Southwest Airlines, which has played a sort of "moneyball" game with aviation, came to the same conclusion that you did, including two checked bags in the ticke

Southwest Airlines, which has played a sort of "moneyball" game with aviation, came to the same conclusion that you did, including two checked bags in the ticket price (except they permit carry-on luggage for free). At-gate time decreases and the amount of flights increase when passengers aren't jockeying for carry-on space in the overhead compartments when they should be entering or exiting the airplane. Frontier and Spirit airlines have adopted closer to the policy you describe. Checked luggage is $5-10 cheaper than carry-on. Their customer service posture is hostile, however. They charge for printing of boarding passes at the airport and getting a ticket altered to accommodate a lap infant (free in the US) takes over one hour on the phone. I'm not saying I like any one of these airlines more than the other carriers. Southwest's moneyball strategy means they charge exorbitant amounts for tickets purchased within one week of the flight, even if it risks a vacancy. I prefer the consistency of the commodity carriers even though the Southwest experience is better for economy travelers.