Originally Posted by generaltao

I disagree. I think the OP is right from start to finish. He only had one bag. Leg room matters. It's very difficult (some would say impossible) for a business traveler to get on an plane completely empty handed. And if said traveler happens to have longer legs (or bigger feet) then leg room is important.

It's not at all unreasonable to stick one's only carry-on in the overhead, regardless of size.