Overhead space gone

[ronski101]

Why don't airlines assign the overhead space to the seat number? I am tired of following the rules and boarding based upon my row number and finding no room for my small carryon. Seems people are bring on larger and larger carryons at the expense of others.

 

[CheddarChick]

It's only going to get worse when the airlines start charging for the first checked bag like American.....

 

[1_T_Submariner]

And it is a pain to wait for people with all of the carry on bags to get the in the overheads. Then when they are getting off the planes a lot of people can't handle the bags and almost hit others with them.

 

[Diver Dennis]

It's also a pain when someone puts their carry on in a bin 10 rows back and as soon as they take off their belt they start ramming their way through the crowd to grab it, then back to their seat instead of just waiting for the rest of the crowd to leave!

There are lots of people like this so I usually wait for the crowd to dissipate before standing up. I'll never understand why people are in such a rush to de-plane, especially when they end up waiting for their bags at the carousel...

 

[dannobee]

It's only going to get worse, like said above.

I do have a funny story. My stepfather worked for a major carrier for years and while traveling once noticed one of those people stored their HUGE bag in the overhead about 20 rows forward of his seat. It took up the whole bin. As the plane was loaded, the guy whose seat was under the "occupied" overhead tried to put his own bag in there, he calmly took the other guy's bag from the overhead and put it in the aisle. The guy at the back of the plane got up and starting saying, "that's my bag." The guy who took it down pointed at his seat, then at the overhead and said, "My seat, my bin." The stewardess was called and the guy at the back of the plane got his bag stuck in the cargo hold.

 

[deco_martini]

Well, one of the problems is your vacation flyers are really bad versus your frequent flyers at putting things in the overhead bin. One of my pet peeves is infrequent flyers who place roller bags in large overheads sideways instead of putting it in wheels towards the back. You can get 2 in an overhead bin lengthwise or 3 of you put them in correctly.

I have been on some early morning mostly business flyers flights where every overhead bin was filled to the brim with roller bags placed in for optimal efficieny and they had to start stowing them in cargo. It happens.

 

[ragtopjen]

I wonder, now that most of the airlines are charging for a first check bag, what are they going to do if the overhead bins are full and some of the passengers have to do a gate check on their bag? Are they going to charge them? What a nightmare that will be, flights will be delayed and the jetways will really be jammed up. Personally I wish that the airlines would enforce their one carryon, plus one personal item.

 

[alcina]

Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't bring everything in their closets with them in the first place?

I do some fairly intensive itineraries and often have to pack for very cold conditions and very hot conditions while trying to figure out how to bring all the camera, computer and diving gear that I may need. Choices get made, alternative solutions are found and I do my best. When I'm over, I simply pay the excess baggage fee and I do not drag upmteen million bags into the cabin and don't crazily overstuff the ones I do bring. My standard long-haul carryon is one of the half sized roller bags and there's nothing I live without really.

Makes me crazy and I'm dreading the flights I get to start in nine days for just these reasons...again.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I also travel extensively for work on week or two week long trips with a half size carry on that gets checked if I can take two bags and goes in the overhead if the airline is one that charges for a second checked bag, my lap top goes under the seat and I check my suit bag. If I have files, or other bulky items that have to go, I ship them in advance via fed ex or UPS.

It bothers me when people walk on with an enormous carry on that really should have been checked and then a large "personal" bag that they put in the overhead bin rather than under the seat in front of them. I really despise the overage hippies with backpacks that barely fit lenghtwise in an overhead bin - if it is over size it should be checked, backpack or not.

Some business travelers are just as bad however when they save 20 minutes waiting for baggage by taking a large carry on without checking anything. Personally, I think the cabin is safer in a crash or heavy turbulence with fewer bags in the cabin.

Charges for a second bag just makes it worse as travelers just bring it on board rather than checking it and the aircraft still takes off with the same weight on board.

I am also one of those guys who will pull the bag out of "my" overhead bin if a passenger 10 rows down decides they need to stuff it somewhere other than their own bin. In return if my considerately small carry on will not fit in my bin or one adjacent to it, I ask the flight attendent to stow it or put it in the hold.

While we are ranting, why do passengers with multi hour lay overs or who will have to wait 20 minutes at the baggage claim anyway insist on getting up and blocking the isle and delaying passengers with short connections who really have to hustle to make a connection if the flight is delayed at all. Some flight attendents request that people with generous layovers please wait to deplane, especially when the flight is behind schedule while others do not, but it really makes little difference as passengers seem to be obsessed with getting off in order from front to back whether they have anywhere to go or not.

And...why do airlines board in zones running from the aft of the cabin forward rather than boarding window seats, then middle and then isle seats (with suitable exceptions for couples parents and kids, etc.) The zone combined with murphies law ensures the people in the isle and middle seat will be ahead of you and will have to get right back up to let you into a window seat.

I won't even get into overbooking or cancelations...

 

[Flightlead]

Why don't airlines assign the overhead space to the seat number? I am tired of following the rules and boarding based upon my row number and finding no room for my small carryon. Seems people are bring on larger and larger carryons at the expense of others.

now that is a good idea!