HawaiiO

It is Airlines/FAA regulation as to where the crew leaves their bags.

For a particular position on a particular plane, say the purser, there are designated spots in the OHB(overhead bin) where the crew leave their carryon bags.
Each crew member has an assigned bag spot in the overhead bins.
It is more apparent on the smaller planes where there is less space.
On the bigger planes, the crew bags are usually on the floor somewhere.

Yes, it competes with passenger bag space especially in winter travel.
However, it is regulation.

Sopwith

This captures in a few short sentences everything that is wrong with the airline business these days.

SceneStealer7

This is pretty terrible behavior, IMHO. I would guess that you piss off the crew more with your entitlement than your ask. You'd probably do far better to politely ask if they can help you rather than trying to belittle them into doing your bidding.

JVPhoto

I've flown plenty time on RJs and been in the 2nd row of other flights where sometimes yes there are crew things up there. I've never seen them not try to help out someone trying to stow their belongings above their seat.

But what TICKS ME off are people who get fussy about the overhead bins and have a trolley suitcase that could safely fit a half dozen contortionists in it that they are trying to cram and bang in.

blackdawn2

I have seen crew bags and it does seem like they're on a two week trip with no plans to do laundry. But I have read before (and again here in this thread) that some of that stuff is FAA required.

pjpoker

I want to believe you were just joking or trolling. If not, that is pathetically hilarious. I can only imagine the compliments and praise that the crew pay you from the galley when they are talking among themselves.

dulciusexasperis

I have often used flyertalk as a resource to look for information to link to when posting on other travel related forums. I've never bothered to register and start posting in flyertalk forums however. This topic s a long time pet peeve of mine and so has given me the nudge to register.

I'm wondering why no one has commented on how they deal with anyone other than air crew who take up more than their fair share of overhead bins. I mean, why do anything differently just because the items belong to crew?

Originally, an overhead shelf for hats, coats and briefcases was introduced for the convenience of passengers. Over time, passengers began stowing more and more items and doors were added to stop things flying around the cabin in the event of turbulence.

Personally, I would applaud the first airline to remove them completely. Anyone who has experienced severe turbulence knows that bins can and do fly open and injuries can and do happen from heavy items like laptops and dutyfree liquor bottles etc. flying around the cabin.

But dealing with what exists rather than what I wish existed, I have a simple method I use when I find the overhead bin above my seat filled. I consider everyone has an equal right to an equal amount of the space available. Crew or passenger makes no difference to me.

When I find the bin full, I re-arrange whatever is in it to allow me an equal amount of space. Usually, one bin serves 3 passengers, so that means 1/3 of the space should be available to me to use. What most often happens is the first 2 passengers put their 'carry-on' bag in the bin sideways.

By sideways I mean with the longer dimension of the bag parallel to the length of the plane. Doing so usually means the bin is at least 3/4 full. Simply put, the bags are too big for 3 to ever fit.

I travel with a 'carry-on' no bigger than a laptop bag and sometimes a hat and coat. I can easily store the hat and coat on top of the bag in 1/3 of the bin. I don't need more than my fair share in other words.

So what I do is turn the two (typical situation) carry-on bags I find in the bin so that they are taking up the width of the bag rather than the length. This frees up enough space for my things. Of course it invariably results in the two carry-on bags sticking out beyond the edge of the bin and the door cannot be closed. Not my problem.

Now this is important. I have done this countless times and only twice has another passenger said anything to me about it. In both cases I gave the same answer. 'Speak to the flight attendant.'. Most people, if they even notice, say nothing.

When the flight attendant comes down the aisle closing all the bins before take-off, s/he has to make a decision about what to do to be able to close the bin. I have yet to see a flight attendant decide to take out my things in order to turn the two carry-on bags around. They always take out one carry-on bag, turn the other one around and then find a place to store the one they took out. Not my problem. I would do the same whether it was the crews carry-on or a passenger's carry-on.

The reality is that people want to carry-on more than the bin is designed to take if all passengers share the bins equally. The assumption is some people won't need or chose to put anything in the bins and so someone using more than their fair share will be able to do so without inconveniencing any other passenger. But we all know this is not the case. There is rarely enough room in the bins for all the stuff people want to bring on board.

If someone wants to bring more then why do they not think to themselves, 'I have more than my fair share so I will put half this stuff under the seat in front of me'. Well, we know why that doesn't happen. It isn't convenient to them to give up their foot space. I simple terms, they're being selfish. The fact is, most don't even think about it. If someone chooses to be selfish, I have no compunction about upsetting their applecart by re-arranging their stuff in the bin.

tentseller

That reminded me of the joke about not pissing off your waiter.

Umm, did you order any beverage on your flight?

halfroev2s

I like the post 2 above.

On small regional jets, the only place a crew can put their luggage is in the overhead bins. The other place, the cargo bin, doesn't work because doing 6-7 flights with 20 min layovers means that those bags will most likely get left behind when the others are unloaded. Also some regional airlines have different baggage policies. Some allow whatever fits to be brought aboard. Others, only allow small bags like computer cases to go onboard. The rest are tagged and put into the cargo bin for the flight. I have seen flight attendants who carry way too many personal belongings and place them in the front bins. You can always take a picture and complain to the airlines complaint department to get a response.

cynicAAl

your belief that you are entitled to some allocated space in the overhead above your seat is incorrect. All overhead space is shared space throughout the plane.

ESpen36

I have no problem with FA bags taking up overhead bin space, as long as they are the WORKING FAs on that flight.

What ticks me off is when off-duty FAs who are deadheading home or to base get to board early with their FA buddies and take up all the bin space (not to mention occupy premium cabin seats that were then denied to elites for upgrades) with too much luggage.

Once, I was on JFK-SFO (a very elite-heavy route) and the flight had FOUR off-duty FAs in First Class who had boarded early and filled up the overhead bins. When I boarded into my seat, the off-duty FAs had the audacity to ask me to switch seats so that they could sit with their buddies. They almost made it sound as if it was an "official" request (i.e. FAA says I must follow crewmember instructions while on board), but when I got them to admit that they were not working the flight, just commuting home, I held my ground, and eventually they relented. I actually ended up having a great conversation with the off-duty FA sitting next to me as we descended into SFO.

Ancien Maestro

I've encountered crew carrying front and back before. Generally to avoid inconveniencing the first class cabin, the crew would sometimes store carry one front of the economy cabin and the FAs in the back if the economy cabin. The plane manufacturer could add some staff storage but the cost would far outweigh the benefits.

JVPhoto

It REALLY ticks me off when I go to a department store and I see those smug sales associates wearing clothes that they bought their with their 40% employee discount, who are they to use a perk or benefit of their job when they probably bought that last size medium sweater I wanted!! It's also so infuriating when I'm eating at a restaurant I just knoooooow that a table there is eating dinner on their night off and they are getting the meal for free and it's causing my food to come out slower and taking the working waiter's undivided attention way from me!

dulciusexasperis

[Unduly personalized remarks edited by Moderator.]

I never get into an argument on a plane. So here's my answer to you cynicAAl. I'm moving your stuff to make room for mine. Call a flight attendant if you have a problem with that. Not my problem.

LarryJ

The crews are not subject to the same carry on restrictions as the passengers. What the crews are allowed to carry on is specified in the carrier's approved carry on baggage policy which generally is not accessible to the public.

In the carry on baggage policy the airline will specify where the working crew's bags are to be stowed on each type of airplane that they fly. Sometimes the specified locations are convenient for the crews, sometime they are not. Sometimes they are in specific overhead bins. The airline looks at the available options on the airplane and how each option would affect the crewmember's ability to accomplish their work. Everything is a trade off.

The only problem comes in when the designated location is inconvenient for the crewmembers and they use a more convenient space which inconveniences the passengers. Unfortunately, there is no way for the average passenger to know what the designated space is so you don't know whether or not they are complying.

Additionally, there are a lot of PAYING passengers who are airline and fractional employees traveling with "crew bags" and often in uniform. We look like non-revs but we are paying passengers, just like any other passenger, and have the same rights as any other passenger to use the overhead bin space or to be upgraded based on our status.

My airline is home based meaning that my airline buys me a regular revenue ticket to/from my home for each of my trips. That's why I'm Platinum on UAL and was formally Platinum on DAL before that. My airline spent just over $1100 for my tickets for the week-long domestic trip that I'm currently flying. I may look like an over-entitled non-rev to the passengers around me but I'm actually a paying customer with status and high enough fares that I'm getting upgraded on each of the legs of the trip. Don't assume that everyone wearing a uniform, or pulling a "crew bag", is a non-rev.