_kurt

You were completely in the right. If I am traveling in coach with only a backpack, I also put it overhead (unless I'm in an exit row). There is simply not enough space for my feet and legs otherwise. You shouldn't be penalized for planning ahead and only carrying on a single bag.

QueenOfCoach

I would have put my backpack under the seat in front of me in the first place, just out of consideration for the other passengers.

SpaceBass

moving a bag to behind the legs is the life hack we needed in 2019! That's a fantastic idea!

hotturnip

If you only have one carryon, you certainly have the right to keep it in the overhead. But I always keep small items under the seat anyhow--easier to stow and debark.

Another alternative would be to scan the nearby open bins, saying something like, "No, that's my only carryon, so it goes in the overhead. Maybe some of these people who've put purses and shopping bags up here have two items and could move one?

PHL

My issue with backpacks is that most people don't take them off their back when boarding the plane or other crowded spaces like people movers, elevators, public transit, etc.

Rarely does a boarding process finish without me, pre-boarded in my aisle seat, getting bumped when someone with an overloaded backpack turns their body and knocks me in the head or shoulder.

Dr. HFH

She asked politely and you declined politely. Where's the problem? Where's the rudeness?

TomBrady

Just out of curiosity are you a tall guy? (or girl) Cause im 5'10", (6'1" in the program) and I never have issues fitting. I dont think anyone has a problem with a guys above 6'2" putting their bags up. However if your 5'8" on a 2 hour flight, put your bag under the seat.

Often1

I am not sure what the big deal is. The woman asked a perfectly polite and reasonable question and OP gave a perfectly polite and reasonable answer.

It does not matter whether he is 5'5 or 7'5 and it does not matter whether he has two bags, both in the OH as this was a request by another passenger.

If a FA asks and then tells him to move it, that is another story. All the made up stuff about who has a "right" to what is just that, made up. At that point, one either takes the bag or it is gate-checked. But, that did not happen here.

ASMan

I would have done the exact thing you did, especially if it's your only carry-on item, regardless of flight length or any other justifications people have regarding this. What if you had 2 back-packs and already had one under your seat, was that any of her business? NO! Maybe she had the cheap fare where she was in the last boarding group - that is on her, not you! I stopped after the "each to their own comment, I would have" - great for you, do you automatically volunteer to give up bin space for the last few to board?

beachmouse

There's raw height and then there's leg length. I'm only 5'9" but most of that is femur and I often have issues with standard coach seats and leg room.

kaydee7

I think it's fine that you told her no. If that was your only bag and even if u had another, you had a right to that spot. I probably would have had my headphones on and maybe be borderline asleep already so I likely wouldn't have even responded.

andrewstahl

dgparent

Or the 27 announcements before boarding that you can check your bag free because the flight is sold out and they will run out of bin space

dici

After my kindness of switching my paid pre-select seat in BA with another passenger, and end up cramped by an extremely oversize passenger for 12 hours, I would say "NO" is the most polite for all the cases if you paid for your early boarding. There is nothing wrong with NO, you should get what you paid at the bottom line (definitely not like ask for upgrade of champagne in Y)

SpaceBass

I'm with ya!
But I'm also often reminded that a ton of people don't travel often. I wonder if there's data on this....I suspect some % of people on every flight have never flown before. I think about my peers and friends and while we are at similar professional levels, we live very different lives. I fly all the time and don't think twice about booking a last minute trip, and for them it's a special occasion to fly 2x a year. I suspect most people boarding a plane aren't pros at it.

I remember....and trust me, I cringe at this memory and if FT had a town square, I'd sign up to be in the shackles on my own volition.... super early in my career, I was like 22 and flying for work...I'd traveled more than the average person with my parents growing up, but wasn't a pro. I was in the middle seat, because, let's face it, who knew one could pick something else? And there was a guy in the window seat and it looked neater. So I asked him "would you be interested in trading seats, I love the window!?" (my current pose style notwithstanding, I think I actually said it like that). He looked at me like I was asking him to commit a crime and said "are you kidding? My window for your middle? No way!" and he went back to his view. No joke, I felt like I'd committed a huge sin and literally 20 years later I still remember that feeling.

I think my point is: duh! woah! now that I fly all the time, would I give up my window? no way (Aisle only pls, kthankxbye)... and why wouldn't someone else know that? You want *my* window seat? You know how much I traveled/paid/pre-planned/thought-ahead to get this? Unless, this isn't your normal thing.

Anyway, I assume 90% of other travelers are amateurs and I've started imagining that they are on some first trip - like the first family vacation, or the first trip to see grandma, or something else hard like going to visit grandad in the hospital, or something interesting like just got honored by home town high school... and when someone in sweatpants doesn't know how boarding works, I just smile and think they must be going to the beach for the first time.

I dunno... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ... people gonna people, amiright? Glad you all got to where you were going

(But still, if it were my only bag, I think I'd want to keep it up top too)