For whatever reason — whether it’s impatience, entitlement or simply bad airplane etiquette — some passengers put their carry-on bags in overhead bins near the front of the plane before walking ten, twenty or even more rows back to their actual seat.
The process causes delays during takeoff because those in the front rows have to find open space further back, and then delays in disembarkation because those same people have to walk towards the back of the plane, much like salmon swimming upstream, to retrieve their bag.
But since airlines don’t have specific written rules about “the overhead compartment directly above any given seats is for the use of those in those seats,” the annoying act continues unless a flight attendant actively puts a stop to it.
And, much to the delight of those in those “front rows,” one United flight attendant apparently recently did.
The story was told on the United subReddit, in a thread called “Bag Etiquette.” The author, who goes by the username GloverCom, explained what happened.
He was seated in 1D on a United Embraer E175 and boarded relatively early—around the 15th passenger on the plane. Yet somehow, by the time he reached his seat, the overhead bin above the first row was already full.
The passengers seated in Row 2 had already filled the overhead space above their own seats, so GloverCom politely asked a flight attendant if he could store his computer bag in the jacket closet at the front of the aircraft.
The flight attendant looked up, noticed the full overhead bin, and apparently had the same reaction many passengers would have had.
Boarding came to a stop.
“Whose bags are these?” she asked the cabin.
Two passengers seated in Row 4 admitted the bags belonged to them—even though the overhead bin above their own row was completely empty.
The flight attendant politely asked them to move their bags above their own seats.
They complied, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
With the space finally available, GloverCom placed his bag in the overhead bin and sat down.
Problem solved, right?
Not quite.
About ten seconds later, while the flight attendant had returned to the galley and boarding resumed, another passenger boarded the aircraft, spotted the newly opened space, stuffed a bag into the bin next to GloverCom’s, and continued walking toward the back of the plane.
The flight attendant turned around, saw the bag, and immediately realized what had happened.
According to GloverCom, she loudly responded:
“Are you kidding me?! I JUST CLEARED THIS SPACE FOR THESE PASSENGERS!”
Boarding stopped for a second time.
The flight attendant tracked down the culprit, who was seated in economy and, unsurprisingly, also had empty overhead-bin space available above their own row.
After the bag was relocated, the passenger seated in 1C was able to board and find room for their own carry-on.
GloverCom said he wanted to give credit where credit was due and praised the United flight attendant for calling out behavior that many travelers find frustrating but rarely see addressed.
And while he acknowledged that the space above a passenger’s seat isn’t technically reserved for that passenger, he couldn’t help but wonder why someone who boards early—and can clearly see empty space above their own row—would bypass it and claim space at the very front of the aircraft instead.
It’s a fair question.
Frequent flyers know that overhead-bin space is first-come, first-served. But there’s also an unwritten rule of airplane etiquette: if there’s room above your own seat, that’s generally where your bag should go. Ignoring that rule may not violate airline policy, but it can make life much more difficult for passengers seated in the rows where you’ve decided to park your luggage. And judging by this flight attendant’s reaction, at least one crew member was tired of watching it happen.
The Internet Responds
Besides getting almost 6,000 upvotes, the thread also drew well over 3,000 replies. Nearly all of them, not surprisingly, applauded the flight attendant in some way, shape or form. The rest belittled those who put their bags at the front of the plane and then walked to the back:
- I hope you got that FA’s name and send a kudos/thank you to United. We need more like her. Whenever I’m in bulkhead I try to board early just so I have a place for my bag, since as you noted, people can’t seem to understand that there will be bins available above their own seat.– randomusername1919 (GloverCom said he had all intentions of making sure she got kudos)
- People early to board who put their bags more forward than their actual seat are a direct cause of “no more room for bags” announcements for groups 4+ — barryg123
- It made my heart all warm inside to know an FA like this exists. I think people are lazy and don’t want to carry their carry ons down the aisle. Hope you also cross-post to FAs as maybe she will see and others may also take a page out of her book!– Fuzzy_Elk_One
- Selfishly, I wish this FA was on every flight, people who stow their bags upfront and are assigned to the back are unhinged. — Pokieme
- Every FA should be required to do this.– lewisfairchild
- While it’s not “your space”, I’d argue it is 1st Class space, so kudos to that FA.
I just got off a flight from PHX to SFO where an FA did the same thing. She saw a bulkhead premium economy passenger stow her bag above row 4 (the last FC row), and asked her to move it.
Maybe it’s a new directive from above (hope so!) — unReasonable_Bill282 - They should just gate check those bags and not even bother mentioning it to the offending passengers.– KeatonRuse (Note from Sharon: OMG, I love this idea!)
- I wish every FA would enforce passengers putting their bag in their space. If they did, and followed the rules of most airlines, every passenger would get their space, and under seat storage for one/two (depending on airline) items.
Flying brings out the worst in some people. — BigHeftyRed
An Unexpected Happy Ending
GloverCom gave an update after his original post had been up for a while:
Update: The FA involved was made aware of this post and contacted me via Reddit Chat. She didn’t want to post (to maintain her anonymity) but she’s read all the compliments and appreciates all the support!
For many travelers, the story wasn’t really about overhead-bin space. It was about seeing a common frustration acknowledged and addressed in real time.
Most passengers understand that overhead bins aren’t assigned. But they also understand that deliberately placing a bag at the front of the aircraft and then walking 20 rows back creates problems for everyone else. It forces passengers in those rows to hunt for space elsewhere, slows boarding, and can turn deplaning into an unnecessary obstacle course.
That’s why so many people cheered this flight attendant’s actions. She didn’t invent a new rule or punish anyone unfairly. She simply applied a little common sense and basic courtesy. And judging by the thousands of upvotes and comments, plenty of travelers wish more flight attendants would do the same.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
