Crew Bags in Overhead - Gate Lice
If there were ever a reason to be a member of the Gate Lice it was on AS 536 last night.
After going over to the N Terminals only to find out that the Gate changed to D10, we went back over to board the slightly delayed flight to ONT.
Having no status (but thinking of changing from CO Gold), the 3 of us managed to board as early as we could in the rush for Y passengers and proceeded to our seats in Row 25 only to discover that the overheads on our side were completely full with crew bags (they filled part of Row 24 as well). I managed to get my wife's computer bag and my computer bag up into the bin across the aisle right beside the safety equipment that half-filled that bin.
As others boarded it became clear what the $20/bag policy and the full bins at the back were causing as this had to be one of the longest boarding flights I have been on for some time because of people vainly searching for overhead space. In my view, an additional 10-15 minutes at least was lost as people tramped to the back, found the bins full and had to 'swim' against the tide to find bin space back up toward the front. It had all started with the crew bags filling up 1 1/2 bins in the back coupled with the safety equipment taking most of the bin right across. Eventually the bins were all full and at least 1 or 2 carry-ons were gate-checked - adding more time.
As a direct result of this nonsense, deplaning also took about twice as long as I thought normal because of people having to haul out their monster bags as well as people in the back having to figure out where their bags were ahead.
Surely they have bag sizers in SEA. Surely crew bags don't have to take up what is already limited space at the rear of the 737-400. Why can't crew bags be interspersed all along the plane?