Originally Posted by SanFranciscoFiend

I'm in the same situation with being 4'10", but feel I'm strong enough to do it myself if I've slept well before the flight. If I'm fatigued, then I have to ask in the most polite way for help. Usually about 90% of the time that I start to maneuver to put the bag in the overhead bin, there's someone asking if I need help or just saying, "I'll do that for you," as it certainly looks like I'll make a few missed attempts or I'll be hurting someone near me... and about 50% of the time it is a FA helping.

If I do end up doing my own heavy lifting at the end of a flight, to get my bag down, I will wait for everyone to exit ahead who are behind me, then I have to stand on the vacant aisle seat to get it out. To lift it up, I first toss everything I need for my flight on my seat, then I usually promptly tell anyone already seated near me to watch their head and hope my aim is good. Usually my first attempt gets it to the edge and that alerts an FA to jump in and assist. I try never to pack a bag to the point of bursting at the seams and I try to fit it in a sturdy rolling duffle that is narrow; can hold about a week's worth of clothes that I can wear twice or wash by hand and dry overnight.