Plane Passenger Shocked at Backlash After Moving Fellow Traveler's 'Too Large' Carry-On in Overhead Bin

A plane passenger is defending his decision to move another passenger’s hand luggage after it allegedly took up too much space in the overhead compartment.

The passenger says they were trying to make room for another person’s bag when they noticed the unidentified passenger had placed their carry-on horizontally in the overhead compartment, rather than with the wheels facing out. They detailed what happened next in a Reddit post titled “If your carry-on only fits sideways, it’s TOO BIG.”

“The woman on my flight had an OBVIOUSLY oversized carry-on OMG,” the Original Poster (OP) began, “so I was trying to move her vertically to help someone else put her (appropriately sized) overhead bag, and the flight attendant was like ( correct): ‘That bag doesn’t fit’.”

After the OP said they agreed with the flight attendant that the bag didn’t fit, the owner of the item showed up and said, “Oh, that’s mine, I didn’t put it that way.”

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STOCK IMAGE.

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The passenger recalls that the flight attendant then told the woman that she would have to check the bag if it didn’t fit sideways in the bin.

“I had it sideways,” the woman replied, to which the flight attendant then turned to the OP and allegedly said, “You can’t move other people’s bags to fit in yours.”

The OP explained that they didn’t have a bag in the overhead compartment at all and the woman proceeded to move the bag back to the side position.

Enraged by her actions, the OP wrote: “HE CAN’T BE A BLACKSMITH IF HE CAN’T STAND VERTICALLY. That bag OBVIOUSLY wouldn’t fit in hand luggage at the exit.”

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Passenger bags crammed into the overhead compartment of the plane.

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The OP then defends their decision to touch someone else’s bag by sharing more details about the situation.

“I’ve never heard of a rule that says we don’t work together to stack everyone’s bags, including moving those that are already picked up. I was working on fixing the bags because an old lady was trying to lift her bag and she couldn’t lift the bag by herself, and I’m young and stronger.”

The passenger adds that they were flying in a Boeing 737 and that “everyone else put their standard hand luggage vertically” in the overhead compartment. They note that the woman’s bag “took up two places” when she placed it sideways.

“It’s frustrating that people in later boarding groups have to check their bags because not all bags fit when someone puts their oversized bag under their head,” they conclude.

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Oversized bags placed in the overhead compartment of the plane.

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While the passenger felt justified in his actions, they sparked a debate among Redditors in the comments.

“Not all planes will accept a vertical load. Even some who say they can, don’t. My advice would be not to rummage through other people’s bags,” one person wrote.

Another added: “On the last international flight I took, they even had a PSA that said the bins on the sides of the plane could only hold bags if they went sideways, then the bins in the middle could fit them flat.”

However, others agreed that the OP was right.

“Giant hand luggage that doesn’t fit slows everything down, [and] preventing anyone else from having junk space is seriously my biggest problem with flying. It’s such an easy fix – reduce the size and force it,” wrote one.

“What’s frustrating is that the flight attendant scolded you instead of the space pig,” another added.

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Said flight attendant Trey Antwan from Miami The Washington Post in October 2023, it’s always best to avoid pushing an oversized bag, as it “delays the flight on time,” he said

Antwan also advised against touching someone else’s bag, noting that it is always better to ask permission before moving it to avoid an argument. Passports and parenthood blogger Clarissa Laskey commented in the same article, “I’ve definitely been on flights where fights broke out because someone touched someone else’s bag and we got off,” she said.

Travel expert and consultant Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Tavel agrees. She previously told PEOPLE that turning to a flight attendant for guidance is almost always the right move.

“I’m always in favor of involving flight attendants in awkward situations during the flight,” she explains. “Tensions are high as we travel” and the crew always “has more context than us passengers.”

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Source: HIS Education