Dear Sky Steward,
I am surprised that I am writing you from my hotel room and not a jail because I am so angry about my flight today. I boarded my flight and stowed my bag in the overhead compartment and then, to be considerate to other customers, placed my personal item under the seat in front of me. In the last few minutes of boarding, another customer shifted my bag around in the overhead compartment to fit his bag in and took his seat. When the flight attendant came around to close the overhead bins, she discovered that it would not close. She then removed MY bag and asked who it belonged to. Once I acknowledged it was mine she told me she would have to check it. I was outraged, but did not put up a flight. The last minute passenger (jerk!) said nothing. I thought I was going to self combust! Luckily, the flight attendant told me a moment later that she had found a place for my bag in first classJ
What could flight attendants do to keep this from happening to people like me who are following the rules? Could you tell me what I should have done in this situation?
Signed,
Carried Away from Concord, CA
Dear Carried Away,
With more and more passengers carrying on to avoid checked luggage charges, there is an onboard space crisis erupting. The Sky Steward has observed that many passengers are still placing all of their carry-on bags in the overhead bin which is improper Jetiquette. With space at a premium, everyone should place one item under the seat in front of them and one bag in the overhead bin; leaving as much space as possible for fellow passengers.
Unfortunately flight crews are caught in the middle of a desire to create a pleasant travel experience for customers and FAA regulations regarding carry-on bags that limit where they are able to stow the overflow.
In this case, The Sky Steward says you were very generous to not make a fuss but you definitely had a right to speak up and let the flight attendant know (if there was time to do so) so that she/he could have pulled the correct bag out of the bin. The other passenger should be ashamed of himself. He most likely missed his connection 
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We constantly have this problem on particular aircraft in my company. When passengers have laptop bags in the overhead, and we need space for larger bags, I politely ask wbho has laptop bags up in the locker, and explain that we are full today and space is at a premium. I then explain that smaller items should go under the seat in front in this case.
When passengers object, I ask them if they have any other bags. Usually their second bag is larger (they are entitled to 1 piece slightly larger or two pieces smaller, not both) so I let them know their choice is to put the laptop under the seat or check the larger bag if the passenger looking for space only has one bag.
Hope this is finding a good middle road…
Carried away…. i bet you were yapping on your phone and not paying attention to anything happening around you… an i bet you were yapping at 120 decibels
it is YOUR job to watch YOUR belongings and to watch the other “challenged” passengers … it is not a F/A job.. they have enough to do ….
forgive me if i am wrong on the yapping part but i bet i am right…
the flying public is RUDE including F/As on their way to MIA to work who dont even live here!! (my pet peve) and they have 87 bags and 47 liters of water .. go figure.
-have a nice day
@Traytable: Personally I don’t think that flight attendants should remove bags once they are in the overhead compartment. If someone gets on early and has their laptop case in the overhead, it should be permitted to stay there. Late boarders should just check their bags to their final destination.
I’m always polite when a flight attendant asks me to take my laptop bag (which is always my ONLY carry-on) out of the overhead bin and put it under the seat in front of me. I smile and say “Sure, but I’ll need your help taking my feet and putting THEM in the overhead bin, cause I’m tall and there’s no room under there for the bag AND my feet.”
This problem was created by airlines wanting to “unbundle” some of the costs of taking passengers from one city to another, and it’s neither Carried Away’s fault nor mine if the result I predicted in a column last June has come to pass. The solution’s easy. Let everyone check their bags for free, and charge the people who are so obsessed over the value of their time that they insist on carrying their luggage on board.
Chris, usually that’s fine, but it’s when the early boarder has more luggage than they should (that got by the gate for whatever reason) In my company, if a laptop is taking up space in an overhead when the larger item can’t fit under the seat (but is still permitted carry on size) then the smaller bag comes out. Late boarders on my flights are usually high-tier frequent flyers who give the company a lot of business- it’s an advertised perk that they can board ‘at their lesiure’- we can’t then penalise them for late boarding by making them check bags which are carry-on size…
My other issue is passengers using overheads near the exit rows, thereby using up space for bags which MUST go overhead. Unfortunately in this case, the bags of exit row pax take priority as they have no option to stow bags under the seat in front, whereas other passengers can do so.
You know the real problem here is the AIRLINE for coming up with these ways to pad the tickets and charging for checked bags. In 50 years of aviation, NO FEES. YOU THE AIRLINE are creating havoc in your planes among the passengers who are just trying to get where they need to go. To DRIVE my point home….not all airlines are charging these “new fees”.
Dear Sky Steward:
Will the airlines ever hire again?
Wannbe FA
Dear Sky Steward:
Will the airlines ever hire Flight Attendants again?
Thanks,
Jeffrey
I see this as part problem. That I encounter often as I travel. With all the new checked bag fees we are being “encouraged” to carry on everything. People tend to shove their bag in anyway that it fits even if it uses more space then it should (sideways vs wheels in/out). As well I do tend to try and put my laptop case up top as I am 6’4″ and tend to use the space under the seat in front of me for my legs. I don’t expect the FA’s to be the police but I do speak up when its an issue and try to help where I can. While we are at it – will people stop trying to carry on bags that they can’t lift. If you can’t lift it over your head and into the bin it is too heavy and you should have checked it or left it at home.
I can solve the baggage problem. If it don’t fit in your pocket check it. It will speed up everthing.
I have a small carryon bag that only fits into the overheads a certain way. What I do is when I put the bag into the overhead and take my seat I make sure I watch the overhead like a hawk. Then if another passenger tries to move my bag around to get their bag in I very firmly tell them to leave my bag alone, that it will not fit any other way. The passenger stops messing around with my bag every single time.
What the airlines need to do is limit carry on bags to ONE item, and that’s it. No more of this one carry-on bag and one personal item nonsense. If you have a carry-on bag then that’s it, you aren’t allowed to bring anything else onto the plane other than something to read. If you have a purse or a coat you can very easily open up your carry-on bag and put it in there. If you’re packed your carry-on bag ridiculously tight that you have no room to put anything else in it then that is your tough luck.
The airlines also need to put an end to the practice of people bring insanely large carry-on bags onto the airplanes. I’ve seen many people bring carry-on bags that are large enough for a 2 week overseas vacation. Bags this large should never be allowed to be brought onto the plane. It is amazing how many cheapskates there are out there that’ll do anything to save $15.
I read the article in USA Today and EVERYONE, including the airlines, has had a hand in this. It’s human nature to get what you can. It’s unfortunate but that’s what our society has become. You can rail against it but it won’t change. So, how do you prevent it? Simple! You have a ticket right? Doesn’t that ticket assign you a seat? For example, you have seat 9A. Why can’t you also be assigned overhead compartment 9A? I never worry about boarding an aircraft because I have an assigned seat. Why are overhead compartments not assigned to seats? I know that someone will say that there aren’t enough compartments to go around but if you divide them up per seat then that is your compartment and only yours to use. If your bag doesn’t fit up there or under your seat then that’s your problem and you better do some planning ahead.
If you were on my airplane, I would hope you would say something and I would take care of it. I see this a lot especially on our airplanes with slightly smaller overhead bins. Ask Ms. Jerk on my flight what happens when you do this and you’re rude. She was last on and moving everyone’s things around. Ohhh, nooo way lady. She told me to mind my own business. Tempted to send her bag to Des Moines (we don’t go there), I did yank it and check it. I got applause from the others. You don’t have to be rude and Mr. Man with his bag had better not be either, but it would’ve been taken care of politely. I do try to get everyone’s bags on and I have put things in my galley if someone’s nice. That being said, please don’t come back to me with attitude because there’s no space. If there’s no space, there’s no space. I will look with you and help you but full is full. Medicine or not. I can’t make space where there is none.
Can anyone tell me who to contact in Washington DC or at the FAA to force the airlines to enforce the carry-on policy, or to come up with a new LAW prohibiting rolling suitcases on board all Commercial Flights.As a travelling Product Support Rep for a major aircraft manufacturer, I hate seeing other passengers lugging oversized overnight bags onto the aircraft. The bags wont fit into the sample box prior to the Jetway but they insist on taking them aboard.Dont these stupid people realize that they are putting other at risk in an emergency? Not to mention they are slowing the boarding process up. Come on you STUPID IDIOTS. CHECK YOUR DAMM BAGS. REMEMBER THIS, I KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF AN AIRPLANE, EVEN IF I HAVE TO STEP ALL OVER YOU WHILE DOING IT. ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT WRITE ME.
The carryon limit is not only a problem on those airlines that charge for checked luggage but also on those that do not. Now days there is no one really there expect TSA to check that the carryon limits are being met. Think about it now days you can purchase your tickets online, check-in, online, print boarding pass at home, smile at Ops Agent who takes your boarding pass, then finally get on plane. In all of that I seriously doubt that the non frequent flyer has a clue as to what they are doing. As far as rearranging luggage in the bins most Flight Attendants hate checking your luggage as much as you do. Let us do our jobs and if we ask to move things, just work with us. We did not wake up that morning with the idea we are going to check your personal bag. Flight Attendants have to comply with Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) on top of company policies and making everyone happy. When something is not stowed correctly and the FAA is on board and fines it, that is a personal fine to the Flight Attendant not the company they work for. That fine is usually close to the fine someone can receive for smoking on a plane which starts at $2000 and goes up. On a side note the last thing the airline industry needs is one more law/regulation from congress that wont be complied with and take away personal responsibility from one self.
I think Johnny Cochran said it best:
If it does not FIT, you must check IT!!
One item and one item alone for everyone that will solve the problem. And for those parents that make their 3 year old child to pull a bag bigger that them to have an extra item SHAME ON YOU.
I have a great solution that works for me. I have a backpack that fits my laptop. It also fits a lot of other stuff. Anything I can’t live without for one day goes into that bag. There is not a lot of stuff I have to have that I can’t get at the other end of the flight. Socks and underwear. Thats about it. And, guess what? It fits under the seat in front of me, and there is still room for my feet!
Reverse the fee. Allow two bags checked free. Each carry-on, $20. Problem . solved. I’d suggest that F/A’s could check their bags too to make room but I don’t think that would go over very well here.
I agree with some other postings here. 1. STOP TRYING TO BRING THE HUGE BAG ON BOARD. It’s like we Americans have to drive our SUVs AND bring our 15 changes of clothes for a 3 night stay. The Europeans don’t have an issue with carry on bags because they are smaller, oh, they probably take the train too. 2. Charge the fees for folks like me (frequent business travler) for bringing a bag on board, I’d pay $15 for convenience…collect as I board or for frequent fliers let us bring them on for free. 3. If airlines charged a bit more in general we might have more business travlers and fewer liesure travlers. The liesure folks are cheap and the business travlers want convenience and quiet…therefore back to the previous comment, charge for the “quality and conveneince”
We business travlers (most of us) have learned to travel light…but many of us could learn how to live like a normal citizen again and stop pretending that the red carpet must roll out for us…humble ourselves just a bit and we might have better experiences all the way around. I feel sorry for the FAs on many flights because they have to keep everyone “together”…tough, unappreciated job. I write comment cards or emails everytime I get great service because I DO appreciate it.
“Nutter-town” we have all entered, forced into, and like sheep, we have followed without DEMANDING that this crazy, dysfunctional circus ends. We pay good money to travel, foregoing all the ‘once’ ammenties that was part of the ticket price and now are being charged additional fees that ‘even still’ should be part of the price we now pay. Currently, LUGGAGE. Some airlines are charging for a flippin blanket! I am also to blame in not demanding that what is happening is wrong and shouldn’t be
tolerated………………..
I just got off a flight days ago. Made me Crazy!!!!!! I now, against my true inner belief, check all my luggage (bottom-line, don’t want all the brain damage) and pay the additional expense. I carry-on a SMALL purse and occasional small bag of lunch/snack (since the airlines no longer feels is part of my ticket price).
I watch fellow passengers stuff 1 or 2 large/overstuffed pcs. of luggage in overhead (avoiding the additional charge) but creating havoc and being down right rude in accomplishing THEIR need to accomplish. I get it, to a degree. I watch flight attendants making decisions (in impossible) situations, but trying to follow regulations and rules of their job description. I get it, to a degree.
Is the economy/transportation/airlines facing a financial down-trend (@ the moment)…..YES! But let us all educate/read/goggle……..except for the airlines that were overextended (maybe BAD business practices) and collapsed, others are still finding profit being made and executives making a WONDERFUL wage/lifestyle.
We all – are responsible for this current situation. It’s called APATHY!!!!
I fly fairly often, for both business and pleasure, although I am not a routine and salty business traveler like most previous posters. Yet I have been on enough flights to see another annoying trend in addition to oversize carry-on luggage.
On most flights I’ve taken, I have seen the obnoxious passenger – usually with the first boarding group – with a seat in the BACK of the plane load his carryon into a compartment in the first few rows. How aggravating! I have actually called a gentlemen out on this before, and was rudely told there is no rule about WHERE to stow your luggage. Unfortunately, the F/A was legitimately busy with other boarding issues, and was unable to do acknowledge my complaint (I’m not upset about this). This causes delays with boarding as the front-seated passengers need to weave through an already-cramped aisle to find whatever is left for overhead space, even though they should have a right to the space over the seat they paid for!
I’ve also purchased extra leg room on a fairly empty Ted United flight, and watched sneaky passengers try to move up and sit in the empty extra-leg-room-seats. YES, I take issue with this. I don’t care if the flight is half-empty! I PAID for my type of seat, you paid for yours! So I completely understand the carry-on aggravation. I think the airlines would improve customer service if they flipped where they apply their fees: charge $5-$10 per carry-on (limit of ONE small bag or personal item), and make checked luggage FREE again. This will 1) continue to generate a little revenue, and 2) increase the speed of boarding/deplaning and increase space and comfort on an already small plane.
I don’t know if I am guilty or not, when I fly, I check my luggage, and bring aboard 1small hand held gym bag, which is a medical bag.. Around my neck is my camera, and i carry my laptop. The medical bag goes into the overhead and the rest goes on the floor in front of me. The medical bag is a must.
Hi. Thanks for your comment. You are following the rules to the letter!
I know – charge for putting your coat, laptop, purse or anything that will fit under the seat up on the overhead. I am a frequent traveler and nothing gets me more hot then when some asshole thinks he is above th rest of us and needs to put his coat up in the overhead. Come around with the CC machine and charge 5 bucks – Then you could generate more revenue and pay the FA more – hell even commission.
I agree that the Airlines have created this mess.. My recent flight was delayed 15 minutes for people abusing the carry on rules.. There was one family of four that had 8 carry on’s that had to be stored. I checked in my bags and paid 60.00 for doing so. There should be an advantage for doing this. We should have first access on and off the flight! It is frustrating to wait til 150 passengers are trying to get down and find their luggage! Some people are getting hit while these over sized bags are being yanked down. The rules need to be enforced. And those who do pay extra should have some kind of advantage!!
Just flew to/from France. Bought a new carry on bag. On each of the four flights I took, I was told to either check or valet the bag. It was too big apparently although I saw a lot of folks take bigger bags aboard. However, my son, who was traveling with me, was allowed to carry on his very-similar bag on two of the flights (the two smaller planes!) and had to valet on the third plane and check on the fourth. Go figure. Why can’t they standardize this.?
This is how I would solve the problem. Nobody can bring on any bags that don’t fit under the seat. Either a handbag, tote or computer case and place coats/sweaters, etc. in overhead storage. This solves the problem of adding lots of time getting on and off the plane.
Also, this is safer since nothing but coats overhead! Everyone either ships luggage ahead or can check one bag free. That’s how it used to be in the olden days, folks! Problem solved. I think ultimately everyone would benefit after getting used to it. Security lines would be quicker too. None of those 3-1-1 bags either. Everything checked!!