United Airlines Moves Forward With New Baggage Policy

Checked luggage is often one of the most frustrating and stressful aspects of traveling. Thankfully, United Airlines is moving forward with a new baggage policy that could make the process quite a bit easier on travelers on the day of their flight.

Beginning with its hometown Chicago O'Hare International Airport, United is rolling out a new policy that will allow travelers to check their bags into the airport the night before their flight so they don't have to worry about it the day of.

'Twilight Bag Drop'

If you have a morning flight at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, you will now have a new option if you're flying on United Airlines.

Over the weekend, United officially rolled out its "twilight bag drop" policy, allowing customers with morning flights to drop their checked bags off the night before their trip rather than having to worry about it the morning of the flight.

According to NBC5 Chicago, United Airlines customers with flights scheduled to depart between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. can drop their bags off at the airport the night before the flight, saving them the stress of having to do it in the morning.

The bags must be dropped off curbside between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. the night before the flight.

Ease Congestion

The move comes after months of testing as a measure to reduce airport wait times and help ease congestion at United's busiest hub in the United States.

According to the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), more than 1.6 million travelers were expected to pass through O'Hare from July 1 to July 6, which marks an 8.1% increase in passenger traffic from the same period in 2025.

While the new policy will only apply to O'Hare for now – United's home airport and its busiest hub – it would seem likely that it will expand to other major airports if it continues to be successful in Chicago. There's also a chance we could see other major carriers like Delta, American, or Southwest try to copy the policy if it catches on.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 3:08 AM.