Originally Posted by
BeatNavy
Way too much ancillary revenue from checked bags to make it all free. But free gate checked bags going all the way through to final destination instead of valet bags coming back to the jet bridge would not add any cost. They are going under regardless. It would result in fewer misconnects, happier customers, quicker turns, better regional on D0/A15 performance, etc. Some bean counters somewhere don't see it that way though.
That's how American does it. If you are in zone 5 on the airbus, there is generally no room in the overhead and the agent will force you to gate check.
Another option would be to stop using jetways.