Originally Posted by
JC5280
I am surprised you put your laptop in an overhead bin. In my 20+ years of traveling, I lost count of how many times I watched another traveler lob their heavy roll-aboard in to an overhead bin and in to a fragile laptop. Sometimes you hear the crack of a screen, sometimes you don't. But either way, the laptop almost always loses this fight, and I would imagine the damage isn't always discovered right away. In fact, Ive watched some flight attendants ask people to hold their laptop bag at their seat (mostly because they have seen this too) to avoid this happening.
And overhead bins are cleaned far less frequently than carpets, if at all. The bins are actually not even part of the cleaning SOP, other than lose items, so I would recommend you reconsidering your logic there.
i carry my laptop in a small (just a bit larger than the laptop itself), well-padded laptop bag. If I think I might use it during the flight, I’ll put it under the seat in front of me - it fits - but if not, I prefer to have it in the overhead if possible. I never put it in there until boarding is complete - that way, I can avoid it being harmed, and since it is pretty small, I can put it upright. Has always worked for me. Not too worried when the bins are pretty full, since there’s little movement of the bags to one side of the other during take off/landing.
same thing with my small backpack, prefer in overhead, but can get away with it under seat. There’s almost always room once the bins are loaded with rollers, inbetween, etc. i don’t want to be the guy with a small backpack taking up room the a roller can fit in - much easier for me to hang onto it for a bit, then get it in there after the rollers, and there is still room.