The misery of flying

As if there weren't enough hassles associated with flying commercial airlines these days, United and American have found perhaps the single most efficient way to increase the misery of flying exponentially.

You've probably heard by now that both airlines will soon begin charging $15 to check a single bag. (And $40, total, to check two.) Sure, it hurts to be nickel-and-dimed for such goofy things, after they've taken away pretty much everything but window shades over the past few years. But frankly, the $15 isn't what I have a problem with.

My issue is how severely this policy will impact the flying experience. What will be the #1 result of this? Passengers trying to carry-on everything they own. What does this mean for average Joe Traveler?

• Slower lines at security, as more luggage needs to get screened
• Slower boarding at the gate, as everyone tries to find a nook for their 40lb suitcases
• A less comfortable flight, since you'll doubtless need to store your own carry-on items in the measly footspace under the seat in front of you once all the overheads are overloaded
• More flight delays due to the plethora of carry-on bags that need storage, and likely about half a plethora that need to be gate-checked

Will they charge for bags that get gate-checked? If not, seems like an obvious loophole. And if they do charge for those, what's it going to do to departure times if they have to collect $15 from dozens of passengers on every flight?

For these reasons, I will avoid American & United like the plague in my own future travels. It may seem illogical to pay $100 more for a ticket on an airline to save a $15 fee - but the difference, in my mind, will be more-than-made-up-for by the savings in hassles and delays outlined above.

If these fees are AA's & UAL's strategies for survival, maybe it's indeed time for some of the legacy carriers to disappear. I, for one, won't miss them.