One of the most well-known travel hacks is to fly early in the morning.
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Snagging an early flight protects you from delays, as there aren’t other flights that might have backed up your gate’s schedule. It also puts you in a better position to make your connecting flights earlier on, as well.
There’s just one catch: You have to wake up early to get to the airport. Possibly at the crack of dawn, especially if you want to check a suitcase instead of bringing a carry-on.
United Airlines has a solution for those ultra-early mornings. Welcome to the Twilight Bag Drop, which is now active at Chicago O’Hare Airport. Here’s what you need to know about the trial program and how to take part if you’re flying out of the Windy City.
Inside United Airlines’ Twilight Bag Drop program
United Airlines launched its Twilight Bag Drop program at the end of March this year. It’s active at Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD), along with Guam International Airport (GUM). For over three months, the program has allowed passengers leaving on United flights before 10 am to drop off their checked bags curbside the night before.
Since the program started, United Airlines has checked over 1,500 bags as part of the Twilight Bag Drop initiative. So far, customers love it and have given ‘overwhelmingly positive’ feedback, according to United.
Here’s how it works:
- If your United Airlines flight leaves before 10 am at ORD or before 9:30 am at GUM, you’re eligible for curbside drop-off—you should receive an email clarifying this
- In the notification email, you can add your flight details and pay online for your checked bag
- If you’re flying out of ORD, you can drop your bags at Terminal 1 from 6-9 pm the evening prior to your flight
- If you’re flying out of GUM, you can drop your bags at the main terminal from 7:30-9:30 pm the evening prior to your flight
