ATOBTTR

Nope. Just a military ID per the announcement. And I've never actually had them check my ID as I board if I've opted to use the military boarding. I use it if I'm in Y/C+ to get my bag over my seat. If I'm in F, I don't. I just wait and board with FC because then I'd feel like I was someone who just couldn't wait to get to my F seat when it's the very next group to board anyway.

flyerCO

Some cities don't follow this policy. At least in SAT, a plane could be half full with active duty uniformed services members.

Intl359Widget

So true... I fly in and out of AUS/SAT all the time to NYC and half of the plane is either active duty military, defense contractors, or former military plus the occasional crunchy mom types or hipsters.

shipitfish

Was on Compass metal on DL flight this morning from PDX-SEA. Was in the club and overheard a couple debating whether they needed to rush to the gate, and I told them DL boarding passes usually had a 10 minute cushion before boarding, and most domestic flights board 30 minutes before. Man says: "Oh, that's for people like me who are usually late". Woman says: "We know, we fly a lot".

They quickly exit the club, I stay five minutes more to finish up some work and mosey to the gate. I arrive and they're boarding special assist, and there's a line for PREM boarding already. I get in that line, but my new "friends" are nowhere around. (Did they stop for coffee? There was some at the club...)

I board and have no rollerboard because I've checked, so I have a large backpack and a laptop bag. I slip laptop under the FC seat and stow the backpack in OH, turning it on its side. Third party FC PAX boards and doesn't even try to turn his bag wheels or handles first, leaving small space between my backpack and his rollerboard.

Last FC to board is my "friends" from the club. They are stowing while I ask FA if they have a closet for my coat (they rarely do on Compass EMB 175), and FA confirms no. I wait for PAX to clear aisle and get up to stow my coat. I find that my backpack has been moved by my "friends" to OH in coach, so they they could stow a rollerboard on its side. I say: "You really should ask the owner before moving someone's bag". Man mumbles "Sorry". I then rejigger both third-party bag and my "friend"'s bag to be handle first, and bin closes fine. Now there's ample room for my backpack and coats. I tell Man: "I stowed your baggage correctly and now everything fits", he scoffs.

On the ground, I am surprised to see him go back to coach OH quickly upon seatbelts-off. Turns out between him and wife, they had four carry-ons that wouldn't fit under the seat, so he stowed two in coach and two in FC. (Keep in mind that on the EMB 175, only one side OH can fit standard OH luggage).

I wanted to say upon deplaning: "Soon, you'll fly enough to learn how to stow bags correctly", but that seemed unnecessarily cruel.

The amusing part is I'm about to board SEA-AMS and I overheard them saying they are "only in coach" for this flight. I'm in D1 with a GUC. Hoping to see them during boarding when I turn to go up front. Although, I'm half expecting my OH to be filled with their bags when I get there.

TIL: Some FC passengers are more entitled to OH space than the rest of us, even those of us in FC.

enviroian

If they each had two carryons that only fit in the overhead bin then they had one too many carry on bags and shame on the gate agent for not forcing a gate check of two of the four bags.

MSPeconomist

TuxTom

How did this thread go from October to almost February without a post? Did FlyerTalkers really make it through the entire holiday season without a single DYKWIA story?

MarkP24

I was kind of wondering that too!!

MSPeconomist

bergamini

3furballs

MarkP24

Sounds about right!

shipitfish

The woman's purse. Admittedly, it's possible one of his four OH bags (a large backpack) might have fit under the seat, but he did not seem to even try. (I admit I'm bad at eyeballing a bag and being sure it won't fit under seat -- I'm a FF but never learned that skill; always been bad at spatial stuff like that.)

mridley2

All animals First Class Passengers are equal, but some animals First Class Passengers are more equal than others.

MSPeconomist