They are stored in a plane's cargo hold (or bins) with the rest of the luggage before being transferred to your final destination. Gate-checked bags are usually treated essentially the same as all other checked bags. (Photo by Koen Van Weel/ANP/AFP/Getty Images) Where does a gate-checked bag go on the plane?Įmployees prepare to load luggage onto a plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Elite status also gets you priority boarding with the major airlines, meaning there's more likely to be room in the overhead bin for your bags when your priority group boards. Remember you can avoid baggage fees by holding elite status with a particular airline, purchasing a higher fare class and or using a cobranded airline credit card to purchase your airfare.įor example, Delta, United and American allow all status holders, even at their most entry-level tiers, to check one bag for free, with the baggage allotment going up from there. Their generous baggage policy allows all passengers, regardless of fare types to check two bags for free. For example, AA charges travelers with overweight and or oversized bags between $100-$200 each way, depending on the route.Īn exception is if you are flying Southwest Airlines, a personal favorite of mine. airlines charge passengers each way to check a bag at the time of booking. Any additional fees for oversized luggage would be on top of the $30 fee most major U.S. If you attempt to gate check a bag that violates an airline's weight and size requirements for checked bags, you also might be charged an additional fee. What about oversized and overweight bags? JetBlue charges passengers with Blue Basic fare types $65 each way to check a full-sized, carry-on bag. 'Regardless of overhead bin space capacity, if a customer flying on a basic economy ticket brings a full-size carry-on bag to the gate, they'll need to check their bag and pay the applicable checked bag fee ($35) and a $25 gate handling charge,' a United spokesperson told me. This is the case for both JetBlue Blue Basic fares and United's basic economy. In that case, passengers are not eligible to have their bag gate checked for free. Sometimes a carrier's lowest class, known as basic economy, does not allow customers to bring a full-sized carry-on on board. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. However, this allowance does not extend to passengers who try to bring a full-sized carry-on item on board when their fare type does not permit them to do so. Unlike bags you check ahead of a flight, an airline will check any otherwise allowed carry-on bag at the gate for free, regardless of your fare type. How much does it cost to gate-check a bag?

Here are the ins and outs of gate-checking bags.įor more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. The good news is that gate-checked bags are treated the same as all other checked bags, and this process does not necessarily increase the likelihood of your bag being lost. You may have questions about what this process looks like and if there are any risks involved. 'When overhead bins become full, the flight attendants will notify the gate that we will need to check the remaining larger roller bags that will not fit under the seat,' explained a spokesperson for Delta.

It's a likely scenario on crowded flights or on planes with smaller bins, such as regional jets. It's only made worse by a flight attendant asking you to check your bag at the gate due to a lack of overhead bin space by the time you reach your seat.Īirlines routinely ask passengers to check bags at the gate. Being part of the last group to board your flight is bad enough.

Southwest checked bag weight