No, not at all. In that situation, smash the thing. Your post made it sound as if the maintenance staff smashed it in front of all the other pax as a way of giving her the finger, which is a different reality entirely from what happened.

And, in truth, the thing never should have been on the plane in the first place. If it's too fragile to be in the overheads and it's too big to go under your seat, it needs to be on the big brown plane at the other end of the airport for its trip home.

I know this is Delta's policy on musical instruments:

What Musical Instruments Can Be Carried On?
Guitars and other smaller musical instruments, such as violins, will be accepted as your free carry-on baggage item on Delta and Delta Connection® carriers flights¹. These items must easily fit in the overhead bin or other approved storage location in the cabin, based on available space at the time of boarding. If adequate space is not available, then the item must be checked and fees will apply.
That being said, taking up an entire bin for one passenger should not be allowed. If I have carry on size restrictions for my bag, the same should apply to your musical instrument. I arrange to ship large purchases or have them packed to check on. Why shouldn't that apply to musical instruments? Actually nothing says the size restrictions don't apply. It is bending the rules that causes problems.

I overpack. I admit it. I generally wind up with too much luggage to be able to carry it by myself and need to take a cart. (In my defense, I overpack because my itineraries are always international and often involve varied climates and I know that I am going to wind up buying a lot of stuff for my (now-grown) children, so I have two half-filled suitcases outbound and two full ones on the return trip.)

I put anything which is not particularly valuable (or breakable) in these suitcases and check them but that still leaves me with a roller board and a briefcase. The rollerboard goes in the bin. I keep the briefcase under the seat in front of me until and unless after everyone in my row has boarded and I see that there is still room in the bin. In that case only do I feel free to put my briefcase up there as well.

If a congenital overpacker like me can manage this, anyone can.

My understanding is that the reason neither a tablet nor a laptop should be in the seatback pocket, is because either one can become a projectile during severe turbulence. The edge of some tablets is almost knife-like.

I always find these regulations amusing (though I am certainly not disagreeing with you). How is my iPad in the seatback pocket more dangerous than a tray full of dishes, silverware, and glassware during meal service in domestic F? And what about the metal water bottle that can be shoved into the little pockets? The TSA continues to baffle me with their total lack of practicality...

They do not serve during takeoff and landing.

Once in the air, you are certainly free to put your small electronics wherever.

Back on topic though, one issue is that "lap-top bags" are mutating into full blown luggage that can have a laptop in it. DL should probably redo the rules to clarify what is allowed and what is not.

Alas, as they do not enforce them anyway, it hardly matters.

Error on both sides here. Pax should have a personal item that fits under seat and FA should not phrase the comment that way.

IAWTC

One should expect that the FAs will not make rude, subjective comments...

One would hope that FFs understand space restrictions and pack accordingly...

I don't care to put the time into studying which particular A/C and configuration is servicing a particular route. I carry a 16x12x2" soft-side bag that holds my netbook w/power cables, critical documents, and a few comfort items. It easily fits under the seat... it fits in the bin, upright, and takes up minimal space (where space is available). Everything else goes in checked bags.

Plan for the worst... hope for the best...

I really don't see why there's such major trauma over this...

First of all I am suprised that you dont known the difference between TSA and FAA. You can get a crash course on google. :cool:

As for the seat back pocket according to FAR:

http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviat...ne_safety/info
An InFO contains valuable information for operators that should help them meet certain administrative, regulatory, or operational requirements with relatively low urgency or impact on safety.
Subject: Stowage of Items in Seat Pockets
Purpose: To clarify guidance for air carriers about the stowage of items in seat pockets.
Discussion: Existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy in FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 3, Chapter 33, Section 6, Operations—Cabin Safety, states that carry-on baggage programs should …”Prohibit the stowage of carry-on baggage and other items in the lavatories and seat back pockets (the only items allowed in seat back pockets should be magazines and passenger information cards)…”
The intent of the carry-on baggage regulation, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 121, § 121.589, is to prevent carry-on items from slowing an emergency evacuation and to prevent injury to passengers by ensuring items are properly restrained. Seat pockets have been designed to restrain approximately 3 pounds of weight and not the weight of additional carry-on items. Seat pockets are not listed in the regulation as an approved stowage location for carry-on baggage. If a seat pocket fails to restrain its contents, the contents of the seat pocket may impede emergency evacuation or may strike and injure a passenger.
If small, lightweight items, such as eyeglasses or a cell phone, can be placed in the seat pocket without exceeding the total designed weight limitation of the seat pocket or so that the seat pocket does not block anyone from evacuating the row of seats, it may be safe to do so.
The requirements of the carry-on baggage regulation are applicable to take-off and landing. Nothing in the carry-on baggage regulation prohibits a passenger from taking out small personal items from an approved stowage location and placing them in the seat pocket after takeoff and stowing them in approved locations prior to landing. Crewmembers may still direct a passenger to stow carry-on items in an approved stowage location, during flight should they pose a hazard, such as in the case of turbulence.
Recommended Action: Directors of safety and directors of operations should review their approved programs to ensure they consider the hazard presented by stowing items in seat pockets and the programs appropriately mitigate the associated risks. Training managers and crewmembers should be aware of the risk mitigations developed by the air carrier. An air carrier has the responsibility to identify proper risk mitigations and train its personnel appropriately; and the authority to enforce the risk mitigations it develops.
Point of Contact: Any questions regarding this InFO should be directed to the Part 121 Air Carrier Operations Branch, AFS-220 at (202) 267-8166.

While the TSA baffles everyone.. this is really an FAA rule.

IMO, nothing wrong with the rules as written. True, 'laptop bags' is a bit undefinable but the point remains the same... One bag for the o/h, a personal carry-on that fits under the seat. Where you choose to place your laptop is up to you.

More rare that I use it today but my occasional second carry-on -- which happens to be a rolling laptop case -- is a bit chunky but it fits under my seat. As long as it fits, is there really any reason to rewrite the rules?

How about if the CEO of the airline says it? The famous line from Ryanair's Michael O'leary to people complaining about baggage issues --
"Stop bringing so much old rubbish with you."

And, as has been established, there is no "rule" that requires you to put anything under the seat. There is no "one up, one down" rule.

It is rare that I am not in FC... it happens but, knock wood, it happens infrequently so far.

I try my best to get a bulkhead seat since, even in FC, I wish to avoid being able to count the hair follicles when the person in front of me does a rapid descent with the seat recline. Thus, I am in the habit of being among the first to board, as there are a multitude of folks who will put their bags above row 1 even if they are in row 3.

I travel with a rollaboard and an over the shoulder computer bag. I will not check luggage... period. When the airline improves baggage handling timeliness and reliability, I might reconsider. But, since I carry a CPAP machine, there is too much risk in trusting my health to the baggage handlers.

I formerly used a 22" rollaboard that would fit wheels in on any DL plane other than a CRJ or a MD-8X with the "I wonder what the overheads will be when they grow up" bins. However, in the spirit of cooperation, I recently selected the 20 inch Hartmann for my 2MM gift (and I carry a copy of the e-mail from DL promising that the bag is size-wise legal).

So, when I am in the bulkhead, both of my allowed items go in the overheads.

And guess what, at 6'2" with size 13 shoes, and a bum leg that needs to stretch out, both of my allowed items go in the overheads even when I am not in the bulkhead.

That said, I do watch out, and if anyone boarding late truly needs the overhead space, I am the first to volunteer to remove my computer bag. I am not going to stand by and watch someone else check a bag for my convenience.

But, guess what... I don't commonly see anyone pressed to find OH space in FC. If they do, its because they are trying to squeeze an over-sized rollaboard in. Even then, I would relent, if removing my laptop bag would make enough space for their steamer trunk.

But no, I am not going to remove my laptop bag and put it under the seat just so someone else can put their laptop bag in the overheads and not have it at their feet.

And, if someday I decide that one shoulder is sufficiently lower than the other to warrant purchasing a laptop bag with wheels, as long as it is nominally no greater in size than my current wheel-less laptop bag, then I'll damn well buy it and use it as my "personal item"... because that is what it will be.

And, no, I will not maintain two different laptop bags and switch back and forth from one to another just because someone else feels I should be monitoring aircraft size and accommodating accordingly.

Actually, I find the system works fairly well, if all participants exercise a little consideration for others. DL management could further facilitate the situation by some more intelligent bin selection, but that would hamper baggage fee revenue (not in FC, I realize).

My sense is that you want everybody to have a bag at their feet, and empty space in the overheads.

And I do sympathize with you on your TSA run-in. "None of your freakin' business" would be my response to an inquiry about any of my medication.

Haha, still the wrong discussion on symptoms. DL has reduced the underseat storage by the AVOD boxed, reduced the overhead storage by stupid partitioning and magazine/blanket storage (example: 330 row 11, 763 Row 20 and 21), and failed to compensate for this during the cabin update.

Basically we have less storage space and less luggage allowance than we had before, and of course we as paying customers, are supposed to suffer twice.

Honestly, who of all the FF on this boards does not get a head ache when the GA/FA is announcing counterintuitive (or simply wrong) information like: "This plane has extended overhead storage on the side with three seats"? In my logic, the overhead bin is indeed slightly bigger BUT there are THREE pax on that side, resulting in NOT having extended overheads ...

I'm an overpacker as well and I agree with you. The second bag goes in the bin ONLY if others have boarded and room remains.

All this parsing of the rules and blathering about rare cases is simply cover for self-entitlement. I mean, seriously, people need to have it spelled out that you should be considerate? The now constant "bins are shared space" announcements are not enough?

Frankly, it isn't even the self-entitlement that bothers me, but the absurd ways some seek to justify what is, objectively, rude behavior. I've said it before and will say it again, if it has wheels it is almost certainly not a personal item. Full stop. Just because the rules don't say so doesn't mean that a reasonable, considerate, and marginally informed traveler shouldn't be able to infer the intent of the rule.