This doesn't help all those people standing in front of you, but a suggestion: always buy ugly, garish luggage. You'll never lose it because 1. You can identify it a mile away. 2. A thief will probably think that no one with any money and/or taste could possibly have a bag like this, and so there's nothing worthwhile stealing inside it. and 3. You can immediately identify it on the baggage carousel, and people who see it tend to move away from it, (bad taste is catching you know...) so you'll have lots of room to claim your bag and get out of there in record time. :D
((S))((*))

I confess! <u><b>I</b></u> am one of those passengers who gets to the claim almost first and stands right near the mouth of the luggage dump.

But, I stand in profile (takes up less space!), I'm polite, and I always offer to assist others if they struggle! And b/c I have a knack for getting our bags quickly, DH stands elsewhere so there's not two of us clogging up the space :) Hope I can be forgiven. I promise I'm polite ;)

It is hard to understand how someone who is so inconsiderate of others as to block their view of the bag dump can describe themself as polite!

What about when you (I) walk off to the fartherst end of the conveyor for the same reason that frustrates you, stand there alone waiting patiently, but the moment you spot your suitcase, 3-4 big men jump in between you and your luggage?

Always happens to me :(

Faina....Faina....Faina! Carry a hatpin, girl..........
Imagine the fun watching them laying face first on the conveyor, grabbing their butts and screaming in pain......

((D))8-)

<i>BLOCKING ACCESS TO THE BELT DOES NOT MAKE YOUR LUGGAGE FIRST OFF</i>

Hey, Carol, that's great! I just might use it sometime.

It reminds me (not sure why, but it does) of what a United flight attendent said as the plane approched the gate upon arrival:

&quot;I know it customary to try to beat the aircraft to the gate, but let's forgo that tradition and please stay seated until we stop.&quot; \:D/

Just one horrible time, I saw a child get his fingers caught in an escalator when his mother was ignoring the horseplay around the moving stairs.

Sounds grisly, I know, but I'd love to toss a fake severed finger onto the carousel to get those parents to pull their kids OFF and away from the moving metal and luggage.

I agree, HKP but I doubt even that would do any good.

What about the folks with group 6 on their boarding pass that try to board with the elite status group? Some folks hear only what they want too hear I guess.