And then there are the GAs that give you no choice but to check a bag, even one that is of legal size. I had this happen at DTW last month -- on a flight where I had the exit row to myself and there was plenty of overhead space and more than ample room for my bag. No biggie as far as I was concerned as I was headed to my final destination, but it still cost me some wasted time at baggage claim and I have yet to figure out the reason for making me check the bag; the flight had a pretty light load and I know damn well my bag fits in the overhead of a D95; the bag has probably flown a hundred thousand miles or more on DC-9s of various types. Just a very odd experience.

One thing I do like about gate checking over regular checking is that once the bag's been security screened, I can lock it up and there's little time for anyone to try to pilfer the contents. About the only time I check luggage in the customary way is if the contents won't make it past the checkpoint.