Originally Posted by
emma69
Erm, the airlines specifically tell you to pack fragile / valuable items etc. in your hand luggage, so presumably they agree with the premise of others understanding that something in your bag could be fragile / delicate.
I always took "hand luggage" to mean whatever it was that would fit beneath the seat in front of you. Even if people are being careful about what they put in the bin and around your fragile belongings, as we've all heard ad nauseam, "Items may shift during flight."
If it's delicate enough to get crushed by someone putting something on top of it, it's delicate enough to get damaged during turbulence. Why risk it?