DawgmanOH

If he flies a lot I don't understand why he would put it under his seat if he is in bulkhead. Anyone who flies a lot knows you don't put a bag under your seat if you are in bulkhead First Class. You either stow it above or have the FA put it in the closet.

Also, agree with others on not keeping a wallet or passport in a carry-on. That's just asking for trouble.

SS255

He might have known, but he may have felt entitled to the space under his seat as long as he could get away with it. If this was the case, he got bitten by the karma bug, and I'm guessing he won't make that mistake again.

flyerbaby19

How does one fly a lot and not realize you put the bag under the seat in front of you, not your own seat.

sinoflyer

Insert your favorite Kiwi joke here?

1) Anyone who's flown >1 time should know that carry-on bag is stowed underneath the seat in front of you. This is emphasized in the safety video as well.

2) When filing the lost luggage report, one should always review the "deliver to" address.

So, I'm not totally sympathetic with the NZ man.

blueman2

I am confused with all the discussion about how this happened. I think the real point is what happened AFTERWARDS. United failed on the response and follow up. That should be the discussion.

I flew in F on A320 just a couple weeks ago. If he was on an intl business class ticket, that is the cabin he would have been in.

As for which seat it was under, here is a report from NZ Herald:

tods27

I assumed from the headline that he was stuck in SFO due to the missing passport, but on reading the article it would seem that UA got his bag to him in time for his SFO-AKL flight. Yes, it was some period of time where he was without his bag, wallet and passport and I'm sure that was stressful, but they didn't actually strand him.

I'm still amazed that the FA could take a bag from at his feet and he didn't notice it. I do wonder if he got up to go the the bathroom or something.

txaggiemiles

And here is a quote from the report linked by the OP.

Kepes, who has been recounting the ordeal on Twitter, says his bag was underneath his Business Class seat while he was working on his laptop before a flight from Nashville to San Francisco when it was removed without his knowledge. As he writes, it wasn't until he was arriving at SFO that he noticed the bag was gone.


I think it is more likely than not the bag underneath his seat, lest he would see it being taken.

blueman2

Infinitely? Mathematically, that means you are 100% certain the bag was underneath him. Right now, I would say your interpretation is more likely (over 50/50), but not 100% certain due to conflicting data.

Nonetheless, I am confused why so many of us are so quick to blame the passenger here? I cannot see any reason for taking any bag off an airplane before a flight, when people are already aboard, without first making sure it does not belong to someone. Even if under your own seat.

And, as the PAX said himself, he is not upset with the FA. He is upset due to the lack of follow up and communication from UA AFTER the incident.

luv2ctheworld

I think it is pretty easy to take something from underneath the seat you're sitting on. You literally cannot see behind you, and if you are working on your laptop or focused on something in front of you, you wouldn't know that someone leaned into the row behind you to take something from the floor under your seat. Not to mention if you were on the phone or listening to music, certainly not going to get any audio cues or visual ones.

And it's also entirely possible he didn't believe anyone was going to be sitting behind him since he can check the seat map and determine whether the seat behind him was occupied or not.

I don't think it's necessarily fair to jump to conclusions and say the guy was clueless or a DYKWIA, especially when there is a possibility that the seat behind him went out empty and he wasn't doing anything wrong in that case.

findark

Isn't there a bar running along the floor somewhere under the seat (I sometimes use it as a footrest)? Seems to me like pulling a bag backwards past that would be hard, or do people actually push their bags past it when stowing under their own seat

notquiteaff

Someone ought to send the pax a tweet to get clarification.

txaggiemiles

Fixed. I'm a scientist and lawyer so I understand the distinction. I was drinking a cocktail in the pool on Memorial Day break and got carried away with my prose.

I want to clarify - I am not blaming the passenger. I think it was a screw up. I think the FA apologized and I think the passenger forgives the FA. I do think the after-incident service was a mess up, but not a huge deal. I think the issue, which UA caused, was handled reasonably.

I was merely commenting on the reporting. From what we know, I think the bag was under his own seat, unless the passenger left his seat, for which there is no indication.

blueman2

I really need to remember to include emoticons. My comment was a wink comment since I knew, of course, you were just using hyperbole.

docbert

His latest tweet :

"Ever sat in the front row? There is no seat in front of you to out a bag under...."

So it would appear that the suggestion that he put it under his own seat are correct.

rustykettel

My wife flies enough to qualify by segments and she was going to stick it under her bulkhead seat last month. Worse yet, the FA (who was elsewhere during our exchange), tells her to put her small purse underneath rather than up above. Which meant I got further dirty looks.