Originally Posted by
wutlol
2. I was the first one on the plane due to pre-boarding but it is definitely possible she thought the bag in the overhead space (I assume belonging to the airline or crew, I didn’t investigate it closely) in the row ahead of me was mine. This is the only reasonable theory I’ve considered so far.
I would guess that's most likely what happened. I've witnessed a similar misunderstanding before with someone attempting to put a sizeable backpack up. However the crew member very clearly explained that he could only have his larger bag in the overhead. That allowed him to clarify that none of the bags in the overhead were his and that the backpack was his only bag.