Remember of course that MAG is planning for a future in which the traditional airport check-in desk will virtually cease to exist. What will be needed is an effective and efficient baggage drop area where luggage can be expeditiously labelled and dispatched. Queues for this facility need not be flight-number specific, similar to the queue for security screening. Once this becomes the norm, former check-in space can be redirected to other uses.
This is one of those things they need to get right before they cut down the check-in bag drop space. Am I right in my impression that they are thinking something along the line of what KL have at AMS with lots of auto drops and a few manned desks, except setup to handle multiple carriers at once? Wonder how that will work with the US security requirements? How does KL handle those?