Travel October 6, 2025 0 Comments

Why This Tiny Change to Airline Boarding Could Revolutionize Your Next Flight Experience—And What It Means for Travelers Everywhere

Ever come back from a trip lugging just a smidge more than you thought possible, only to have some stern gate agent eyeball your carry-on like it’s smuggling a small giraffe? Well, breathe a sigh of relief—American Airlines has just tossed out those notorious carry-on bag sizers from the gate area. That means no more last-minute “Does this fit?” interrogations before you board, and if there’s any doubt, the benefit of the doubt swings your way. It’s a subtle shift, sure, but one that might just save a few harried travelers from the dreaded checked-bag fee—and a smidge of boarding-time chaos. Of course, the actual rules about bag size haven’t changed, so don’t get too comfy stuffing in that extra souvenir. But is this move really about efficiency or perhaps a nudge toward making passengers feel like they’re flying first-class instead of budget? Either way, it’s a fascinating peek into how airlines are tweaking the travel circus to make the experience a bit more… human. LEARN MORE

If you’re returning from a trip with a few more items than you left with, American Airlines has some good news for you.

The Fort Worth-based carrier will officially remove carry-on-bag sizers from the gate area, as first reported by View from the Wing and later confirmed by an American Airlines spokesperson.

Removing the bag sizers means that gate agents will no longer ask travelers to measure whether their bags will fit right before entering the jet bridge. Going forward, the airline’s employees are being told to err on the side of the traveler if they’re unsure if the bag will fit in the overhead bin.

Bargain hunting: When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?

Note that American isn’t changing the size requirements for carry-on bags or its luggage policy — it’s just making a seemingly customer-friendly change to the boarding process.

For its part, the airline says that the move is designed to make boarding more efficient: “As we further simplify the boarding experience for our customers and team members, American will soon remove bag sizers from the gate area.”

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Bag sizers will remain in the check-in area for travelers to determine whether their carry-on will fit in the overhead bin, and oversized items will still be required to be checked in ahead of the flight, even if it needs to be done at the gate.

This change builds on American’s boarding enhancements that took effect earlier this year, which include revamped groups as well as a longer boarding period that now starts five minutes earlier than before.

What American didn’t say in its policy update is that it’s actually matching a move made by United Airlines back in 2020, which also removed gate-side bag sizers.

While the narrative around enhancing the boarding process seemingly makes sense, I’m curious why American chose to make this move now. My hunch is that this is part of American’s larger focus on premiumization — trying to make all aspects of the experience feel a bit more like a full-service airline than an ultra-low-cost one.

Whether removing bag sizers moves the needle is anyone’s guess, but at least the airline seems to be reevaluating all aspects of the travel experience.

Related reading:

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.