Originally Posted by
anabolism
Alternatively, airlines could reverse the decision to charge for checked bags while carry-on bags are free. If instead checked bags were free but non-status passengers had to pay a fee to use the overhead bin, we'd see planes flying with mostly empty bins. Boarding and deplaning would be much faster, allowing for quicker turns and higher aircraft utilization.
Or at least allow bags that are small enough to be legal carry-ons to be checked for free...they'd still get plenty of ancillary revenue for large bags (or second bags) and probably enough people would check that it would solve the overhead bin problem. AA is checking those bags for free at the gate anyway...