[category]
[title]
Anyone who's dragged a heavy suitcase through an airport before sunrise knows the drill: set three alarms, leave the house while it's still dark and brace yourself for the check-in line, all without having even had a coffee first.
United Airlines is trying to eliminate at least one part of that ritual.
The airline has officially launched its new Twilight Bag Drop program at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, allowing eligible passengers to check their luggage the evening before an early-morning flight. Then, instead of arriving hours ahead to drop off bags, travelers can head straight to security the next day.
The service is currently available for passengers flying out of O'Hare on select morning departures before 10 a.m. Flyers will receive an email the day before departure inviting them to participate. After checking in online and paying any applicable baggage fees, they can bring their luggage to Terminal 1 between 6 pm. and 9 pm the night before their flight. Curbside agents tag the bags, verify identification and send them on their way, leaving travelers with nothing to worry about the following morning.
So far, the airline says the experiment has been a success. Since the program began testing in late March, nearly 1,600 bags have been checked through Twilight Bag Drop. United says customer feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive."
At the moment, only two airports offer the service: Chicago O'Hare and Guam International Airport. In Guam, passengers on flights departing before 9:30 am can check bags between 7:30pm and 9:30pm the previous evening. United says it's considering expanding the program to additional hubs if the trial continues to perform well. United may have even bigger ambitions, too: the airline has also teased a future Home Bag Pick-Up service that would collect checked luggage directly from passengers' homes before departure, though no launch date has been announced.
Until then, Twilight Bag Drop may be the next best thing. It won't make a 5:30am departure feel civilized, but it may make it just a little less painful.