I spent the weekend in Alberta with some grad school friends and I flew there. I left on Friday night and flew back Monday afternoon. As it was a quick trip, for the first time in my entire life, I did not check a bag in on any of the flights. Just a carry on that fit comfortably under the seat in front of me. It was quite liberating. The thing I liked about it the most was not needing to pay to check in a bag. Overall, I think it saved me about $50. I also did not miss having to line up at the airline counter or the check-in terminal to get my luggage tags and then have to wait in line to put my bag on the belt at security. At least for me, that’s where all the hassle is.
Just having carry-on baggage probably won’t be a regular thing for me but I’m glad to have done it on this trip.