I recently had a flight with Southwest Airlines that was fully booked, and they started asking volunteers from boarding groups 6, 7, and 8 to gate check their carry-on bags.
At first, only a couple of people volunteered, so they repeated the announcement saying they would start gate checking bags for those groups anyway. When no one else volunteered, staff began walking through the boarding area asking passengers individually to check their bags.
By the time I boarded (group 7), my bag was gate checked regardless. What was frustrating is that there were still empty overhead bins above my seat once I got on the plane.
I get that overhead space is limited on full flights, but it felt inconsistent. If I had known I’d be forced to gate check anyway, I could have just checked a bag at the airport for free, rather than dealing with baggage claim after landing.
Is this normal procedure on Southwest Airlines or do other airlines handle carry-on and gate checking differently when bins are still available?
0