transportprof

+1

Mine is blue. My alternate carry-on is silver.

mahasamatman

From personal experience, I can confidently say this is not necessarily true. In all my flying, I have never had my bag in any space other than directly above my head or across the aisle in the same row (or, in the case of the 747 upper deck, in the closet).

bmwe92fan

I have this happen to my leather briefcase more than a few times this year - most typically on RJ's... What typically happens is that they run out of overhead space and then start moving things around - even on some of the larger planes this happens - I always ask that it go forward - but sometimes and on some planes its impossible to keep in sight (like when there are overheads only on one side of the plane... Fortunately never had this happen to me but I do agree with the other poster - I do see it quite a bit on full flights - fortunately it's just not usually my stuff. For those of you wondering why I just don't put it under the seat in front of me - I played sports in college and have a bum knee now - and I really need to be able to stretch my legs - and yes I know I can move it after take-off - I just prefer it to be in the overhead and out of the way - especially since I have spent many an hour sitting on the tarmac at EWR, ORD, and IAD....

6rugrats

I'd agree, and I don't understand that odd comment about not being a 1K.

I dropped down to no status at all last year for a time, and I still always was able to place my bag in the space over my seat.

mahasamatman

If they ever try this with me, I always tell them not to touch my bag as it contains medical equipment and electronics and I can't be separated from it.

exerda

Because the bins over your seat may be full when you board? (And folks make fun of 1K/GS "gate lice" for standing in the group 1 area...)


That's surprising. I have had my bag many rows away quite a few times, particularly in Y. Several times, I've had to get FAs to put it in the closet (as we're talking $20k+ camera gear in my rollaboard typically). The majority of these instances are not due to late boarding or tight connections, either, FWIW.

catocony

And that's when the FA will hopefully tell you take your seat and stop whining.

If you guys have never had to put a bag a few bins away from your seat, then you are the exceptions to the rule. I probably get my bags within a row or so about 90% of the time, but I've had plenty of cases where I've had to go either go back through the mass of humanity to get my bag a few bins back, or picked it up from a few bins forward on the way off the plane.

To the OP, just keep an eye on your bag when people start to deplane. And definitely do something to differentiate your bag, if possible. I have a green Briggs and Riley rollaboard, and an equally green (and a lot cheaper) American Tourister duffle that I sometimes use. I occasionally see another bag the same color, but it's rare.

You'll get your bag back. The only question is if the good doctor is just now getting to his hotel in Tokyo or somewhere.

JeepGuyDE

On a recent UA flight - I was sitting in my assigned 21 D Exit Row Aisle seat with my carry on bag directly overhead.

At about 2 minutes before departure time, the GA came back and moved me up into the one and only open seat in First - my upgrade cleared. There wasn't any empty bin space in First. My bag stayed over 21 D.

When we landed, I was trying to make my way back to grab my bag - when I saw the guy from 21 E carrying my bag up the aisle. At first I thought he was bringing my bag up to me (because we were talking while the plane was boarding) - but no, he actually thought it was his bag.

It was a good thing I was paying attention, or my bag would have been off the plane. So I guess it does happen.

lost*in*cyberspace

I did not say your bag had to be directly above your seat, just in eyesight.

As a 1K, I'm always in boarding group 1 and I have always found overhead space above my seat. This was true when I had no status as well. I don't sit in bulkhead seats as a rule. YMMV, just my experience.

DeterminedToUpgrade

I probably have my bag directly overhead 80% of the time, across the aisle 15% of the time, and somewhere else 5% of the time. It has never been more than 2 or 3 rows away that I can recall, and always in the same cabin. I often prefer to linger in the lounge rather than board immediately, particularly since I often carry only one bag which can easily go under the seat in front of me if it needs to, but even when I board with groups 1 or 2 it has occasionally been impossible to have my bag directly overhead. Even when it is, however, I keep an eagle eye on it and make sure it doesn't go anywhere. No problems yet, knock on wood.

Tizzette

Tumi folks, you have a First World problem. Use a shabby old bag that the cat has shredded and wrap all the handles with colored tape and nobody will touch your bag for sure. It if looks bad enough you are embarrassed to be seen with it, that's about right. That bag served me well, but unfortunately the enforcement of carryon sizing has forced me to retire it.

bmwe92fan

I thnk your percentages are pretty close for someone who generally boards at the begninning... Just last week I was in GF on UA 882 back to ORD. The lady sitting in 2A gets on nearly last (as I prefer to do on large planes) but her bag simply wouldn't fit in her overhead (the 747 in the nose has smaller overheads where it angles a bit) so it was moved to business class. Like I said in an earlier post - I wouldn't say it's common, but it's not uncommon to me at all either...

bfpri

for non status folks like us in Y, flight attendents putting the luggage several rows back or ahead because the compartment is full is VERY common.

gengar

Yep, I agree with that. One of my most amazing experiences flying UA GF was opening the bin above my seat to find it completely stuffed with FA bags and having to put mine in an overhead on the other side of the cabin.

SS255

Yup. I never buy black luggage. Any other color is the new black for me!

I also keep my yellow luggage handle wrap on my rollaboard. No way to miss that thing, and even if somebody does mistake my bag for theirs, chances are it's another 1K or GS who will want their bag back as badly as I want mine back.