Status also often ensures you're among the first people on the plane. "You don't have to be the first to board, but you need to not be the last to board," says Gary Leff, an air travel expert and View from the Wind blogger. "It's important to understand what gets you into at least the middle boarding group." American Airlines's AAdvantage mileage program, for example, is great, says Leff, because it offers members earlier boarding simply for signing up.

Holtz says Delta and United Airlines are some of the "smartest carriers" out there, too, and offer major benefits, like priority baggage tags for loyal flyers. So, if a gate agent does decide to send your luggage to the cargo hold, this perk will get your bag loaded on the carousel before others.

On the off chance you do want to check a suitcase ahead of time to avoid the gate-checking dilemma altogether, many airlines will give you a set checked bag allowance if you are an elite member. "There's this whole issue with getting to the gate and having palpitations because you're concerned that the gate agents are going to grab one of your bags and they might get left behind," says Holtz. "It might not be a bad idea to check a bag and this way you avoid the last-minute concern."

Whatever you do, do not buy a Basic Economy ticket.

The experts are unanimous: Choosing the cheap way out will not work in your favor. "Basic Economy fares generally come without the ability to bring on a bag and you're the last one to get on the plane," notes Holtz. "So, even if you do bring one, you're probably not going to have any overhead bin space."

"The difference in fare is minimal," he continues. "If people understand that and avoid Basic Economy fare, that will probably eliminate 50 percent of the aggravation."

The size of your carry-on does matter.

As a rule of thumb, carry-on bags should not exceed 22 x 14 x 9 inches. If your bag meets those dimensions or is smaller, you should be allowed on the plane no problem (that is, if there is still space in the overhead bins). That said, when shopping for luggage, it's important to keep in mind that the dimensions listed online can sometimes be misleading. "Brands will frequently advertise the size excluding wheels," Leff points out. "In order to fit in the baggage sizer [at the airport], the wheels have to get in, too."

Both Holtz and Leff are fans of Rimowa's Cabin suitcase. "The brand's cabin bag fits on any mainline jet, like the Boeing 717, Airbus 320, Airbus 321, and Boeing 737," says Holtz, while Leff says he's gotten "tremendous value" out of his over the years because of the "sturdiness of the handle and wheels, as well as what you can fit inside." Jaclyn Sienna India of luxury travel agency Sienna Charles likes Globe-Trotter's carry-on. It will set you back nearly $2,000, but "how you present yourself when you go to the airport is important," she says. "If you look well put-together and try to be kind to people, it goes both ways."

Choose airlines that prioritize experience and service.

While joining a frequent flier program can be beneficial, India—who has planned trips for presidents, prime ministers, and other public figures—is a proponent of choosing airlines and ticket designations that value customers and their overall experience. What that means is flying first class, but also choosing aircrafts that offer more space and larger overhead bins.

"The Airbus A380s are the most spacious," India says. "Airlines like Emirates, Singapore, or Etihad are thinking about the user experience from the beginning. They are thinking through how people get on the plane and where their stuff goes."

At the end of the day, "you have to go where you're going to be treated better," she adds. "It makes the experience a whole lot better, and I believe that the trip really does start with that airport experience."

Do your research.

Doing your research on the specific aircraft may help you in the long run. "Several airlines have added bigger bins because they don't want to be gate-checking bags if they don't have to at the last minute and causing delays," says Leff. He specifically cites American Airlines and United Airlines as two companies who have invested in bigger bins to accommodate more luggage.

Michael, a flight attendant from a major airline who chose to withhold his last name, says you can very simply find the aircraft information by looking up the details of your flight through an airline's app or FlightAware. "If you see that your plane is older, there's going to be less likelihood that your bag is going to make it on," he says. "If you see that you have a newer plane where the bins are much more accommodating, you have a very high chance of being able to get it on."

India, who also recommends doing research, adds, "You kind of have to be your own detective of which aircraft you're taking and looking at luggage sizes because you really don't know until you get there."

Being nice goes a long way.

Being kind to airport staff is a given, in any scenario. However, if you're faced with having to gate-check your bag at the 11th hour, being polite in this particular circumstance could work in your favor.

"People will sometimes come to me at the boarding door with their tagged bag and say, 'I know the gate agents' said there's no more space, but this is really important to me,'" says Michael. "There's a huge difference between coming on and having the attitude of 'I can't believe they made me check' versus 'I would just really appreciate it if this can make it on board.' It usually almost always works. We're doing our best to guestimate how many bags we can fit and how many more spaces are left. We don't get it right, hardly ever, but we can almost always make something work."

If you're carrying precious cargo and are in a later boarding zone, Michael also recommends talking to the gate agent before the flight starts boarding: "Just having that polite conversation with the gate agent might help."

That said, the agent assigned to your gate depends largely on the luck of the draw. "I've had people take my bags that are carry-on approved, and I've had people say 'Have a phenomenal flight!' when they aren't aircraft approved," says India. "You can catch somebody on a good day, you can catch somebody on a bad day, and you don't really know what you're getting. I think that's why sitting in a better class of service helps because they treat you sort of like a human."

As Holtz notes, the gate agent's primary job is getting the plane loaded as quickly as possible. "Just be nice, be kind, and little niceties go a long way," he says. "You can't fight them. You're never going to win."

Consider packing a duffle bag.

According to Michael, flight attendants normally notify gate agents when the overhead bins are at 70 percent capacity, which means bags need to start getting checked. However, even after the message is sent, soft bags are "almost always let through" but not hardshell suitcases.

"If you can get a big soft bag instead of a rolling bag as your carry-on, those are much more likely to make it through even at the very end," says Michael. "Even if you're the last person on the plane, they'll probably let that through. It's not as convenient, but I never see those kinds of bags getting checked."

India recommends the Valextra Polyhedral Folding Travel Tote Bag: "It's like an accordion and it's really big."

Ship your luggage.

If you're traveling for more than a week, India recommends shipping your luggage to your destination instead of just packing a carry-on. "If you're on a longer trip and trying to look amazing and you're going to events or doing a lot, I think it's really hard to pack everything in a carry-on and have options," she says. She recommends FedEx overnight shipping: "My luggage always arrives before me and it's in my room waiting for me. You can be a little bit more in control of it and put insurance on it."

Editor's Note: If this is a method you are considering, make sure to notify your hotel in advance to confirm that someone from reception or the concierge desk can receive your suitcase.

If you've followed the above and all else fails, invest in an Airtag.

While gate-checked bags can end up at the jet bridge upon arriving to your destination if you're lucky, more often than not they have to be claimed at the baggage carousel. In that case, Apple's nifty Airtag is only $29 (it's also often on sale on Amazon) and can track your checked bag, offering more peace of mind. India says they can't hurt, but at the end of the day, "all you can do is hope for the best."

2024-07-03T13:59:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd