pitflyer

As an elite flier on many airlines, I've been lucky enough to sit in first class on upgrades on American, USAirways, United and Delta. In fact, I've been 100% on upgrades since I became elite on Delta, so that's great. However, what is very frustrating to me is that on the MD-80s that I'm always taking (PIT-ATL, ATL-PIT) the bins are completely full by the time I board as the latter part of zone 1 boarding. I don't like standing/crowding the gate area, even if I am in the first zone to board, so I sit and wait till it's called and then I board. I am always having to put my carry-on back over row 6 or so; and it's not because everyone has an overhead, but because a few select pax seem to have no consideration for others. I rarely this experience in hundreds of flights on USAirways or American (and the few I've been in FC on United).

<vent on>

A prime example, and if I had a few more Bailey's in me I may have gotten aggressive; a Platinum medallion sitting across from me took the WHOLE overhead (and this is the long side) by putting in his bags sidewise -- and these were relatively small bags. This included his soft sided duffel and a small attache that was small and _EMPTY_ -- he had taken out his laptop and placed it in the seat back (DL FAs never seem to notice or care about this). He had nothing at his feet, and didn't even use the extra legroom (ie his feet stayed squarely in front of the seat in front of him). While on the other hand, I had to squeeze my bags into the space in front of me, and the rest of FC had to take their bags into coach. And note that Mr. Im-So-Important-Platinum-Medallion also turned on his cell phone before the plane had even landed. (a few more Baileys next time.. I tell ya)

As a plea to fellow Medallion members -- please put your bag in lengthwise on the long side-- almost all of them will fit and then no one will have to fight the hordes backwards when getting off the plane!

<vent off>

Traveller

I can't tell you if DL flyers are more bin hogs than on other airlines, but it would help if there were instructions on the ABC-side bins of the MD80s that let people know that most wheeled bags could go in wheels first. It would also be nice if the FAs protected the 1st class and bulkhead coach bins for those sitting there, then there wouldn't be such a mad gate rush to get on at the beginning of Zone 1.

Cholula

Another good example of "if you snooze, you lose" IMO. If you've got bags to stow you've got to make an attempt to be among the first people to board. With people carrying everything but the kitchen sink onboard as well as some FA's who use FC bins for stowing their stuff, the overheads fill quickly.
I don't think this is necessarily a DL problem...it happens on WN as well where there is no FC. If you're not in the A group or the first part of the B group, you're going to be scrambling for overhead space.

CelticFlyer

Some FC flyers on Delta are arrogant a$$holes just as on many other airlines. It would help if more people actually used the area under the seat in front of them, however, it also doesn't help that on the likes of the 737-800s half the underseat slots in FC are obstructued by plastic boxes and emergency equipment!

jeffreyt

This is unrealstic, especially if you are on a delayed connecting flying. I am not one who crowds the gate when they board first class, but I will line up. I have seen it many times when I line up 4 or 5 people crowd in line in front of me. So you can even be there on time, and still not get storage space for your bag. Try to board? Yes. Try to be rude, no.

If there is no space left when I board and I have seen someone put everything they own up in the overheads, leaving nothing under their seat, I will ask them to move one of their bags. I too have seen people take whole storage bins and we can all agree that they're meant to share. I can certainly put my "personal item" below. And I always do.

Delta does seem more difficult on the MD-80s than I find AA, and it is because the DL bins are smaller.

The aircraft aren't private aircraft. We all need to share.

indufan

Row six on an MD88? I assume that you mean row 11. I fly MD88s a lot and like seat 4A. Often, I have to put my bag over row 10, but I don't mind that much. Ironically, my carryon bag will fit wheels last on some airplanes but won't on the MD88.

Cholula

I agree in the event of a late connection. But the OP said he casually boards when Zone 1 is announced and then wonders what happened to the overhead space. Overhead space in FC is limited due to a variety of reasons. FA's stowing stuff, sometimes emergency equipment or other misc. flight stuff, magazine slots in some bins, etc. In some cases 1/3 of the space can be taken up before any pax board.
Here's an idea. If you see a bunch of people queuing up to board in Zone 1 and they've all got roll-a-boards, that's your cue to get up and make an attempt to board asap rather than sauntering over just prior to the Zone 2 boarding call.
Elbows, pushing and shoving are not necessary but a sense of urgency is needed if you want your bag stowed above you.

vinnmann

Deleted

DLmedalliongold

I hate bin hogs! I've got a 20" roller that fits nicely wheels first, and I always put my "Personal Item" under the seat in front of me. A few weeks ago I was in 1C on a 738 and the A-Hole behind me filled the bin above him (2C & D) as well as the small bin above 1C & D. I found space for my personal Item over 4A & B, but my roller ended up over 11D, and we all know how hard it is to get back to 11D when everyone is heading for Door 1L!

When I returned to my seat, 1D was boarding and quite upset that there was no room for his items. I said loud enough for the man behind me to hear "Yeah, well we would have had room if selfish pigs didn't take up our space as well as their own!" Then I clearly made eye contact with him. If I was more confrontational, I would have taken his things out, left them in the isle, and put my roller up above Either that or dropped his bag in his lap and said, "Feel free to use the space under your seat instead of the space above our seats, jerk!"

Sorry, I just get annoyed sometimes with the lack of courtesy of other passengers!

djlandkpl

It's a combination of actions that create the problems.
1. The gate agents allow bags too large for the size wise box onto the plane.
2. The FA's don't enforce the wheels in first instructions. I think many passengers don't even try to make their bags fit wheels first.
3. The seat design makes it difficult to store items under the seat, especially in FC and the 764 outer aisle seats.
4. Bad overhead design. I'm sure there are weight restrictions to be considered. The domestic 763 bin design is terrible.

RobertS975

I fly a lot, and it is rare that a passenger boarding relatively late in the game cannot find room for their stuff... I have not recently seen the need for gate check carry-on luggage because of lack of room in the overheads. First class bin space is often at a premium for many of the reasons already outlined... FC pax often on business trips do not have checked luggage at all, attempting their trips with just carry-on luggage... more often than not have a computer bag as well... higher percentage of bulkhead seats in an MD88 or 737 FC cabin relative to bin space... front bins taken up with FA bags and first aid kits/life rafts/ oxygen tanks etc.

From all that we hear, at least we will no longer have to find room for all the pillows they cram into the FC bins!

chsb

On the AA MD80s-83s there are at times problems with this as I have flown AA primarily over the past few years since DL started their cutbacks at DFW. But the FAs on AA many times will take a soft side duffel out of the overhead and as whose bag it is. When the culprit claims it they make him/her put it under the seat.

Canarsie

I fly in the front cabin regularly on Delta Air Lines aircraft and find that — more often than not, whether it is an MD-88, MD-90, 737, 757 or 767 — there is usually room in the overhead bins in domestic First Class flights.

However, I notice that passengers assigned to coach class seats will sneak their baggage into the overhead bin in the First Class cabin before moving on to their seat, even if not all of the first class passengers have yet boarded or have been seated. They have an awful lot of nerve. I never understood this, as I like my bag (yes, bag — ask some of the FlyerTalk members who know me!) to be near me, no matter where I sit on the aircraft.

Perhaps the sneaky stowage of belongings by coach class passengers could be exacerbating the overhead bin space problem?

JS

One time I observed another First Class passenger on a Delta MD-88 try to stuff his very large duffle bag into the overhead bin. This thing didn't say "US Army" on it, but it may as well have it was so large. It simply would not fit, it was so big!

Since that didn't work, he put it underneath the seat in front of him -- actually, underneath both seats in front of his row. Since it's a duffle bag and not a hard-sided suitcase, it fit in between the seat supports of the two seats (something that would not work in Business Elite or a 767-400).

The passenger seated next to him didn't seem to mind having his legroom stolen from this selfish person who didn't understand the concept of "checked baggage", and the flight attendants didn't do anything about it.

If I had been seated next to him, his bag would be in the cargo hold where it belongs; there is no way I am going to give away my space underneath the seat in front of me. Besides, I usually have my laptop bag with me, and that is where it goes.

Regarding the topic title, it doesn't just happen on Delta, and it doesn't just happen in First Class. People everywhere bring on as much stuff into the cabin as they can physically carry or tow, and no one has the guts to stop them. Why?

One time on an AA MD-80, we took a 30 minute delay because a passenger (this was in coach) had a bag too large to fit underneath the seat in front of her, and there was no room in the overhead bins. The reason for the delay was that we had already pushed back from the gate, so we had to go back to the gate, and then we had to take on more fuel because we had departed with the FAA minimum fuel load and burned some it going back to the gate.

In an operating environment that consists of $50/barrel oil, impending bankrupcty or liquidation, considering all the nickel-and-diming that airlines have done -- removing pillows, charging for drinks overseas, charging for movies, frequent flyer program "enhancements", removing meals or selling meals, snack "enhancements", trailer trashing the First Class service -- would someone please tell me why airlines continue to allow cabin baggage to be such a problem?

It delays flights (that costs money), and it costs the airlines revenue, because if people brought only the legal amount of carry-on, those with two 50 pound checked bags would be paying the additional/overweight baggage fee.

bursa

Well, how would you stop pax from carrying on oversized bags? There's no easy and fun solution, unless the gate agent looks at all the bags that the pax carry when they hand the BPs to be scanned...
Relax, the problem's not limited to DL...