LoL. That is true. We can now check baggage curbside. If you remember, there was no curbside check in for baggage for 15 months after 9/11 (but what do I know). Some resourceful people found out that a person could send their baggage to the hotel in advance, contact the valet at the hotel and have pressed clothing with light starch hanging in the closet upon check-in. At the least the luggage would be in the "closet". The only point that I attempt to make is that planning can make air travel relatively hassle free.
Let me think while I type --- oh yes, it was at Lindberg Field (San Diego) where the curbside check in for AA charges $2 per bag! I took the escalator up to the check in counter.