Bulkhead and bags
Dec 1, 2011 | 6:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Toronto
Posts: 40
Bulkhead and bags
A thread on carryons made me remember a surprise I had on a flight from Athens to Toronto last September. My husband and I had paid extra for "preferred" seats in the first row behind the more expensive "comfort" section. (This is an all-economy flight on an older plane--the comfort seats at the front used to be first class.) It was not an exit row, there was a wall between us and the forward section, and I was seated next to the window. We stowed our carryons above us for takeoff (in this case at least, overhead space was not an issue!) Once we were in the air, I took my carryon down, set it in front of me and rested one leg on it. I have a circulation problem in that leg and am supposed to elevate it as often as possible.
A flight attendant came along and told me, rather severely as if I should have known, that it is not permitted to have a bag in front of a bulkhead seat at any time because if there was turbulence, she would have to come back and tell me to stow it and what if I were sleeping. I put the bag back up. She then turned her attention across the aisle to a mother and grandmother with a baby who had a diaper bag open in front of them and told them the same thing. We were all surprised, having flown in bulkhead seats before and been told we only had to stow the bags for landing and takeoff.
It was not a question of blocking an exit. People in rows behind us had items not shoved all the way under the seats in front of them, but nothing was said. It occurred to me that lifting the bags in and out of the overhead compartment many times during the flight--the mom and grandmother got their exercise with that diaper bag!--was a safety hazard too.
Is this a new rule or an old one only rarely enforced?
A flight attendant came along and told me, rather severely as if I should have known, that it is not permitted to have a bag in front of a bulkhead seat at any time because if there was turbulence, she would have to come back and tell me to stow it and what if I were sleeping. I put the bag back up. She then turned her attention across the aisle to a mother and grandmother with a baby who had a diaper bag open in front of them and told them the same thing. We were all surprised, having flown in bulkhead seats before and been told we only had to stow the bags for landing and takeoff.
It was not a question of blocking an exit. People in rows behind us had items not shoved all the way under the seats in front of them, but nothing was said. It occurred to me that lifting the bags in and out of the overhead compartment many times during the flight--the mom and grandmother got their exercise with that diaper bag!--was a safety hazard too.
Is this a new rule or an old one only rarely enforced?
Dec 4, 2011 | 10:18 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: AC SE100K MM, Accor Plat
Posts: 220
agree this sounds like total BS. Most of the time I've seen flight attendants either say they will gladly store it for you during take off and landing. The really nice ones even offer to get it back down for you during the flight. it would be like almost impossible and would cause all sorts of screaming babies if you couldn't have the diaper bag and toys readily available.