Narrative:

This incident was a ground event that took place in stl during taxi into the gate; on the j-line. Taxi to assigned gate was uneventful until we began to proceed down the j-line. Safety zone was confirmed clear by both first officer and I; right and left side. Marshaller was providing guidance and I entered the top of the j-line. Taxi light was off. I was focused on the marshaller and taxiing the aircraft. My first officer saw a ramp vehicle proceeding from our left with bag carts attached. First officer immediately called out 'he's not stopping; stop.' the ramp vehicle and bag carts appeared directly in front of the aircraft when I slammed on the brakes. I reached up and turned on all external lights; he never stopped or slowed.it is important to clearly understand we were at least 25 percent down the j-line; not outside the j-line. When we entered; it was confirmed clear by both pilots. Our estimate is we missed the baggage carts he was towing by less than 10 feet. Upon arrival I immediately requested a ramp supervisor. Issue was relayed to stl ground operations/ramp supervisor(s). Passengers disembarking were upset; as those on the left side of the aircraft saw the entire event. I estimate approximately 10 passengers spoke to me about it. They were happy we stopped in time. I told them we were taking this issue for immediate action. Safety is our number one priority. Provisioning agents saw incident and were utilizing their horns to get the ramp vehicle driver's attention. Marshaller was focused on aircraft alignment and did not see the ramp vehicle/bag carts until I turned on the exterior lights.stl ground operations was handling the issue. Ramp videotapes were pulled and driver interviewed when we departed. All stl ground operations/ramp supervisor personnel were very concerned and were investigating the issue. Had it not been for my first officer; I can say pretty much without hesitation the aircraft would have impacted the bag carts. He is to be commended. When strong pilot monitoring duties were required; he came through. This event only reinforces the focus of ensuring the safety zone is and remains clear. Much has been recently written from both a flight operations and safety perspective regarding the risks/dangers of the safety zone. This event definitely adds to the lexicon of data and discussion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-800 Captain reported making a very abrupt stop during taxi into the gate to avoid a collision with baggage carts being towed by a ramp vehicle.

Narrative: This incident was a ground event that took place in STL during taxi into the gate; on the J-line. Taxi to assigned gate was uneventful until we began to proceed down the J-line. Safety Zone was confirmed clear by both First Officer and I; right and left side. Marshaller was providing guidance and I entered the top of the J-line. Taxi light was off. I was focused on the Marshaller and taxiing the aircraft. My First Officer saw a ramp vehicle proceeding from our left with bag carts attached. First Officer immediately called out 'He's not stopping; STOP.' The ramp vehicle and bag carts appeared directly in front of the aircraft when I slammed on the brakes. I reached up and turned on all external lights; he never stopped or slowed.It is important to clearly understand we were at least 25 percent down the J-line; NOT outside the J-line. When we entered; it was confirmed clear by both pilots. Our estimate is we missed the baggage carts he was towing by less than 10 feet. Upon arrival I immediately requested a Ramp Supervisor. Issue was relayed to STL Ground Operations/Ramp Supervisor(s). Passengers disembarking were upset; as those on the left side of the aircraft saw the entire event. I estimate approximately 10 passengers spoke to me about it. They were happy we stopped in time. I told them we were taking this issue for immediate action. Safety is our number one priority. Provisioning Agents saw incident and were utilizing their horns to get the ramp vehicle driver's attention. Marshaller was focused on aircraft alignment and did not see the ramp vehicle/bag carts until I turned on the exterior lights.STL Ground Operations was handling the issue. Ramp videotapes were pulled and driver interviewed when we departed. All STL Ground Operations/Ramp Supervisor personnel were very concerned and were investigating the issue. Had it not been for my First Officer; I can say pretty much without hesitation the aircraft would have impacted the bag carts. He is to be commended. When strong Pilot Monitoring duties were required; he came through. This event only reinforces the focus of ensuring the Safety Zone is and remains clear. Much has been recently written from both a Flight Operations and Safety perspective regarding the risks/dangers of the Safety Zone. This event definitely adds to the lexicon of data and discussion.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.