[ncallaway]

> We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we?

No. Overhead bins are terrible and bad. It baffles me that anyone would want to fight for overhead bin space. It's a terrible game, and the winning move is not to play.

I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

[thecopy]

When checking luggage you lose significant time upon arrival, at least in Europe. From gate i can be on the train to the city in 10 minutes without checked luggade. With it is probably 30minutes.

[rtkwe]

Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim. Takes a little bit there but it's faster than normal checked luggage.

[mithr]

> Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim

That's not a given. At least as many times as not, I've gate-checked luggage and had to pick it up at baggage claim with everyone else.

[jsmith45]

There are two types of gate checked bags. Proper gate checked bags get the full sized label that all other checked bags get, and are fully in the system, and if nothing goes wrong gets spit out at your final destination on baggage claim, like normal checked luggage.

Valet Checked bags use pink/red tags and are supposed to be returned on the jetway. It is supposed to be impossible for these bags not to be returned planeside, and are not supposed to get intermingled with the normally checked baggage. In practice I've seen this not work out first hand, with the bag ending up in baggage claim. (I've seen others say the same thing happened to them too. I suspect some airports actually have baggage handling set up to check for these if they get "into the system", and forward them to baggage claim, as the safest option.)

[zimzam]

This depends on the airport/airline: I’ve had gate checked luggage that was unloaded to luggage claim instead of the skyway.

[outside1234]

If you travel a lot you basically have to fight for that overhead space - otherwise you will periodically end up in travel hell when they lose your suitcase.

The good news is that if you travel a lot, you probably have status, and so you are one of the first to get on the plane.

[mithr]

Overhead bins are a bit annoying, but for me, less annoying than having to stick around waiting for the luggage to be unloaded. If you're lucky it's quick, but there have been enough times where that hasn't been the case to make me only check bags when I have to. Just walking straight out of the plane and then the airport is a great feeling.

Obviously the easiest is if you've only got a small bag and can fit it under the seat, in which case this question becomes moot -- but when you do need a bigger piece of luggage for whatever reason, gate-checking isn't such an obvious win.

[AaronM]

I like the idea of having some stuff (clothes, necessities) that I carried onto the plane. I don't trust the airline not to lose my bags.

[throwaway1777]

Checked luggage sometimes takes a long time to get from baggage claim. Additionally sometimes luggage is lost.

[jjav]

> I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

I've watched the gate checked bags thrown down the chute, and missed, one too many times to ever gate check anything. Maybe a duffel bag of clothes, where nothing can break on the fall, but nothing else.