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.
I have bad knees. I’m putting my bag up there regardless of size. I need to be able to sort of straighten my legs. And I have never seen someone take a bag out and shame someone over it. I can’t imagine that would ever end well. There’s no way I would sheepishly accept that. No. Way.
That’s fine. It’s selfish. I’m not judging the reason just calling it what it is.
So you Have you pulled someone’s bag out and attempted to shame someone? Like your flight attendant friends have told you to do? Or are you doing this in first class, where you can tell it’s some peasant’s bag from the back of the plane dur to how many 1st class passengers are on the plane? I just can’t fathom this behavior going over well.
Probably 4 times last year I asked who’s backpack this is and if there was room under the seat if it was their second bag. Always with a super naive and positive tone like of course anyone who did that would do the right thing and put the pack under their seat.
All 4 times the person was grumbly but immediately knew they were in the wrong so didn’t reject anything. So with a bright smile I just said thank you so much, handed them their personal item sized piece, and put the carry on up there.
Probably 10 times I saw a flight attendant ask the same question to help a passenger in the same situation as me, and around half those the FA correctly said “if the bag is unclaimed, I’ll have to remove it to lost and found and to maintain security.” All of those times someone claimed it and put it under their seat where it belongs.
All of these instances are from first class cabin. I took 122 flights, 74 were booked FC, 41 were upgraded.
I’ve never attempted to shame anyone. If you find that shaming, I can only assume it’s because you know you did wrong.