I dislike the baggage checking fees. Now everyone tries to carry as much as possible onto the plane, and I often see people poaching overhead space, slipping a case into a forward compartment and then going to sit in the back. Furthermore, items that are really too large to be carry-ons are allowed on board, and everyone has to stand in the aisle behind people who are struggling to hoist overstuffed 22" suitcases into the overhead compartments.

I flew LHR->ORD right after the 2006 terrorism scare, but fortunately after the period when they had banned passengers from carrying on anything at all. At that time, the restriction was modified so that you could carry on one item that would fit under your seat. No rollaboards, no duffles. I had a large handbag that was just roomy enough to hold my laptop and my money and passport.

Well, I have never seen a plane empty out so fast as when we landed at ORD. Everyone picked up their one easily manageable little carry-on and walked off. With no one strugggling to lift rollaboards out of the overhead bins, there were no traffic jams in the aisles.

I would urge the airlines to reinstate their former policy of allowing one free checked bag and avoid the situation in which people who do follow the rules about carry-ons have to struggle to find space.