Forgive me the novel, but a possible solution to a common problem in a rather extreme circumstance (relatively extreme, but far from unique).

On Tuesday, returned FLL-LGA after a long weekend with a companion. We both get battlefield upgrades despite a very full flight (FLL-LGA in October is not the most elite-heavy route; only two on the UG list behind my non-status companion), and so we board after the rest of F.

The F overheads are now full, and the closest space for my friend's backpack, which is large but well within carry-on limits, is just behind F on the right-side bins (it's an MD88, so he's in the bulkhead and the right bins are smaller than the left). Coach pax store their bags carefully enough, so the rest of his bin is full but not awful. All's well.

At T-8: the Bag Crushers.

With an FA on the intercom announcing that overhead space is completely full and asking the remaining boarding pax to please move out of the aisle so that two carry-ons can be brought from the back to be gate-checked, a tall man in a suit and a suited female companion step on with what are each vastly oversized hard suitcases (neither can pull his/hers through the aisle).

FA stops the man before he can proceed and quickly tags his bag (he sighs and shakes his head), but he's between the FA and the woman, and the two both open and begin rummaging through the bin holding our backpack. After an unwitting young woman in the Y bulkhead offers to take her purse out, "if that helps," Mssr. and Mrs. Crusher begin relocating other small items from the bin, including someone else's small carry-on, which they can manage into an F bin, and begin, impressively in tandem, to shove her suitcase into the overhead.

My friend's now watching this worriedly. His bag holds his dress shoes, his sunglasses, his girlfriend's "famous" smoked salmon, and the Harry and David gift box for his grandmother. The FA first requests, and then chides, and then almost begs the pair to let her gate check the bag since it clearly won't fit and "other people have their personal property in there."

"We know," the female passenger says, raising her eyebrows and slightly smiling in exasperation. What sounds like the cargo door being closed is actually their suitcase, in defiance of physics, rocketing into the overhead. Three or four tries and the bin even closes. The FA gets on the intercom, clearly exasperated herself, and asks those in the bulkhead to please not open their bins inflight due to the potential for ejecting-bag-related injuries.

Upon deplaning, my friend pulls out his laptop and his Canon travel printer (in their own hard case) and the backpack and does an inventory: Harry and David: flattened. Sunglasses: badly bent, even in semi-hard case. The food gift box alone was worth about $100 and the glasses would need to be repaired. My friend rapidly types on his laptop, then prints off a page with the heading "INVOICE."

The Bag Crushers emerge, and my friend, document and evidence in hand, politely stops them. "Sorry, but I believe you destroyed some of my property." The couple is obviously stunned. He quickly notes that he had some minor valuables in his backpack, that the couple had carried on an obviously-oversized bag, that they had defied FA warnings and commands to desist from trying to store it, that they had acknowledged the presence of other people's belongs and the warning to respect them, and that they should have known that Olympian efforts to jam the suitcase into other bags would crush them.

"Destruction of property is an act liable for damages," my friend tells them, almost verbatim and in a very calm tone. "Here's your invoice. Rather than bother with small-claims court in Florida, I'd like to settle this now. The food and glasses will be $200, thanks, though if you think I can fix Ray-Bans for less, feel free to meet me in Broward." He opens the sunglass case for their inspection.

To her credit, the woman cut us a check on the spot.

Thoughts?

(Update: 1 a.m. PDST: My friend was in the F bulkhead, 2A, and so couldn't store the backpack in front of his seat.)

It would have cost them far less to check their bags at the counter.

Unfortunately, she has probably already stopped payment on the check.

That could be considered fraud, now a bigger problem.

I can't help but be reminded of a story from years ago working in semi-mgt at a large supermarket chain. A good regular customer came to the store office to report that she allowed her shopping cart to get away from her and it dented a car, and wanted us to turn in an insurance claim. We told her that the there was insurance for things that the store was at fault for, not things YOU are!! Amazing that people think they can just damage anything in sight, and expect someone else to pick up the tab!

Just a side note . . . A friend of mine here at PIT who works for US in baggage handling - his unofficial title was "Senior Bag Smasher", so I thought this thread was going to be about employee stuff, of maybe similar to the "We Were Gate Agents for a Day" thread!!

I love this story... quick thinking on your companion's part.

Interesting. It's all too common for people to have no regard for people's luggage. It's only a matter of time before damage to my electronics occurs. Maybe I should develop and print a few forms and then fill them in if/when the time comes.

I love the ending! With that said, the passengers should have listened to the flight crew. Perhaps the F/A involved could have been more assertive with them?

ha, I can't believe she really paid! Delta would have probably paid for the damages. However IMO a backpack should have been under the seat and not in the overhead, same with purses and briefcases.

No, the smaller of your items should be under the seat in front of you.

I travel light yet have been blasted by other passengers for having my backpack in the overhead. People asking "whose backpack is this ?" then informing me I should put it under the seat (to make room for their oversized bag). I just point to my netbook case already under the seat. That usually earns me a dirty look, even though I'm the one who is travelling smart and obeying the rules.

Steve

We wouldn't have this problem if everyone could just check one bag for free...

Even if so, the OP's friend now has their information from the check and can go after them.

I respectfully disagree. If you bring ONE item on board, my opinion is that your are entitled to place that one item in the bin above.

If you bring two items, I bleieve that you shoudl out of courtesy, place the smaller of the two under the seat (bulkheaders exempted of course).

If you bring three, you should be told to check one. If you bring something on board that won't fit, then you should have checked it. If you are not sitting in first, the closet isn't for your oversized hanging bag and the overhead in front of the curtain may well be convenient, but it isn't for you either.

We need a few more FAs with a sense of humor and a backbone. Last night JFK-SAN by the time we got to Zone 3, they were already bringing bags from the back to the front to gate check. Some of these suckers where huge.

I didn't realize there was a use for those travel printers. Great story, though I think I'd rather not have anything (particularly, gifts) get damaged.

I use a soft convertible backpack (full size carry-on, though) and tend to spend boarding time staring at the overhead in case someone wants to get all hulk smash on it with their hardside victornox.

i believe the OP indicated his friend was in the bulkhead.

love this story, and wish i had the wits and ability to pull it off if the same thing ever happened to me.