but there are times where some knucklehead in Row 20 will put his bag above Row 9 or 10 (just behind first class) for some reason.
I have never understood this concept. If everyone uses their allotted space above them there should be no issues for anyone. It's when people do this stupid crap that the whole system gets messed up.
It’s the knob that brings everything they own on board. Last flight I was on I saw a woman with 4 carry ons. Largest allowable roller bag with a small bag that won’t fit under the seat resting on top of said roller. A backpack that was also too big to go under the seat. And a medium sized purse. Ridiculous
Should be one overhead space alloyed per seat, period. But the gate workers also need to identify people with too many carry ons.
ETA what arrow said
There aren't that many overhead bins on many planes though. There's been a big push with the "space bins" in the last 5 years or so, which now hold like 6/bin. But previously, each bin held 3-4 bags and was generally the space of 5-6 passenger seats.
Hopefully a problem that goes away with every new plane that replaces an old one, or with every airline that hates how it messes with scheduling enough to retrofit the new style space bins.
That said, first class seats are chock full of jerks not in the bulkhead who board right away and put two bags up. I shamelessly will pull a backpack out if I board without room for my bag (I'm boarding in group 1 usually so its insane when this happens) and just ask if this is someone's bag that can go below their feet so we don't hold up boarding. If nobody answers I give to flight attendant and say "ma'am, I think this bag was left by the previous passengers, just want to make sure it gets to lost and found" quite loudly. Which my flight attendant friends have advised me to do. Works like a charm.
What if that backpack is the only thing someone else brought on, though? I mean, it would be cool of them to put it by their feet anyway, but if they don't need access I could see them preferring it up there so they have as much personal space as the person who brought only one bigger carry on gets.
No way. We live in a society. The appropriate thing to do is wait until boarding closes and then stick it up there if there is room.
Why should someone with one item wait for someone else with one item and defer to them? Every person technically has the same spacial "rights". Just because I use a backback as my carryon instead of one of those roller cases shouldn't prohibit me from using the overhead space.
Guys, I don't make the "rules" and I'm also tall. You're talking about your "rights" - it's about common courtesy there are no "rights". Fact: there's not enough bin space for every person to put a bag on the vast majority of planes. If you have a bag that fits under the seat, put it under the seat. If you get to the end of boarding and there's space, go ahead and put it up above. You're being selfish if you force someone else to gate check a bag, which, also a decent percentage of the time, means you're delaying the flight. Because now the attendants have to put on the show of a thorough search, attempt to move people's bags around, give up, get the gate agent down, get the bag checked, etc.
It factually is selfish. Now, there's no literal rule. So you can do what you want. And you can decide you're fine with the chance of a delay, and you're fine inflicting someone else with a forced gate check (which, remember, may mean someone connecting loses access to something they may have wanted during connection, or if they miss connection (likelier now that you've delayed the plane) now they may not have their bag for the night at the connecting airport.
If it fits under the seat, it should be there by default. You aren't required, I think, to do so. It's just the right thing to do.
My specific scenario - nobody in first class in all my flights has ever put just a backpack up there. It has 100% of the time (and mind you this only happens to me on like 1/10 flights, probably happens to someone in the cabin on like 3/10) been a second bag.
Also, fun tip: if you're that worried about your own legroom, I highly suggest the bulkhead, where now you are required to put BOTH bags in the overhead. Win win! Someone's stuff in those rows goes up, may as well be yours, AND the bulkhead tends to have more legroom.