I love traveling, but there are many aspects of the journey that I do not necessarily love. I hate security lines, I hate paying for luggage, I hate people that sit in my seat, and then act as if they didn’t know they did not request a window seat. But, out of all the things that I hate, fighting for an overhead bin space ranks the highest.
On a trip back from Europe, this lady sitting in my aisle went off about overhead bin space. There were three people seated in our row, and our bin space was maxed out, and not one of us had utilized ‘our’ overhead bin space. ‘Whose stuff is this, this is not your row, this is my bin space, come and move your stuff,” she began frantically yelling! The baggage belonged to these young girls a few rows up for us. They retorted, “Bin space is not assigned, my bin space is full!”
While this was NOT my battle to fight, I was taken aback. Annoyed mostly. My response to a situation that had nothing to do with me was, ‘IT SHOULD BE!” If my seat row is 24, overhead bin space should be available, ready and waiting for anyone in row 24. Is that not what I’m paying for? No, I do not want to check my bag at the door just because another passenger brings more than the allotted two bags on a plane.
There should be overt rules for overhead bin space. Rules that include:
- Major airline enforcement of the two personal items rule. One purse/computer bag, and one personal item. One above and ONE under your seat.
- Your row; YOUR bin space. You should not be able to hijack anyone else’s overhead bin space. Your items must be with you at all times. (Security purposes and all.)
- No oversized luggage. I do understand you don’t want to PAY for a check bag, but hey who wants to pay? Check that at the door.
As a traveler who forked up money for a plane ticket, I shouldn’t have to have anxiety on where to put my carry-on. I would simple like to walk on the plane and put my bags in my overhead bin space and recline in my seat until I reach my preferred destination.
