Originally Posted by
the810
Maybe, but to a various extent. Some airlines are more strict with the rules than others. BA is legendary in ignoring their own policies, constantly leading to way too many bags on board. Then you have airlines like Ryanair which doesn't sell more carry on bag tickets than there's space in the overhead bin (this is the best approach imho). Lufthansa is somewhere in the middle.
But I agree with you. I've been saying for years that checked bags should be free and carry-on bags charged rather than the other way around. There's plenty of space in the baggage hold, but limited space in the cabin.
ULCC are a different case with their supergranular offerings. However what they make up in limiting bag count, they lose straight away in other issues.
I would be perfectly happy as a pax with a personal item and a checked bag free, carryon for a fee solution.
However from an airline perspective carryons are part of self-loading cargo, but checked bags carry cost with them. So presuming you would be revenue neutral (same amount of people would pay for onboard bag as pay today for checked bag) your total profit would be less because you have to pay more for baggage handling.