A traveller shared a gripe they recently experienced while stowing carry-on luggage in the overhead compartment – and it’s sparked a heated online debate about plane storage etiquette.
‘While recently flying, I was unable to place my carry-on near my seat,’ a gentleman explained in a post shared to an online discussion forum.
Upon boarding, the occasional traveller said he was surprised to find that he ‘wasn’t able to place my carry-on in an overhead bin near my actual seat’ – and instead had to find a space ‘three or so rows back’.
At the conclusion of the flight, he said he then ‘had to awkwardly barge backwards’ to collect his bag, because people had ‘already filled the aisles’ ready to exit.
‘I asked one person about this and he claimed that the people who board the plane first are known to place their carry-on in the first few rows just so they don’t have to walk it all the way back,’ he continued.
‘Are there any potential solutions to this issue?’ he asked, adding that he was hoping to ‘mitigate the problem for everyone’.
His online discussion query erupted with replies, with many frequent flyers starkly divided about the scenario.
One camp felt it was a complete plane etiquette crime that has unfortunately become the norm.
An occasional traveller recently observed in an online travel discussion forum that they were surprised to find they were unable to store their carry-on bag in the overhead storage compartment above their set (Picture: stock image)
‘Common courtesy says you place your bag in the overhead locker above your seat,’ one reply began. ‘Common wankitude is placing your bag wherever you like because people are too damn lazy to walk it down to a cattle class seat.’
‘The only people I’ve seen do this are perfectly capable of getting their bag to their own seat. They are lazy and entitled,’ read another response.
Another responded: ‘Selfish morons do not understand that if you are in row 30 and you put your s*** in someone else’s row, there’s no room for their stuff in their row.’
One frequent flyer said they observed people doing it all the time and found it infuriating.
They added: ‘I appreciate the flight attendants who call out this behaviour and make people take their carry-ons to a bin near their seat.’
But on the complete opposite side, other travellers argued that ‘overhead compartments are first come first served’.
‘Overhead bin space is first come, first served. It’s not “yours”. Bins are not assigned to the seats closest to them… They’re not guaranteed any specific seat. Only the bins in first class are limited to first class, but that’s it.’
One response argued that this was simply smart travelling because it’s ‘quite common for there not to be enough overhead space for luggage’.
Join the debate
Is it selfish or just smart to put your carry-on in any overhead bin, not just above your seat?
The post erupted with heated online debate amongst frequent flyers. One camp beleived it was polite etiquette to only store your carry-on bag in the space above your allocated space
‘I fly often and will do this if I think there is a decent chance I might not be able to put my bag near my seat… I might just grab the first spot I see on my way, as there may not necessarily be an open spot at or directly before my seat.’
Another agreed, explaining: ‘If it can’t be where your seat is… then it’s better to have it further up [the front of the plane] than further back, so you pass it on your way out rather than waiting for the whole plane to disembark.’
One person said their strategy was to ‘start looking for space in the overhead’ around five to ten rows before finding their seat, so that way they ‘grab it as I leave without affecting the flow’.
One reply questioned this tactic, asking: ‘But what if you’re taking someone else’s space right next to their seat?’ To this, one person replied: ‘It could happen, but someone’s already taken your ‘space’ so…’
Many replies suggested that you could improve the chances of being able to store your bag above your seat simply by lining up to board the plane earlier.
Other responses to the Reddit discussion claimed it was simply a travel annoyance that has regretfully increased due to airline changes like charging people for checked baggage and not enough overhead compartment storage space.
‘This was NOT an issue before airlines started charging for check-in luggage,’ claimed one traveller.
‘The overhead bins aren’t equipped for the majority of passengers on the overbooked flight to bring carry-on luggage. That’s when the flight attendants start telling people to put their bags wherever they see a spot, even if it’s not near their seat,’ another griped.
Some frequent flyers admitted to strategically placing their carry-on in a compartment rows ahead of their designated seat, explaining that it made for a smoother disembarkation from the plane
‘A lot of times it seems that there are more carry-on bags than space available, so it is bound to happen to some people.’
However, there was general agreement among respondents that if your bag had wound up being stored in the rows far behind you, the correct etiquette is to wait for others to depart, and not ‘barge back’ to collect your bag, disrupting the flow of disembarkation.
‘Frequent traveller here. It’s poor form to barge back. Just be patient and scoot back when you can. Sometimes you’ll have to wait until all rows behind you have cleared before you can reach your bag.’
‘If you need to make a quick connection, you can try to make the attendants aware and see if they’ll let you grab your bag,’ offered another reply. ‘Otherwise, be patient like everybody else and wait for an opening or until somebody behind notices and lets you back or passes your bag up.’
Many also suggested avoiding the stress by ditching the hard shell carry-on that needs to be loaded into the overhead compartment, and taking a smaller personal bag that can be stowed within arm’s reach under the seat ahead of you.
‘I got out of the carry-on game. I pay to check in, even smaller bags, and have a personal item. Way less stress, and I’m not in a rush to board,’ said one person.
A recent report shared by booking.com on ‘tips for using the overhead airplane luggage compartment’ offered suggestions to passengers on how to use these storage spaces most efficiently and effectively.
The online article noted that although airlines don’t generally have a set policy on where overhead luggage should be stored, there are some ‘unspoken rules of etiquette’ when it comes to their use.
A report on booking.com noted that there are ‘unspoken rules of etiquette’ when it comes to use of the overhead storage compartments on planes
‘Overhead space is often scarce and should be reserved for bigger items,’ the report noted, adding that smaller bags should be considerately placed under the seat in front of you.
It also noted that ‘getting overhead space near your seat can be competitive’, suggesting to board the flight as quickly as possible to improve your chances of having your bag stored close by your seat.
And if you have had to store your bag in rows further back from your seat, the report suggested that ‘you may have to wait for everyone to deplane before you can get it’.
Virgin Australia’s on-board baggage allowance policy detailed on their website makes specific mention of the type, weight and size of carry-on baggage allowance permitted in the overhead locker. But importantly, it does not explicitly specify that overhead locker storage space is guaranteed to be above your seat.
This is in contrast to their carry-on policy for ‘one small personal item’, which states that the item ‘must be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you’. Effectively, this confirms the storage position of your smaller personal item, with the exception being in the case of an emergency row.
Wherever people’s stance lies on the overhead compartment carry-on luggage wars, the recent discussion prompted one person to wryly observe: ‘Air travel seems to bring out the worst in a lot of people.’
