Will Airlines Charge Us a Fee for Carry-On Baggage?

You know you want to, airlines. You're dying to do it. So which one of you will go first?

If bags actually fit in an overhead compartment, it could mean less waiting in the aisles, which could improve on-time departure statistics – and maybe allow passengers the convenience of boarding later.

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

I'm talking about charging passengers a fee for toting a carry-on bag.

I know, it sounds crazy -- and I have no specific insider info -- but it's all the buzz with air travelers and you have to admit it's a logical progression: First the airlines charged a fee for a second checked bag, then for a first and, well, what's left?

At the very least, there will be some sort of overhaul of the "carry-on bag system" because, changes are overdue -- and, why wouldn't the airlines like to make some money off of it?

So, it could happen and, surprise -- some of you might actually like it, if or when it does. At the very least, you'll probably get used to it.

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Let's face it, cokes and carry-ons are pretty much all we have left in terms of airline freebies (and for a while there, US Airways was even denying us our sodas).

And we didn't always have bin space, either. You have to remember that carry-ons are mostly a late 20th century phenomenon -- spawned by cheap air travel, a growing distaste for lost bags, and our penchant for toting our livelihoods around with us -- think laptops and such.

Before that, according to Boeing, "overhead stowage bins were never designed to replace the checking of baggage"; in fact, the storage units on early 727s and 737s were referred to as "hat racks" because that's pretty much what they were, bins for hats and coats.