I have been a “1K” with United for many years and I love United. To the point:

Yesterday I took a cross country flight on a two-cabin 757. Those of you who are familiar with this aircraft know that rows 8 D & E as well as 9 A, B & C do not have space for carry on items under the seats. I had seat number 9 A where I had plenty of leg room but no place to stow my briefcase except in the overhead bins.

When I boarded the aircraft, I placed my briefcase in the bin above row 9 and sat while the aircraft got boarded. Shortly before boarding concluded, a male passenger came on board with two bags. There was room for only one of his bags in the bin where I had my briefcase. The man sat in seat 10 C.

The male passenger placed one of his bags in the empty space next to where I had put my briefcase. Then, incredibly, the passenger forced his other bag on top of my briefcase which meant I could not get access to it during the flight.

As there was no one sitting next to the passenger, I politely asked him if he would not mind putting one of his bags under the empty seat next to him. He told me that he would not do that. He said that if I did not like his bag where it was I should talk to a flight attendant about it. I chose not to argue with the bully. Soon after, a flight attendant came by and I explained about my briefcase being trapped by the man’s bag that he had put on top of my briefcase after I had boarded the flight.

The flight attendant said she would take my briefcase and put it in an overhead bin in first class. I declined her suggestion. This is because if my briefcase were stored in first class, at deplaning time, I would have to wait until the first class passengers had exited the forward cabin and would have to fight my way to the area to find my briefcase.

Furthermore, by the flight attendant taking away my briefcase, it would reinforce the rude and callous disregard for common courtesy displayed by the bully passenger who created the problem.

I asked to speak with the purser and explained the situation and my reluctance to have my briefcase brought to a different cabin.

The purser immediately assessed the situation and politely asked the passenger to put one of his bags under the vacant seat next to him, which he did.

Between various air carriers, I have flown more than two million miles. I have never encountered any thing like this before. Is it that I have been lucky until yesterday?

I am curious, would there have been another reasonable method to deal with the situation short of having my briefcase taken to a different area of the aircraft?

Shouldn't you have placed your brief case in a vertical orientation?

I think rather than create something over a trivial think like this, after take off, I would ask the pax to help me move his luggage so I could get my briefcase, then ask again to have him help move his luggage when I have to put my briefcase back. Inconviences the pax enough to maybe have them think twice about doing it again.

Why not?

I am not a big fan of someone cramming stuff on top of my backpack as I usually have electronics in it. But given its size, it would really only work with a jacket or other thin item anyway. But in any case, that would not stop me from taking my item out of the overhead compartment if needed (it might mean that Ihave to remove the other item first).

I take it the passenger forcing the bag on top of your briefcase didn't put your property at risk of getting damaged? (that I would protested about!)

Why not just switch the positions of the bags so you have access?

That's what I would do also.

Since 99% of the time I have at least one carryon with me, I avoid sitting in 9 A-C and 8 D/E to avoid situations like this. For the few times I have sat there, I've asked that my smaller carryon go in the overhead above the galley or behind the Row 6 seats. It seems easy enough to me to pop up when the seat belt sign is turned off and retrieve it.

Overhead bins are shared space. If you don't want to share, don't use the bins.

+1

So someone used the overhead space. So what if your briefcase wasn't easily accessible during the flight. If you needed something, you could have just moved the other bag and get to it. Deal with it. I think that all of your whining and escalation of the issue was pretty unacceptable behavior, much worse than that of the person you are complaining bout. It is like kindergarten behavior -- teacher, his bag is touching my bag! You were offered an alternate solution by the FA, but you wouldn't take it, because everyone was going to play by your own rules that you made up, and until they did, you were just going to escalate it further.

i think that this is a situation that you deal with with the other passenger. you don't get the fa involved. if its not being worked out, the flight attendant will likely come over and ask, "is there a problem here?" but you really do not need to initiate the situation by bringing a flight attendant into it. i think this is one reason why flight attendents are so angry sometimes, they have to deal with petty disagreements between pax. either let it go, or deal with it yourself. however, i would have to say that the op did a good job of not making an issue during boarding when many non-frequent travelers are tense and just want to get to their seats and the fas and ga are trying to make sure everything goes well so they can get the plane of on time. thumbs up for that.

I would also suggest telling the passenger in an "asking" manner that they will help you with this...don't give them the option. That being said, in reading your post I bet we have different personalities and you may not feel comfortable with my suggestion. Either way iainarmstrong's suggestion is the best route.

BINGO! on a recent flight the person had the nerve to tell me that since i wasnt sitting in the row indicated on the Bin I wasnt allowed to put my bag in it

I did and he got up and opened the bin, I politely told him he can do whatever he wanted to but it would be a massive mistake to even touch my bag if his intent was to remove it. Of cause he said a few choice words which was overheard by an FA walking by to his back. She told him if he removed my bag that he would be removed from the flight

I dont where people get off thinking that the bin solely belongs to them and them alone

WOW I understand why guns are not allowed on flights.

On 99.9% of my 757 flights, the F/A try to reserve the overhead bin above the galley between F and Y (directly across from the lavatory), for the use of those seated in Row 9ABC and 8DE. Normally that bin is completely empty except for a gray toolbox of "FA equipment."

Just an FYI that you could have put your briefcase there as well.