A Look at Delta's Baggage Threshold Card - Peter Greenberg Travel Detective

I found this revealing “baggage threshold” card on the counter at one of Delta’s gates in Cleveland. Gate agents — not passengers are supposed to see it. I saw it and snapped this photo, and it tells you everything you need to know about carry-on baggage chaos. It looks at Delta’s entire fleet and gives gate agents — and now you—the bad news. As airlines like Delta squeeze more and more seats onto their aircraft, it drastically reduces the number of carry-on bags that can physically be accommodated on any one flight. Look at the aircraft type and total number of seats. Then look at the plane’s carry-on bag capacity. And in every case — as outlined by the “threshold” card, even if every passenger brought on just one carry-on bag, the airline can’t even hold half of those bags, no matter what the aircraft type. So is it any wonder it’s a demolition derby race among passengers to board first these days? With some airlines having eight or nine separate boarding groups, if you’re unlucky enough to be in group three or higher, good luck trying to find space for your bag.