Overhead bins getting bigger on planes
New-style oversize bins can be found on many of American Airlines' updated Boeing 737-800s, which can pivot down and hold as many as 48 more bags a flight than standard bins. Credit: Handout
Airline overhead bins, increasingly stuffed to capacity, are getting bigger.
But the big surprise may be that the airlines offering larger bins are not sticking passengers with new fees for the extra space -- at least not yet.
Oversize bins can be found on many of American Airlines' new Boeing 737-800s, which were deployed starting in May with a new interior design. The new overhead bins pivot down and out and can hold as many as 48 more bags a flight than standard bins.
Starting in April, United Airlines plans to replace the bin doors on 152 planes with new ones that curve out, providing more interior space. With the new doors, bins on United's Airbus A320s will hold 106 typical roll-on bags, up from 64 bags in the traditional bins.
International passengers also will find bigger storage bins on Delta Air Lines' Boeing 767-300ER planes, flying on long-haul routes. The bins hold 26 more bags than the old ones, a 23 percent increase.
Why would airlines offer more space for carry-on bags when the nation's largest airlines stand to make billions by having passengers check their bags? They collected $2.5 billion in checked-bag fees in the first nine months of 2011.
United says customer surveys have shown that if passengers have a problem during the boarding process -- such as struggling to find luggage space in the overhead bins -- they tend to have negative feelings about the entire flight.
"We want the boarding process to be so smooth that it is otherwise not memorable," says United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith offers a similar reasoning for the larger bins.
"While we don't release the exact figures, there is a revenue benefit to American to increase the overhead bin storage space," he says. "American Airlines is committed to investing in its products and services to improve the travel experience for its customers."
