mduell

They sure did according to their own account.

This is both true and an easy way to not fly today.

ExplorerWannabe

@pindi, you really need to stop the self-flagellation. While the FA in question was rude and out of line, the other passenger ended up having to check his bag. You filed your complaint with United so they know the FA was unprofessional. Time to get on with your life.

WRT the ongoing discussion about overhead versus underseat storage, I think we all agree that the people who board loaded for bear and then proceed to use up all the overhead space without putting anything at their feet are out of line. Where I think we differ is in whether we have a "right" to a certain amount of overhead space versus whether we have a "duty" to use the underseat storage for what we can before loading things into the overhead. Proponents of the former position feel that as long as they are using less than "their share" of the overhead, they are entitled to have footroom and heck with everyone else. Proponents of the latter position feel that everyone should try to use the underseat storage as much as they can before taking up "community" space in the overhead.

People in the former position seem to feel like someone is getting one over on them if they don't make use of "their" space in the overhead bins while people in the latter position seem to feel like people who don't even try to use their underseat storage for personal items are being selfish. I'm in the middle. I recognize the former position but I try to abide by the latter. The OP physically could NOT put the laptop under the seat in front so it's perfectly understandable that it went in the overhead. The late passenger couldn't fit his rollaboard ... that's tough, but all of us should know by now that gate checking is always a potential risk of getting to the gate late. At the same time, the GAs and FAs are people too ... most of them are just trying to accommodate as many people as possible and run a conflict-free operation. Some small minority may be on a power trip but most of them really aren't. Is it too much to ask to treat each other as humans without all the drama?

pmarrsouth

If my sole bag abides by the above its going in the overhead as my carry-on. However, I will put it in in a way where it takes up a lesser amount of room than if it was randomly placed in the overhead

rickg523

If the overhead bins are used "for large items only", what's the cargo hold (where my carry-on compliant rollaboard is) used for?

derekno

I thought every passenger was entitled to use the lockers, but UAL & AAL both triage your items and I have had an AAL steward take out my coat and dump it on me. And they wonder why there is so much "air rage" when they create all the stress and resentments in the traveling public. I fly Alaska & Southwest & only international carriers now -- they are aware that theirs is a hospitality industry while AA & DL see the job as "crowd control & marginalisation.

narvik

Safety. It's always about safety!

TIGA31328

SportDiver

We could rate airlines on their "toxic" or rude FAs. IMHV, UA is #1 on this list, having had plenty of experiences with air crew who could care less about a passenger's experience. WN is the exact opposite, with the friendliest air crew working for a US-based airline.

weero

And I was hoping this was about larger overhead bins for larger items ....

Gadot

Thankfully no due to witnesses. BUT you all are wrong re their power in the airport

The aviation-security law that Congress approved in November 2001 set criminal fines and up to 10 years in prison for anyone who assaults “a federal, airport, or air carrier employee who has security duties within the airport, interferes with the performance of the duties of the employee or lessens the ability of the employee to perform those duties.” assault can be both physical or verbal

Whether right or wrong, you will still be delayed while law enforcement is involved and usually the FA is right and you are wrong.

weero

That's somewhat reminiscent of the jokes we made about the legal processes of the Soviet Union.

Jayell

The problem was you were flying while being female. I've had FAs tell me to allow a passenger to push their seat back on my six foot tall extra long legs that barely fit a seat " the GENTLEMAN wants to recline!" I was chided.

weero

Great first post Jayell ^ .

Nothing is appreciated more @ FlyerTalk than sexism, recline stories, and passengers 'allowing' passengers to do ordinary tings .

photoagent101

United's FAs have long been toxic, rude, and on power trips. Flying to Tokyo once, late at night, I was dozing when the announcement came on to "put on your seatbelt." The male FA came around shining a flashlight and loudly telling everyone to comply. I was groggy and did not obey with sufficient alacrity. When he came to my row, he loudly demanded that I put my seatbelt on. I did so, grumbling under my breath. He leaned over and said "If you want to get arrested, just keep it up." Unbelievable. This happened many years ago and I still remember it.
Now, admittedly, this was in the months after 9/11 when the airlines treated everyone as a potential terrorist. The airlines eventually realized that treating everyone like inmates was not a good business practice. On another flight a few months later, the captain came out, kneeled down at eye level, shook hands with everyone in our cabin, and said "Thanks for flying United." I still think, airlines, can't you just keep the service/attitude needle in the middle, rather than have your service and attitudes wildly swinging from one extreme to another?
Unfortunately, somehow the airlines, the government, and the flying public have allowed airlines to have their way, charging us more and more in fees, cramming us closer together, to the point where flying has become an inhuman experience. I feel like a prisoner flying these days. There's absolutely no enjoyment in the flying experience; it's generally all bad, no good. If you express irritation from the inhumane conditions, an FA's rudeness or made-up rules, or a fellow passenger's bad behavior, you run the very large chance of being arrested, since even raising your voice is a cause for being such. It's absurd.

fly007

United has the worst Customer Service culture of all the U.S. airlines. A year after the Continental acquisition by UA, as my wife and I were boarding a UA flight, the FA at the entrance to the plane insisted that between the two of us, we were allowed to have only one carry-on luggage since "the flight was full!" I had Platinum status and therefore, we were among the first group to board. When I protested, the gentleman threatened to cancel our reservation. A complaint to customer service later on earned us a miserly $150 travel certificate. Since then, we have always avoided traveling on United.