More like: "An airline spokesman said the group would not pursue the luggage plan because it would jeopardize their quick turnaround times, however it's worth giving a press conference about it to get lots of free publicity"
Charlie Roy
They used the word IF which is the important one.
Two viewpoints on this
1.) Looking at cutting further down on cost which is the norm with FR
2.) Sending a very clear message to Airports and Agencies that longer term an Aiport with X million passengers may consist of
a building with a couple of check in desks because 95% of people don't travel with checked bags or check in
a building where few people work other than security / servicing plane
If an Airline (not just FR) follows this path then the Revenue earning opportunities for an Airport effectively vanish other than Landing charges, fuelling and some desk rental........that should give some Airport operators sleepless nights.
If that is not sending a clear message to Airports then not sure what is.
Investing millions in Airports is a waste of money especially when game has long since changed and you get Nil return.
There is the issue of security of checked in bags with prohibited items but thats not an insurmountable problem.