Bart's procedure makes sense...however on a recent pass through SJC's Terminal A they insisted that shoes go on top of the jacket in the bin. And this was a day with pouring rain, so shoes were soaked.

You know, I suspect that many of the procedures that so irritate us would be more or less acceptable if applied with consistency and a little thought, instead of the erratic zoo that is all too often the reality that the traveler faces.