Yes I've always been able to do this as well, but IMO it's because the passenger density is lower in F than in Y so fewer pax in the aisle. I really don't agree that F pax are "more accomodating" than Y pax. If anything it's the opposite.

If I understood the post correctly, the complaint was that the OP had to place his bag at the end of the First Cabin because he boarded late. Oh, the horror.

Maybe OP should write the airline for some compensation (and make sure he tells them who he is)

The OP doesn't sound like a DYKWIA. If anything he just sounds a bit irked. And do you blame him? The solution on this thread is to 'board early' yet he can't due to connections.

I usually avoid row 1 on domestic flights for this reason. And I try to board early. I almost always see the last person in F have a problem finding space for their bag. When I can't avoid it and that is me, I ask the FA to help me.
Incidentally, I seem to notice that FA's do try to monitor for any E passengers putting their things above the F seats, more so in recent years, but they are too busy to catch everyone.

I agree with the idea, but at least in that Swiss pic it appears to be the "business class" that is simply the coach cabin with a middle seat blocked. So it's a lot less obvious to many that it's a separate "cabin" (because it's not).

How does an FA gate check a bag without knowing the passenger's destination? What if the person is connecting and the bag comes out on a conveyor belt (unless this was green-tag gate checking).

I've had to check a bag being in the F bulkhead on a UA 319. I was quite steamed. There's just grossly insufficient space and no policing.

As one who usually chooses a bulk head window, I sympathize with the OP. Fortunately, ORD is my home airport and I do not have a lot of connecting flights. Since I am able', I always get in the boarding chute as soon as I notice anyone else doing it. However, even so, I often arrive on board to find that the early borders have filled the space above row 1. I do not like being among the "gate lice", but I also don't want to have to put my bag in an over head bin 3 or 4 rows back either.

On some planes, the problem is worse because sometimes the over head space above row 1 is reserved for airline/FA equipment.

Over the years, I have just learned to deal with it. I like the seat. I deal with the challenges.

In general I would agree, but I once inadvertently set off a fist fight in first class when I tried to go back a few rows to get my bag. A gentleman in the aisle seat on that row was going to let me, but the person in the window next to him didn't want to let me and so literally pushed the guy into the guy across the aisle who then started throwing punches at the gentleman who was just trying to be nice and let me get my bag. An extreme example I know but after that incident I've learned not to expect much courtesy from other passengers.

Ignore the louse haters. They don't understand the challenges that FC bulkhead seats present. If I get stuck in a bulkhead seat I am almost always first in line for Gp 1 boarding.

BTW, I used to always select a bulkhead seat, but that bag thing made me change my ways. I always have a rollaboard and backpack, and the backpack always goes under the seat.

I think PP was referring to self-loathing. It would be nice if, having paid (or upgraded to) a first class seat one did not have to queue up obsessively early merely to be able to carry on one's bag.

no I got it--late connection. This is why I would never choose 1ABDF on a connection exactly for this reason.

I think that standing in the aisle and blocking others makes you seem like a twit since you are now impeding the flow of traffic and making yourself seem more important than everyone else. Remain in your row till you can safely reach your bag. The F cabin on domestic UA is getting smaller and smaller so it isn't like you are waiting for an A380 to deplane before you can get your bag. Yes, it is a minor inconvenience to allow the 8 passengers in rows 2&3 to deplane but it takes less than 60 seconds and makes you a decent human being. Overhead bin space directly above your seat is never guaranteed and is written nowhere in the COC. If you really don't want to wait for the 8 passengers to deplane then the FA will be happy to gate check your bag. As far as hiding your purse behind your legs, I have never not been able to secure space for a woman's handbag in the bin above me even when the bin does appear full.

My other pet peeve is the person who wants to scoot by you to reach their bag several rows back then wants to scoot back to their original row. By the time you have done all this bobbing and weaving the aisles have been congested with people and bags and someone has already taken up the space you previously were. You now just need to cool your jets and deplane in your new order.

Once the door opens and a couple of passengers deplane, the density in the aisle lessens significantly as people start moving. That's when I make my move if my bag is more than a row back in F. It really isn't the end of the world.