Skip the Line and Check a Bag in a Minute or Less: United Debuts New 'Bag Drop Shortcut' Service

Special areas available for customers to weigh their bag, scan a boarding pass and go;

Free service is live now in Chicago, New York/Newark, Washington D.C., Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with plans to expand to dozens more airports this year

News provided by

United Airlines

Mar 03, 2022, 10:00 ET

CHICAGO, March 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- United today introduces bag drop shortcut, a new, simple way for customers to skip the line, check their bag in a minute or less on average, and get to their flight. According to recent customer surveys, the bag check process can be one of the more stressful and time-consuming parts of the travel experience and United is the first airline to streamline the process in this way.

Here's how bag drop shortcut works:

Check-in on the United app and select the number of bags
Find the bag drop shortcut location at the airport with detailed instructions available right in the app
At the bag drop shortcut location, customers place their bag on the scale and scan their boarding pass at the kiosk
The United team will check the customer's ID, apply the bag tag and they're on their way!

This free service is available now at all of United's U.S. hubs in Chicago, New York/Newark, Washington D.C., Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco and the airline plans to expand bag drop shortcut to dozens more new airports this year.

"Our initial customer data proves this free, simple-to-use process saves our customers time and energy as they get ready for their flight," said Toby Enqvist, chief customer officer for United, "We're thrilled to be the first to offer this service to all customers who check-in on our award-winning mobile app."

United continues to reward its app users with exclusive experiences, such as bag drop short cut. Originally tested in New York/Newark in August 2021, bag drop shortcut was instantly popular with customers. In less than six months, bag drop shortcut moved from a proof-of-concept to a fully functional service in all seven of United's hubs. By creating a dedicated area for those who only need to drop their bags, United is able to reduce wait times for all customers, which has significantly increased the airline's customer satisfaction scores.

Bag drop shortcut is the latest way the United app is making travel easier, just as millions of customers across the U.S. are gearing up for Spring Break travel. United also helps customers bypass lines with its exclusive Agent on Demand service, where travelers can easily connect with a live customer service agent directly from their mobile devices. United's mobile app and website also provides customers with a step-by-step guide on what tests or documents are needed to travel anywhere in the world, and helps customers find testing locations, schedule appointments, upload tests and vaccine cards if necessary, all within the app.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." In 2019, United and United Express® carriers operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 162 million customers. United has the most comprehensive route network among North American carriers, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For more about how to join the United team, please visit united.com/careers and more information about the company is at united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines