>We do always carry a small carryone with us though because I have travelled so many times where my luggage dissappeared and finally showed up a week or two after I returned home.

Unblievable, but... my wife and daughter went a week ago (I'm joining them today), and since there was a storm over Atlanta, their flight was cancelled. Then the next day they got as far as Paris, but there was no room on the connecting flight - stayed there overnight. Third day they got OK but their bag was somewhere else. And, imagine, the fifth day (i.e. within about 36 hours after their arrival) a JAT (Yugoslav air transport company) van came and delivered the bag to the door, even though the said door is about 70 miles from the airport. I expected the bag would arrive just in time to pack it for return trip :).