United Airlines will allow passengers traveling from its hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) during this busy weekend of July 4 to drop off their luggage the night before. The airline named the concept “Twilight Bag Drop”, which essentially allows eligible passengers to head directly to security on the morning of their departure, without having to experience the rush, hassle, and queues at the check-in and baggage drop areas.

This is a concept the airline has previously tested at the airport, but has now officially introduced it, just in time for one of the busiest travel periods of the year, seen across the United States.

More About “Twilight Bag Drop”

Credit: Shutterstock

The passengers eligible to utilize this service are passengers departing from ORD who have a flight with United Airlines, scheduled to depart between the four-hour window, from 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM, in the morning. According to reports from Live And Let’s Fly, these passengers can drop off their bags at the airport the evening before their flight, between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM.

The drop-off point for the bags is stated to be outside Terminal 1 at ORD, outside door “1Da” on the departures level. The staff present will check the passenger ID and tag the luggage, after which it is sent for sorting and screening, while passengers can leave. By utilizing this, United passengers, on the morning of their departure, will have a more seamless ground experience, as they get to bypass the time-consuming check-in and bag drop process.

While this service is free to use for all eligible passengers, they still have to perform online check-in beforehand, via the United app or website, and they do have to pay for the luggage allowance (if applicable) to be added to their itinerary as they normally would. According to WBTV 3, the airline had reportedly checked in 1,600 pieces of luggage as part of this concept during its trial period.

Particularly Useful Service This Weekend

Credit: Shutterstock

With Chicago being the busiest airport in terms of number of aircraft movements, along with this weekend of the July 4 holiday period forecasted to be one of the busiest travel periods, United has been strategic with the official launch of this service. CBS reports that the Chicago Department of Aviation is anticipating over 1.62 million passengers to pass through ORD and the Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), marking an 8.1% increase compared to 2025.

Given the success of this program during the busy travel period, it is possible that United could implement similar concepts at other hubs across the country. Last year, the Sunday after July 4 saw over three million passengers fly to and from various airports within the country, marking it as the third busiest day of the year and the fourth busiest day ever recorded in US aviation history. With passenger demand forecasted to be higher this year, such a program to ease passenger experience at the airport would definitely be appreciated by United travelers.

When evaluating forecast data for Chicago alone, data published by NBC 5 Chicago shows ORD recording the highest traffic of 300,000 passengers on Sunday (July 5). Meanwhile, Midway Airport is expected to have its busiest day on Monday (July 6), with estimated traffic to be around 60,000 passengers.

United Experimenting With Home Pick-Ups

Credit: Shutterstock

While the airline offers a service wherein passengers’ bags and luggage are delivered to their final destination upon arrival, the carrier is also reportedly experimenting with a concept that could potentially complete the loop. Live And Let’s Fly reports that United is working on introducing a complimentary “Home Bag Pick-Up” service, which will see the airline pick up the luggage from passengers’ homes, therefore allowing passengers to breeze through the airport.

If this were to be introduced officially, the airline would essentially provide its customers with door-to-door luggage handling services. This would translate to a smoother ground experience for passengers, while also saving them time on the ground, along with any associated costs of transporting luggage. However, this is a concept the airline is still working on at the moment, and will possibly take some time before the carrier decides if it is to be introduced or not.

That being said, the home pick-up service is a possible concept. For several years now, this has been a service (along with home check-in) offered by Emirates for its passengers departing from Dubai International Airport (DXB). Eligible passengers can request this service for free, while other passengers will have to pay for it.