Advantages to Checking Baggage When Flying

Business travelers can spend hours deciding what to pack before flying. While the necessities should always be placed in a carryon bag, such as medications, sometimes what’s in a larger suitcase can be crucial to a traveler’s comfort during a flight – or a long delay. Here’s how to decide whether to check a suitcase or carry it on the flight.

There are many reasons to check luggage at the airport. Heavy bags can be difficult or inconvenient to carry through the airport terminal, especially when the departing gate is far from the entrance to the airport. In addition, once on board, it can be a hassle to heft a heavy bag up into the overhead bins, especially for passengers who are traveling alone, disabled or cannot lift their suitcase.

Second, checking baggage allows travelers to bring along more than one bag and, thus, pack more items. What’s more, for those passengers who are traveling with more than one suitcase, checking some or all of the luggage can help to avoid having to struggling with carrying or wheeling several bags through the airport terminal.

Third, for passengers traveling alone, it can be inconvenient to have to keep track of baggage while passing through the airport. TSA requires that travelers keep their suitcases with them at all times, which means dragging luggage through the terminal every time a passenger wants to pick up a snack or use the restroom. Checking a bag means not having to worry about bringing a bag along everywhere a passenger goes in the airport terminal.