Originally Posted by emcampbe

There are several potential reasons for me, but the real thing is, I want control over when and how I check in, not have the airline have this. I sometimes want to see the options that might be available when I do so. Sometimes, I have a bag to check, and since it requires a visit to the check in desk anyway, checking in beforehand is virtually useless. Often, if I'm traveling with my wife back to the states from another country, including Canada, check in needs to be done at the desk, since she has a green card which, in United language, disqualifies her from checking in until the airport.

I don't mind there being an option to have this or not, I understand some people like it. But to presume every pax wants it is a bit ridiculous.