Originally Posted by WesTraveller

In all my years of traveling, I have never experienced this situation and want to see how you would have reacted.

I was seated in 1B in the B767-300ER transcon flight from SFO-JFK yesterday. I was probably the fifth or sixth person to board and because my carryon bag could not fit in the small overhead space above my seat, I stowed it above 1A.

Upon deplaning, after I opened the overhead compartment above 1A, I noticed the passenger seated in 1A remove his carryon bag. I was puzzled and dumbfounded, and immediately asked the flight attendant if they had moved my carryon bag. Passenger in 1A said he did not move my carryon bag. I opened the closet in front of 1A and the overhead over 1D, and could not locate my carryon bag, until most passengers had removed their carryon bags, and located mine above 5A. The other passengers were kind enough to let me step back to get my carryon bag, as they witnessed the situation. As I deplaned, the flight attendant apologized, but said none of the flight attendants moved my carryon bag.

As a former runner, I natrually walked past the passenger seated in 1A, and told him that I would have appreciated if he at least told me where he moved my carryon bag. He then denied again that he did not move it. I did not witness the bag moved, but I cannot fathom why anyone else would have motive to move it.

I understand if this passenger may have needed his carryon bag closer to him for any reason, medicinal, etc. But I would have appreciated to have been asked and to have known where it was moved. I have learned going forward to keep a closer eye on my carryon bag. The worst case would have been that I deplaned and expected my carryon bag on the luggage carousel, when it really was not gate checked.

What would you have done in this situation?