Annoying Policies: Airlines charging for each checked bag

I'm about to travel. This is normally an exciting prospect. Until my brain fully comprehended what a$$munches the airlines truly are.

$20/first checked bag. Each way.
$30 each checked bag after. Each way.

Let me let that sink in for just a sec.

Ok, I came back to this, and read it, and it still ticks me off. I remember hearing about it in the news, but it was in this swirl of other economic gloom and doom going on, so it didn't really stand out. But now, as I think about the travel season coming up, and what that means... I am peeved.

Because everyone is going to be trying to shove as much as they can in the cabin, because those fees are significant. Which means delayed flights. And customer service issues because I've been on flights where they had to gate check something because there wasn't enough room. There's no ability to pay at the gate, at least not when I worked there. How is that going to fly? Are they going to send someone all the way back to the ticket counter to wait in line there, then back through security, and back to the gate because their dumb policy encourages them to run out of room on the plane? And isn't this going to be just lovely as the holidays arrive where people travel to be together and exchange gifts?

When will the airlines get it? Ganking the customer for fees and trying to squeeze a couple of extra dollars out of them will never make up for shoddy business practices that put you in the hole. Fix those, and fix your bottom line. I call this an idiotic practice, and salute Southwest for not sucking.