What if one had an overhead-fitting roll-aboard, and simply did a gate check of it if overhead was not available at or forward of the seat, F or Y?
Certainly faster than waiting at the carousel, no? Enables boarding last without 'fear', and, if seated in F, just stay there for the couple minutes it takes to deliver the bag up the Jetway.
Not a bad idea! However, the last two times I have gate checked a bag (once arriving into MSY from IAD and once arriving into ORD from MSY) I have had to collect it at the carousel. I don't know if this is as a result of changing policy or if I was just unlucky but I had never experienced it until a month ago.