We have been lucky and have not had the gate check thing in quite a while.

But we seem to get love letters from the TSA on the way down more often than not! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> I knew as soon as I saw the bag on the carousel at SXM that we would find a "love note". Seems they are not as careful about not getting that little part of the shirt inside the seam (the old aluminum channels, no zippers on this thing at all). We have an old American Tourister hard sided suitcase. The monkeys have never destroyed it yet (remember the old commercials) and I have seen it at the very bottom of a luggage container and everything has always arrived intact.