Agree…coats put in the overhead bin on top of your computer bag is wrong. This happened to us several times on a very full flight. Flight attendants had to ask the person who owned the computer bag and coat to put them under the seat in front of them. Quite the to do! Some folks objected because they hadn’t brought a roller bag at all on the plane. But the flight attendants were persistent. Coats and computer bags were moved.
1 Like
I would not put my coat under the seat. Too dirty and maybe greasy.
3 Likes
I use my coat as a blanket or pillow or extra cushioning for my seat. I’ve never put it on the ground of the plane — doesn’t seem like a great idea.
I have always had the option of deciding how I would handle items that don’t fit in the overhead bin. I have not seen people putting garments under the seat in front of them either or in the ground except when trying to make a “nest” for a young person to sleep on the floor of the plane.
5 Likes
Overhead bins can be dirty too and if you’re not tall, it’s hard to see what’s up there before putting in your bag/coat. I’ve seen stuff dripping out of a bin (luckily it was just someone’s water stored on the side of their backpack that started leaking when laid down).
Years ago, I was on a flight from NY in the winter and a woman with a full-length fur coat got into a row with the FA because she expected to take up an entire bin for her coat 
She ended up having to hold it.
4 Likes
It doesn’t belong taking the place of a roller bag in the overhead bin. Sorry…keep it wrapped around your shoulder. ETA…just about every plane I have been on in the last few years was cold anyway! Or at least don’t object if someone asks if they can put your coat on TOP of their roller bag in the overhead bins.
4 Likes
Recently had the experience of waiting in a United line to board with group 2. The line was long (as it always is.) A couple stepped in front of me (also group 2) as we started to board. I pointed out that there was a line. They said “we all have reserved seats”. To which I said, “yes, everyone in the line does.” They ended up stepping in line behind me - but in front of about 25 other people - , making a snarky comment about me. I was floored by the entitlement. Especially because it seems that as most people line up to board, they check on whether they are joining the right line and try to be respectful.
5 Likes
No excuse for their behavior of course, but I always say that the time at the gate when they start announcing boarding for a flight…the anxiety and stress amongst everyone is palatable! Reserved seats or not! So many gunning for a position in line, ready to pounce!
2 Likes
I think part of that is because of the scarcity of bin space, especially on smaller regional jets. Even if you are in group 1, there are all the speciality groups that get to go first. My H travels for work extensively, and he always is one of the first in line.
5 Likes
Probably in part because space in overhead bins can be highly competitive.
1 Like
Totally agree with the overhead bins being a good part of that anxiety. People (including me) don’t want to check their luggage if they don’t have to and so the whole process of “will I get a bin? will it be close to me? will my suitcase (this time) fit up there” - all the things!
1 Like
My husband could not understand why everyone was gathering at the gate waiting. Until he needed an overhead space and then he got it.
We don’t fly often lol
Totally agree – and a lot of it is about bin space near your seat. Most people boarding in that group WILL have space, and probably not far from their seats. But yes, there is anxiety around that, and anyone who has had a bad experience in past with that (bag 20 rows back or gate-checked) carries a bit of “trauma” with them!
I admit, because it was a bit of an odd encounter, I thought about it afterwards. I think it was the idea that everyone else was willing to adhere to a social convention that this pair, when presented with the same, felt no need to observe and a need to ignore. I would not have said “go in front of me” because it would have been rude to everyone behind me who had lined up.
4 Likes
They are known as “gate lice”
3 Likes
I guess I’m just getting cranky as I get older. If I check my bag and only carry on a tote or backpack why should I have to keep those under the seat in front of me and lose my legroom because others don’t want to check their bags?
7 Likes
I always check a bag. Because we travel often I have airline credit cards and so it’s free. If I travel on another airline (other than Delta or United or their affiliates), I pay the fee. My carry on is a nylon tote (very roomy) which fits under the seat. I just don’t want to deal with the hassle, and am fortunate enough to avoid it.
4 Likes
My 22 year old DS travels a lot for school and music jobs/auditions. He half jokingly says that airline travel brings out the worst in humanity.
His pet peeve is when everyone crowds the baggage claim carousel. He routinely travels with a huge suitcase (packed with precision to 49.9lbs). He says he feels like screaming “Do you want me to just pull this giant bag over you?!” But of course he tries to be as calm and polite as possible, because his mom raised him well. 
3 Likes
Yes, that is annoying. We usually have one person go up near the carousel, everyone else stands back. I see entire families crowding around especially area where the bags come out. We usually stand in a less crowded area and wait a few seconds more.
1 Like
Well that’s a disgusting term! And while I’m not pushing to get to the front or cutting in line I AM one of those who gets anxious at this point in the boarding process.
1 Like
Also on the subject of carry on bags, know that there are some items that cannot be checked. Musician son travels with what someone above called a “pregnant backpack” (love that term!) with his instrument, laptop. He would never allow it to be checked. But he does manage to fit it under the seat even if it means he has no legroom. And he is 6’2”. Poor kid.
3 Likes
Of course, instruments can be checked. It may require a special padded box, it may require extra fees and handling, and still it may get routed somewhere else, but there is plenty of space in the cargo hold. I can understand why a musician would choose to carry on an expensive instrument, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be checked.
fwiw: first class usually has more space in overhead for such special items. I was on a flight recently in FC and the woman in the row in front of me had a violin (I think) in the overhead. Other FC folks just left it alone and share the remaining bins. (Of course, most musicians aren’t exactly making bank to afford FC.)