Luggage is the Enemy: I was shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that many of the big airlines now allow only a single piece of checked luggage per passenger. That's checked luggage, not carry-ons. Although why I was shocked I don't know, since they seem to work so very hard at making flying as miserable an experience as possible.

I rarely need to check more than one bag, so it doesn't have a big effect on me directly, but what this is going to do is force people to stuff as much as they can into their carry-ons. Carry-on luggage is the single greatest impediment to efficiently boarding and exiting a plane at the gate. Some of the most pleasant flights I can remember were the ones I took shortly after the big "no liquids" policy went into effect. Passengers were forced to check through all their personal stuff, so they mostly said screw it, and just checked everything through. The overhead bins were half empty; everyone got to their seats with a minimum of fuss; fastest deplaning ever. Now we are going to get the opposite; it's going to take that much longer to get on and off the plane. Plus, everyone is going to try to scam the system by bringing a carry-on that is too big and then checking it at the gate in the hopes they won't get charged.

The claim is that extra piece of luggage is so expensive at the current cost of fuel that they have to charge for it. I call B.S. on that: prove it. Of the major carriers, it looks like Northwest, United and US Air have already switched to a one-bag policy for coach fliers. A second bag will cost $25, although it looks like Northwest is letting the frequent flier members skate on the second bag charge. American and Delta seem to still be letting 2 bags through for the time being.

Between the security environment, fuel costs, legal liability and their own monumentally stupid reactions to these things, I am amazed the airlines continue to function.

And speaking of luggage disasters, have you been following the chaos at Heathrow? 19,000 lost bags -- system failure -- sorting through them by hand. You can now play a Mario-esque baggage handling flash game. Surreal. It's enough to almost make you feel sorry for Naomi Campbell. (Ok, no it isn't. Not even almost.)