American Airlines has announced a significant change to its carry-on baggage rules, designed to speed up boarding.
From Monday, 6 October, the carrier said it will remove bag sizers from boarding gates across the US.
While carry-on bags will not be checked at boarding, the airline has warned that it should not be used as an excuse to bring larger luggage.
A statement said: ‘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.’
As for what’s allowed, you can bring only one carry-on item along with your personal item — that’s a purse or small handbag that fits under the seat in front of you.
Items that don’t qualify as personal items include diaper bags, breast pumps, small, soft-sided coolers of breast milk, child safety seats, strollers, and medical or mobility devices.
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‘Your carry-on must fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. If it doesn’t fit, it will need to be checked,’ according to the American Airlines website.
The size requirement for carry-on bags, including handles and wheels, cannot exceed 22 x 14 x 9 inches.
The update comes about a year after the airline made other changes to its boarding process.
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Reboarding for families with young children was expanded, while an additional five minutes was added to the boarding time.
New gate technology was also introduced to reduce ‘gate lice,’ a term used by airline staff and frequent flyers to call out passengers who crowd around the boarding gate ahead of their assigned group being called.
The tech uses scanners and alerts to let employees know who is boarding early.
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Essentially, if someone attempts to board with priority or business class passengers, their ticket will be flagged, and they’ll be sent to the back of the queue.
In July, the airport experience was enhanced for passengers across the US — not just those flying with American Airlines.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) scrapped the shoes-off rule when going through security.
Previously, travellers were required to remove their shoes and place them in the plastic trays to be scanned before walking through the body scanner.
The rule was implemented back in 2006, following the December 2001 incident where a British man named Richard Reid boarded an American Airlines flight to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoe.
