My son, who was on a 40K award trip from LAS to ORD, was among the last to board since he was near the front. Since the overhead bins were full, he was told to had to check his bag. The flight was late anyway, and the extra time to go to wait for his bag kept him from getting to his apartment until after midnight. He had to be at work at 6 a.m.

Is this delay worth a complaint? I e-mailed but haven't heard. And in the future, shouldn't we board early to be sure our carry on makes it?

Thanks!

Thems the breaks when you're the last one to get on the plane.

And yes, this means you should board early if you want to make sure you get stowage space for your carry-on bags.

I'm just happy to have my bags show up ! But seriously, I hate to disappoint you, but that's the hazard of all air travel - at least in my experience. I'm very curious to see what kind of response you get though....

The only storage that is guarenteed to you with carry on items is under the seat infront of you unless you are in a bulkhead. Overhead space is never guarenteed. I've had to check my bag many times. Sorry.

No, it is certainly NOT worth a complaint.

Maybe there was another reason for his very late boarding.

In which case you have no guaranteed stowage space at all.

Tough luck.. he'll know better next time to board early.. life experiences

Based on the way United boards flights, he should have been one of the first on the plane if he was in the front.

I should have been clearer. He wasn't late getting there -- there were problems that delayed the flight. Furthermore, his "section" was the last to board. It wasn't that he waited on his own. So my question is: Is it possible to get on before your "section" is called to be assured your carry on won't have to be checked? I'd prefer that everyone wait their turn, but in this case he was penalized for following directions.

Thanks. This is no huge deal. Mainly interested if passengers may board before their sections are called.

Depends on the GA. I find UA to be more strict and organized than AA in that regard. They'll turn people away who aren't in the proper boarding group, by my observance.

I've noticed, since the percentage of occasional flyers is usually fairly high on the flights I've been on, there is usually some room for compaction of the overhead. I've moved things around on numerous occasions to make room for our small carry-on (one for two people), when people just toss bags loosely into the overhead. I store my small backpack under the seat.

If he flies enough, becoming a low-level premiere or better, he'll be able to board with the F and C folks and have more options in storage.

Personally, I wouldn't complain, except to a FA or purser if I saw people in the back leaving their bags up front as they enplane. Otherwise, that's the breaks...

Pat

I don't want to sound callous, but boarding the plane early, and thus insuring your carry on makes it on board, is one reason why many flyers strive to attain status with an airline. If gate agents let people board out of turn (unless they are disabled, infant, etc.), there goes one major perk of loyalty to a particular airline.

I tend to fly *A carriers, so I don't usually have a problem with carry ons not making it onboard. Sometimes when I have to wait at the gate for an upgrade, I know there won't be room once I get on - but the FA is usually kind enough to allow me to store in the F locker.

When I can not board early (i.e first 1/3 of passengers) with a carrier I don't normally fly on, I usually ask the agent who boards first (rear, front, window) and try to get into that group. This is the case even if it is a lousy middle seat in rear, since E- is all the same really.

I wish.
In four of my last five flights, I've seen people with group 3 or higher push their way in front of me, hand their ticket to the GA, GA tells them their boarding Group 1 and proceed to tear their ticket and let them board.

In my view, "boarding early" means being ready fairly close to the gate when the preceding zone is called for boarding � not sneaking into a group boarding for an earlier zone. Then when his zone is called, he will be, if he is prepared, one of the first in his zone to board. That should usually assure overhead space for a carryon.

In this case, if he was truly in the last zone to board, he may well have been in E+, already populated by some with status who legitimately boarded with an early group. Still, it's very likely there would still have been storage space if he had been one of the first of those in his boarding zone to get on.

Having been burned once, my guess is he will be much less likely to have a problem next time, especially if you give him some guidance.

On a recent flight, they tried to tell me also that I would have to check my carryon.
I was the last group to be called so I had sat and watched as others who had their supposed ONE carry on and ONE personal item had stretched the limits and were actually taking on items larger than they were entitled, some even seemed to have two carry ons and one personal item.
When they told me to check my carry on, I said that #1, it would hold up the flight as I had to remove valueable first and #2, as soon as I saw those that had three items check their third, then I would check mine. Funny, but they somehow found room for my ONE carry on bag.

= "gate lice"

One of my biggest pet peeves. Get the hell out of the way so I can board, thanks.