MonarchA330
As previously stated, the reason people want to take a lot of handbaggae on board is down to two or three reasons (I'm talking mostly shorthaul here).
1. They don't want to wait for baggage to come up on the carousel at the destination
2. Some destinantions are so bad on baggage handling you might just as well throw your luggage into the bin before you leave
3. People are just going for the day and may have documents and files with them only for the outbound or return journey.
On longhaul flights I quite agree that cabin baggage is often excessive and there's no excuse for tractor tyres and washing machines but consider this:
In addition to the cabin baggage allowed into the cabin, personal articles such as lady's handbag, an overcoat or a wrap or a blanket, an umbrella or walking stick, a small camera, binoculars, reasonable amount of reading materials for the flight, infant's food for consumption in-flight are also allowed in addition to the cabin baggage. If you pack this into a bag as well, it's a pretty big bag.
