Flying Out of Indiana or Kentucky Soon? Delta Made a Change to Its Checked Bag Policy

Flying Pre 9-11 Was Fun

When I was a kid, my dad traveled a lot for work. As an air pollution superintendent, he was gone more than he was home. Sometimes we got to visit him or even stay with him while he was on a job site. Whenever I got to ride on a plane, it was a huge deal and super exciting. To this day, that distinct whiff of jet fuel on the passenger boarding bridge instantly takes me back to memories of my dad, who passed away several years ago.

Flying in 2025 is So Stressful

These days, though, air travel isn’t quite as magical. I fly for work and sometimes for vacation, and honestly, the airport is one of the most stressful places on earth. That’s why we make it a point to fly out of Evansville Regional Airport whenever we can. No long drives, no massive crowds, and the staff there is great. Sometimes, I don’t have a choice, and then it’s a mad dash to wherever I need to be.

Read More: Tornado Tours - Here’s What It’s Like to Chase Storms with Pros

And can we just take a moment to talk about my husband? Without fail, he overfills his suitcase every single time. Why do you need 16 pairs of Nikes? Then we’re that couple in the middle of the check-in line, scrambling to reshuffle his stuff into our carry-ons so we don’t get hit with some ridiculous overweight baggage fee. I hate it so much that I finally got him a portable suitcase scale. Problem solved, mostly.

Speaking of baggage fees, one major airline just announced that passengers now have to get to the airport even earlier if they want to check a bag. Because, you know, flying wasn’t stressful enough already.

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Delta Announces Change to Check-In Times

Traveling in the US with Checked Baggage

According to their website, "When you’re traveling within the United States, we recommend that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, when traveling domestically, baggage must be checked in at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time."

But it doesn't stop there. There are some airports that require an even bigger window of time to get checked bags on the plane. JFK and STX require 60 minutes, and 90 minutes for STT.

Traveling in the US without Checked Baggage

If you are just carrying on, for most airports, you need to check in 30 minutes prior to departure but there are some airports that require you to check in up to an hour beforehand.

Traveling Internationally

And for international flights, you will need to check in an hour to an hour and a half before departure, depending on where you are flying out of.

To see specific airport rules, visit the Delta site. 

Not everyone is excited about the changes. On a video posted by CBS Mornings, the audience took to the comment section to voice their opinions.

Delta Customers Respond to the Change

Most people weren't happy with the change.

Donna Miller Henry felt that the airline should have adjusted things on their side. "Well - they need more counter staff then!"

James Mullett also felt like the customer shouldn't be the one to adjust their schedules. "So they are streamlining their process at the one-hour expense of their customers? Shouldn’t their improvements be to benefit their customers, not at the expense of them?"

Ryan Lobo thought it was already a policy. "Wasn’t this already a policy? AA refused to let me check in because it was 3 min past the 45 min deadline- and I was in the queue for 10 min waiting to be served."

Michael Maguire thought that carry-ons have become a big problem. "They should charge for carry-on bags as it is getting out of hand people taking advantage of carry-ons and holds up boarding and exiting!!!"

Nick Romano had a great idea about how to streamline things. "If these airlines want to streamline operations, start loading passengers from back to front!"

Lauren Nicole Pierce had a bit of a different stance on the issue. She was in favor of the time change. "In general, you do pay more for Delta flights and I think they are usually are in the top tier for arrivals. I also like their policies if you’re a Skymiles member…
I don’t think this is totally unreasonable considering the airline is trying to provide consistent service."