Y passengers using J overhead bins

[RWJ777]

I really need to get this off my chest because it's been bugging me for yonks. A warning though: it does fall into the category of first world problems.

I have noticed an increasing practice on QF - and it may be on DJ for all I know - of Y passengers depositing their hand luggage in J overheads bins as they walk past. This is especially the case for busy flights where it is obvious the flight is full so Y pax take the opportunity of depositing their hand luggage in the J bins before they reach their seats. This is of course exacerbated by the fact that J pax are often called later in J lounges.

The inconvenience arises when, as a J passenger, you want to store your hand luggage proximate to your seat and the bin is already full of hand luggage, often Y hand luggage. This means you (or the hostie) have to walk up and down the aisle looking for spare room. The result? You're separated from your luggage which you may want to access during flight or, worse still, when you want to fetch it on landing, you have to walk back to get it and it delays your departure.

I acknowledge this is a mere inconvenience but I tell you what, when my company is paying big bucks for J on QF, I don't want inconvenience.

I wonder whether this is another example of QF flight crew not enforcing basic operating procedures (a la priority boarding queues) which, ironically, the crew did faithfully enforce on a recent J flight from Perth where I last experienced this annoyance.

Thoughts?

 

[JohnK]

Is it OK to use business class overhead bins if you are last to board the flight?

I don't subscribe to "first world problems" garbage but it is not just restricted to business class overhead bins. It happens in economy as well. People walking down to the back of the aircraft put their stuff into the first overhead bin they find.

Simple solution would be to limit people to 1 item they can put in overhead bins and any other items will need to go under the seat in front.

 

[RWJ777]

My most recent example was Y pax, having boarded earlier, depositing their luggage in the J bins before most J pax had even boarded. I know this because I saw them retrieving thir hand luggage after the flight had landed.

 

[Travelqueen]

I saw exactly this happen when I travelled in QF / J class on tuesday from bris - melb. A man stopped next to where I was in 3F, and as the seat next to me was still spare, I smiled hello,as he was putting his stuff in the overhead bin. But then, he keep walking down the aisle. How cheeky I though !!

 

[JohnPhelan]

No problem if all of the J pax are already onboard. This is, of course, a reason for J pax to use their "board first" privileges .....

If as a J pax I got on board and found all bins taken (which I admit has never happened, though I have had to move mine back a row or two), I would tell the CSM, and suggest that there are bags in the J overheads from Y pax. Hopefully the CSM would then do a "who does this bag belong to?" check in the J cabin and remove those which should not be there.

 

[mella2007]

I just think the FA's on board need to keep a closer eye on things so J passengers get what they're entitled to...and I don't begrudge this at all. You pay for a service, you expect to get everything to make your trip a pleasure.
I mostly travel in Y on domestic flights and wouldn't think a moment to put my luggage in the J section.

 

[ftm]

Also a pet hate of mine. After seeing a Y pax place a bag in a J locker, I have been known to relocate it to a different part of the cabin. Not always with the pax's knowledge.

738's are the worst for it, and pax who bring 2 bags in should only put one in the locker, the other under the seat in front.

Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using AustFreqFly

 

[farstar]

May be they should put tags on carry on bags at check in to identify you are traveling Business then it would be easy to tell.

 

[Fruitcake]

DJ polices this very strictly, in my experience. On a couple of flights I've been on the J bins were kept closed during boarding, and as J pax boarded the FA helped them stow their bag then closed the bin again afterward. More commonly they will just keep a very close eye on proceedings and on several occasions I've seen the FAs instruct pax to retrieve their bags and move them further down the cabin.

I've never seen a passenger ignore this request so I'm not sure what their backup plan is. Hopefully the unattended items are handed off to the bomb squad.

 

[markis10]

The overhead bins are communal and there is nothing at least with QF to say they are restricted to business class only, nor does it say anywhere the the business class experience comes with dedicated stowage facilities, which is why it's rarely enforced by the cabin crew I suspect. I have seen it enforced by a DJ team, but from memory their overhead bins are labelled business class only?? Personally I like to have my bags close by where I can see them, which is why I like to get on early.

My biggest bugbear is limited stowage for Row 1 owing to equipment or more often crew bags taking up the space.

 

[pauly7]

DJ polices this very strictly, in my experience. On a couple of flights I've been on the J bins were kept closed during boarding, and as J pax boarded the FA helped them stow their bag then closed the bin again afterward. More commonly they will just keep a very close eye on proceedings and on several occasions I've seen the FAs instruct pax to retrieve their bags and move them further down the cabin.
.

Last 3 days, 4 DJ flights, no such policing you described seen - so they are very hit and miss guarding the space but so is QF.

Actually, JQ, though slightly different are very proactive about making people put smaller bags under the seat and larger in o/h.... Seems to get things moving a bit.

 

[SeatBackForward]

The overhead bins are communal and there is nothing at least with QF to say they are restricted to business class only, nor does it say anywhere the the business class experience comes with dedicated stowage facilities, which is why it's rarely enforced by the cabin crew I suspect. I have seen it enforced by a DJ team, but from memory their overhead bins are labelled business class only?? Personally I like to have my bags close by where I can see them, which is why I like to get on early.

My biggest bugbear is limited stowage for Row 1 owing to equipment or more often crew bags taking up the space.

You would think crew would store their personal stuff up the back, where its less likely to have people walk past it and potentially stealing it..

I absolutely hate the 73* single aisle cabin baggage experience. I too will try to board early to get space if im carrying a suitcase. If i'm taking just my laptop bag or a backpack it will sit under my feet.

It really frustrates me when people store laptop bags horizontally into the overhead bins and refuse to adjust them when things start getting cramped. QF try, by making the announcement such as "Passengers with two items of baggage should place the larger item above and the smaller item under the seat in front"..well i'm sure those daytrip warriors with just a latptop or satchel bag think "oh well that doesnt apply to me then, i only have one bag"..

But i do agree with this posts sentiment about J Cabin space, it should be for J passengers, until they're all on board and THEN used for any excess from the main cabin.
If you find that a bag is above you and it doesnt belong to anyone in J, just remove it and leave in in the aisle, the Crew will quickly find out who it belongs too.

 

[amaroo]

TBH I find the crew bags more annoying!

 

[RWJ777]

TBH I find the crew bags more annoying!

Yes this is also a source of annoyance but at least I have seen flight crew relocate their bags if the J bins fill up; the errant Y pax make no such concession!

 

[Fruitcake]

Last 3 days, 4 DJ flights, no such policing you described seen - so they are very hit and miss guarding the space but so is QF.

Looks like you win the battle of the anecdotes . Like all aspects of service on either airline, I guess it comes down to the motivation of the CSM/FAs on the day.

The frustrating thing as a customer is that little service touches like this cost the airline nothing, don't require extra features to be present on the aircraft and yet can generate massive goodwill. You'd think that would be especially important to DJ who are coming from a slightly inferior position relative to QF in the hard product aspects of 737 J seats and catering.

 

[simongr]

I think it is as bad in whY - saw multiple instances of people putting their bags towards the front of the cabin and walking back or putting two bags in the overheads. I do think that flying brings out the most selfish elements of people.

 

[amaroo]

I do think that flying brings out the most selfish elements of people.

Totally agree with this.

One of many things that give me the dirts is the window seat tosser that attempts to get into the aisle before the aisle seater when deplaning :evil: Also the scum bags that worm their way up the aisle when everyone else is standing patiently waiting for the queue to start walking:evil:

 

[drron]

Happens a lot more in the USA.Once saw a fellow F pax on AA tell the FA that a certain bag in the F overheads belonged to a fellow down the back when the last F pax couldn't find space.She took it down and had it consigned to the hold.May very well have put a dent in an HCO policy!

 

[dk4]

Re: Y passengers using J overhead bins - a QF problem

Looks like you win the battle of the anecdotes . Like all aspects of service on either airline, I guess it comes down to the motivation of the CSM/FAs on the day.

I, like you Fruitcake, have seen this consistently applied on Virgin as well.

On a Virgin 737 the Business Class overhead bins are closed on boarding (if the CS is expecting J passengers).

In addition my experience mirrors that of yours Fruitcake when it comes to CS attentiveness about this issue: in fact, S.O.P. seems to be for the CS to stop other passengers (whom are boarding behind me) from moving into the cabin, while I open the overhead bin, place my items inside and sit down. (Having seen this consistently in operation on Virgin 737s, I now close the overhead bin door after I have placed my items inside it.)

Additionally, I seem to find that the Virgin 737s seem to (somehow magically) have more passenger storage space above row 1 than those at QF!

It is unfortunate that pauly7 always seems to have a run of bad luck when flying DJ, which I don't seem to experience.

 

[Moopere]

Re: Y passengers using J overhead bins - a QF problem

Mirroring the good DJ experiences posted so far. I also always find the FA's guarding J overhead bin space. Had a Y Pax told off (nicely) when they tried the old trick, he had opened a J bin, which was closed, and popped his bag in, the FA told him these were reserved for business class and he had to remove it.

DJ staff appear to be really concentrating on providing a good experience (in business at least) and its pretty much been this way since the early days of the rebranding.