Originally Posted by
iluv2fly
Actually, I try to put my carryon above the seat on the opposite side of my seat. That way you can really see if someone is messing with your bag. If you put it in the bin above yours, you really can't tell which bag someone may be accessing.
+1.
A friend of mine used to be a detective at LAX, & he told me one time they busted a ring of thieves who were working the LAX-LAS route.
People would put their carryons directly above their head, so they couldn't actually see them. The thieves would pretend to be putting their own stuff up there, but in actuality were ruffling through others' luggage & stealing things. He said the natural inclination for (most) folk is to lean away from the person standing next to you in the aisle when you're seated, because their crotch is in your face.
His advice was to put the carryon stuff opposite from where you're sitting so you can keep an eye on it or anyone near it.
Of course that doesn't help when you're sleeping, but it does help reduce the possibility of theft.
Cheers.