Years and years ago, people routinely checked just about everything - you carried on a purse or briefcase, your coat and hat, but nothing else. Checked luggage went on locked. Then the airlines started taking a good while to unload the luggage and there were more problems with lost luggage, so people who traveled a lot took to carrying on everything and it kind of went downhill from there. Now, with luggage unlocked and likely to circumnavigate the globe before turning up where you want it (I know someone who, flying from NY to Columbus, OH, had her luggage go to Rome), people want to carry on everything. And I know people who FedEx their stuff routinely, just to make sure it actually gets there at all.

Random fraud checks require them to SEE the credit card used to purchase the ticket.

this is bullshit. It makes no sense. What about tickets purchased through a travel agency? or a corporate travel office? There is nothing on the TSA website about having the card with you. BULLSHIT.

I like it when you carry on but they check your oversized items at the gate. You don't have to deal with getting it up in the overhead and you avoid the baggage claim area when you land. Win!

See, I can't unpack and put stuff in drawers. I'd have to clean the dresser first, etc. I'm just paranoid like that. Plus, I pack in outfits, so it's not a problem for me to remember what's clean.

I've actually shipped some things FedEX a day ahead if they have been a big possible problem.

There are companies that will do that for you. A lot of executives never carry luggate anymore. [link]

I really dislike the idea of further limiting carry ons. I try to only fly with carry on luggage. I think I have checked a bag once in the last ten years. Limiting my carry on further would make me very unhappy. I don't have a laptop to travel with right now, but I expect that to change within the next year. The idea of having to choose between a carry on bag and a laptop (and, like ND, possibly even more gear than that) leaves me not wanting to fly. And while I don't really travel for work right now, that's something else I'm expecting to change over the next couple of years.

I never check. I didn't check on a flight to Italy. Well, I did, but only because they wouldn't let me do carry on. I was kind of annoyed, because if I'd known I had to check, I would have packed differently.

I use this backpack [link] as my carry on, as it holds a computer and then has separate compartments for other stuff. It is also my school bag.

My favorite is when they have me gate check. Best of both worlds.

I try really hard not to check baggage, but that is really hard since I have to travel with my nebulizer, which takes up half of the small suitcase.