Passengers Without Rolling Bags Receive Favorable Treatment on American Airlines

The fewer bags you have, the earlier you will be able to board, according to a new policy from American Airlines that favors passengers that aren't carrying a rolling suitcase as a carry-on item, according to NBC.

Passengers carrying just a personal item that fits under the seat will be allowed to board the aircraft before other passengers, the airline announced on Thursday. The reasoning is that it will speed up the boarding process to allow flights to take off sooner, which will help the airline improve its on-time performance.

Since airlines began charging passengers to check their luggage, they have seen an increase in boarding times as more passengers try to take more items on the aircraft as carry-on, so they can avoid the extra charges.

American tested the new procedure at several airports earlier this year and began using it at all airports on Thursday. Passengers carrying only a personal item, such as a purse, backpack or computer bag that fits under the seat, will be able to board the aircraft right after Group One premium passengers and before boarding groups two, three and four.

Passengers will be allowed to check a carry-on bag at the gate at no charge. This policy allows passengers to both move up in the boarding order and check their bags at no charge if they wait to do it at the gate. Currently, American Airlines charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for a second on domestic flights.

The difference ends up being approximately two minutes per flight, "Which doesn't sound like much, but it adds up throughout the day," Kevin Doeksen, the director of customer planning for American, said.

Fewer passengers carrying bags onto the plan means that fewer overhead bins fill up. Currently, after bins fill up, the last boarding group must be asked to check their bags by flight attendants, which makes everyone unhappy as passengers in the last boarding group have to compete for limited space.

"They're anxious because they've got a big roll-aboard (bag with wheels) and they're worried about having no space in the bin," Doeksen said.