A week after buying this I took it on a week-long trip from Vermont to San Diego, and it performed wonderfully.  It's only an inch bigger than the case I had before, yet it held so much more I actually had to pack a few extra things just to make sure the more delicate items were padded adequately (which turned out to be a boon as I needed warmer clothes than I'd expected).  Yet for as roomy as it was (without even using the expansion!) it glides so easily even when full that it feels like nothing at all.  Those turning wheels make so much more of a difference than one would expect.  The airlines had no trouble with it (and believe me, if Delta could have found a way to have trouble with it, they would have).  And I didn't even use some of the extra pockets (though one internal waterproof pocket, which the description doesn't mention, proved ideal for packing bathing suits).  Provided this holds up to repeated use, it's an ideal suitcase, and I look forward to putting it to the test (there's a trip to the UK coming up that should really give it a workout).

UPDATE: I have had no difficulties with checking this bag on flights to San Diego, Chicago, and to the UK. And it worked like a dream on all of them. Until... on a train in the UK, one of the feet snapped right off. It wasn't being gently set down but neither was it being treated more roughly than one would expect any luggage carousel to handle it. A small luggage shop in York tried to repair it but didn't have the right part; their repair only held up for part of a day's worth of use.

Getting it repaired officially is a complete nightmare. In the entire UK there is precisely one authorized repair center. Back in the US, the nearest one is about a three hour drive from me, and they think it'll take several weeks. The warranty makes no attempt to cover any of this, even shipping, so it will cost probably $100 to do a repair that amounts to setting four screws on a wheel that probably costs $10 or less. Samsonite's rules about parts are very strict, so no local luggage store is allowed to repair, or able to get parts, even if any of them wanted to do it (they don't).

I love the suitcase, but I will never buy Samsonite again.