Often1

Yup. A genius move to schlep a larger bag than necessary. The world is full of one-offs, but I don't see this as being an attractive option for the vast majority of passengers.

Bottom line is that the bins are shared space and that is the end of it. Once it's up there, if it gets shifted around, that is not something you may control.

While most aircraft don't have enough OH space for all "legal" carry-ons, the fact is that there are two problems, one of which is the carriers' and the other the passengers':

1. Letting people bring on too much or oversized carry-ons.
2. Passengers who put small items in the OH before the larger bags are on.

Whatever you believe to be the correct answer to these issues as a policy matter, the fact is that these are the source of the problem. It is geometric not anything else.

jdrtravel

Totally incorrect. IMO all pax are entitled to place one bag in the overhead bins if there is room when the pax boards. FA's may ask pax to place smaller bags on the floor to make room, but this is a request, not a regulation, and one that I feel zero guilt about not complying with.

If I choose to only bring one small bag on board so that I can keep the space under the seat in front of me clear to have more leg room, that's my choice. I should not have to give up my legroom so someone else can avoid checked luggage fees.

LonghaulCommuter

I agree entirely. The stated limit is one carry on bag plus a personal item like a purse or briefcase. By default, that personal item should fit on the floor so the most anyone should ever be allowed to place in the OH is one item if they adhered to the rules. That being said, if I bring just a personal item like a briefcase that takes up all the space where my feet would be, I should have the priority to place it in the OH over somebody who brings the maximum two items. The logic is that my briefcase takes up much less space than the big roll aboards so I'm a more cooperative passenger. It is ridiculous that I should sacrifice my comfort over someone who is part of the problem.

No_Name

Zeeb

Same here. And in my experience if you are carrying something expensive or sensitive for your employer they instruct you to put it on the opposite side bin if it won't fit under your feet for just that reason.

To the OPs question though - You snooze you lose if you were sitting down and fiddling with your bag but if you were standing up and just grabbing a few things out then it is a dick move to for somebody to toss a bag in to a spot that someone else is obviously about to put their bag in to it.

TheHorta

Often1

That may be your view, but it is not DL's, not is it any other carrier's (with the exception of BA which provides specific carry-on tags for specific sized bags and would tag a small underseat bag for the underseat area).

Space permitting, you may bring on 2 items. You do not have a claim on any particular storage space and must place it where DL, e.g. a FA, tells you to place it.

More commonly this occurs when a FA asks (tells) you to move your bag.

I've seen people try your line and watched them be told that they can move the bag to the underseat area or have it gate-checked. That usually gets action.

dalehill

Yup. Years ago I decided to make do with a smaller--but by no means small--piece of luggage instead of the roller bag. I put it in the overhead. I was told by a FA that I had to put it under the seat in front of me. It took up the entire space and it was a miserable flight. I have never made that mistake again. I bring the roller bag every time now. It actually takes up more room in the overhead, leaving a bit less space for everyone else but apparently that is the rule: if it can fit under the seat, they can force you to put it there.

ATOBTTR

Yep - this is exactly my attitude as well. I generally pack my backpack in a way that it can only fit in the overhead when packed as is and not under the seat so they can't force me to put it in there, but in a way that I can pull things out should I find my connection time running short and board to find no overhead bin space. The idea that I should have to give up comfort to make room for someone else's stuff is laughable and is indicative of an FA taking the lazy/easy way out and then punishing the person who has the audacity to stick up for themselves on a plane rather than telling the person with a roll-a-board "sorry, we're going to have to gate check that because we're out of room". Now if I have two carry-ons (roll-a-board plus backpack), I do pack my backpack in a way from the beginning to allow me to put it under the seat in front of me to follow the rules. But if I only have one carryon, I will continue to put it in the OH bin so that I have the (already limited) legroom under the seat.

And such action results in the FA winning the battle and losing the long term war in that I now pack my one carryon in a way that it won't fit under the seat and subsequently takes up more space in the overhead bin. But it means the FA can go find someone else to push around rather than sacrificing my comfort.

ATOBTTR

Why? Why should those who only bring one carryon sacrifice their comfort for your larger bag? I almost always check a suitcase even if it's just a roll-aboard so that I can place my 1 carryon I bring on the plane in the overhead bin (as noted above, I've also just started to pack that one carryon in a way that it's too big to fit under the seat). But if those who only have one item have to place their smaller item under the seat, they have less legroom and that means less comfort - a lot less comfort. Meanwhile your bag goes in the OH bin and you still get the legroom and comfort. You win twice, perhaps three times - you get the extra comfort and you don't have to go to bag claim for that bag and you may have avoided a bag fee. And they lose twice, possibly three times - they have less comfort and they still have to go wait at baggage claim to claim the bag they checked, and they may have paid the bag fee.

pvn

That's an edge case; the fact that there are cases where things go one particular way doesn't disprove that the established social norm is something else.

jdrtravel

Yes, of course, FA directions are mandatory, but I'd put up as much of a reasonable fight as I could, especially in coach on a long haul. I would politely explain my logic and ask that the other pax roll aboard be checked instead. I would explain that I had taken advantage of the advertised benefit of early boarding to claim bin space that comes with having medallion status and the Amex card so that I did not have to stow something under the seat in front of me. Yes, technically you are correct that the FA has the right to move the bag or check the bag, but this is a case (again, especially on a long haul flight) where I would not give up easily. And no, I would not care at all about this delaying the flight, because the whole mess of not having enough bin space is a mess of DL's own making.

Zeeb

I've never seen an FA make somebody with only one bag take it out of the bin. If there's no room they just gate check the late bag. Besides, on any given flight there are dozens of people actually breaking the rules by putting their roller bag in the wrong way (especially with the new bins - people still put their rollers in the old way and reduce the available room) or just straight up sideways. And FAs don't have enough interest/time to make people fix that. If it really was that important to make sure somebody got their bag up in the bin they can grab one of the sideways rollers that actually breaks the rules and gate check that.

dalehill

Maybe you didn't see it but it happened to me. And it was a long haul flight -- ATL-SFO. And I did argue. I even explained that I have back issues, including sciatica and need to be able to move my feet and that's why I only brought one bag. I argued that if it was a slightly larger bag, we wouldn't be having this conversation and asked why I am being penalized for not bringing a bigger bag that takes up even more room in the overhead. The FA was having none of it. "Ma'am, the bag needs to go under the seat in front of you." So fine. Roller bags from now on. It's ridiculous but you do what you have to do.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Quoting the OP (and correcting his typos ): "Fortunately, I travel with an eBags weekender, so I can cram it by my feet and don’t have to go back a few rows to find a space."

The implication was that OP had a single bag. There is nothing wrong with a PAX putting their only bag in the OHB.

Also, "I can cram it by my feet" does not invoke the sense of ease you imply with "bag was small enough to fit under the seat in front of you."

For some of us, having adequate foot space is more important than for, perhaps, others.

If I have a single item, it is certainly going to go into the OHB. Why should I sacrifice foot room so that someone else can put both of their items in the OHB and enjoy the foot room that I need?