A similar problem: Acela first class attendants "saving" one of the coveted small tables for themselves. They pile things on the table and seats so that others can't sit there. I've been round-and-round on this with Amtrak Customer Service; of course they insist that their crews should not do this and that I should remind the crews of that policy (yeah, right, that's my job?). I've also been told to alert the conductor if the first class attendants refuse.

On one such occasion a last year I asked the attendant if anyone was sitting there (it was an early board at BOS and I was the first one on!), and she told me she didn't know whose belongings they were. So I told her I would seek out the conductor to let him know there was unattended baggage and that the police should be alerted ("see something, say something"). She shrugged. I went to get the conductor, and when we returned, magically the belongings were gone. I asked the attendant where they went, and she said the owner must have picked them up when she wasn't looking (yeah, right). Pathetic.