I experienced something odd on a flight a couple of weeks ago and was wondering if this was a one-off or a new policy. When I boarded my flight from IAH to UIO the flight attendant was adamant that only roller bags were allowed in the overhead bins. This applied even if, like me and my companion, you had checked your main bag and were only carrying a backpack with you that you didn't want taking up your leg room. When things got busier and she left our area, we ended up putting our backpacks up top, but it was really annoying to not have them up there from the start. I wouldn't have bothered boarding with Group 1 if I didn't want to put my bag in the bin. Have others experienced this? We had three other flights on this itinerary, including the return UIO to IAH and didn't experience this request from any other flight attendants, so hopefully it's not a new United policy.