Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
You say gate agent, was that the person halfway down the jetty? At T5 that staff member can scan luggage tags and give an accurate answer. However I agree there is no point wasting energy fretting about something on which you have zero influence. It won't change anything - pack accordingly!
To destinations with multiple departures per day sometimes with similar times (JNB and HKG spring to mind immediately) knowing whether bags have been loaded or not may give the option of deferring the flight until bags can be loaded. This isn't useless information, it is a way for passengers to take some control of the choices rather than being treated like sheep.