Does anybody have any first-hand (or even second) knowledge of how long it takes to reacquaint passengers with their (left onboard) hand baggage? Are there any processes/procedures in place?
My gut instinct tells me that it could be some time, hours, days or even weeks. I can't see this being a priority.
But if I was fairly confident of getting my stuff in a couple of hours, max, I'd be more likely to follow instructions and leave it behind.
In my case (pun not intended) it is not knowing how long it's going to be that would affect my decisions. Don't forget the airline told me not to put any (long list) valuables, medicine etc in my checked bag. I'd be a lot more comfortable keeping all that stuff with me.