Originally Posted by
BamaGirl
I guess I'm an outlier. When I see an FA asking about moving personal items (which are 90% of the time computer bags) to keep late arrivals from having to gate check a bag, I offer to place them under my seat next to my purse for takeoff and landing (if it will fit / and the owner will take them in the interim). Usually the offer is declined. The worst part is those same people are almost always the first to hop up when the seatbelt sign goes off to grab those same bags and keep them at their seats. I always hope karma bites them at some point when they reeeeeally need bin space.
What about those of us who really need the leg room? I'm 6'4, well into the 99th percentile for height, and most of it is in my legs. And just out of curiosity, when I check my bag so that I can have the space under my seat free and available, why should I feel sorry for "late arrivals" who now have to gate-check their bag if bin space runs out? They'll be going to the same baggage claim I'm going to because I checked my bag so I could have that space under the seat in front of me for comfort.
On a recent flight I didn't check my roll-a-board, so my personal item went under the seat in front of me. I was due to arrive in SEA pretty late and thought I'd save 20 min by not checking my suitcase, which meant my backpack went under the seatspace I usually use to stretch me legs. Mere minutes after sitting down, I wished I had checked my roll-a-board. Due to the very late booking and limited flexibility in my schedule, it was my first time in quite a while on a DL flight where I wasn't in either an exit row, C+, or FC and I honestly hadn't been that miserable and cramped on an aircraft since flying knee to knee on Blackhawks (actually I think the Blackhawk was slightly more comfortable).