People Debate Who Has The Right To Overhead Bin Space On Planes After Crew Claims One For Themselves
They used sharpie to mark their claim.
lunopark / Shutterstock Frustrated with the lack of personal storage space on a plane, one unidentified crew member marked an overhead bin not to be used by passengers. The recent incident aboard an American Airlines flight has sparked surprise and prompted discussions about the often overlooked challenges flight attendants face.
We’ve all boarded a plane, hoping the overhead space isn’t too crowded for our own luggage. Nobody wants to have to wait at baggage claim if they don’t have to. However, rarely do we think of the overhead space the flight attendants need for their own belongings.
People are debating who has the right to overhead bin space on an airplane.
The incident was shared by the Facebook account, A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge, which posts comedic content for flight attendants. Though, in this recent post, he sparked more arguments than chuckles.
“Passengers not the only ones vandalizing planes these days!” he wrote. Instead, he expressed that the vandals were the very people working on the plane.
Photo: Facebook
“Looks like some crew member at American Airlines is tired of sharing the bins with passengers and took matters into their own hands and used a marker to write CREW on the bin of an Airbus A321,” they added.
The accompanied photo showed the capital letters “CREW” written in a thin sharpie above the overhead bin handle.
While the crew member’s actions raised eyebrows, it also sparked a conversation about the storage conditions for flight attendants.
According to some, crew members often struggle to find space for their belongings.
“To be fair, crew have lost any proper space to store luggage. We respect that passengers need space as well but not having secure areas for crew luggage is unfortunate, and many of those bags go missing as passengers mistake them for their own,” one person wrote.
They have to compete with passengers, risking their personal items being taken mistakenly.
“We NEED a place for our bags... those planes are where we work, and we deserve respect,” another added.
Despite this, not everyone was sympathetic to the flight attendant.
One person argued that there are designated spaces for cabin crew carry-on luggage, questioning the flight attendant’s actions.
“There is a special place in the cabin which is allocated for cabin crew carry-on; who gave the right to a cabin crew to select the passengers’ overhead bin for their own use?” one person contested.
Photo: Facebook
Fly Guy suggested that if a crew member truly felt the need for a personal bin, they should create a small sign and attach it before every flight.
“If it’s that important to have the bin to yourself, get a small sign, laminate it and carry it in your bag and attach it before every flight... if you do this on more than one flight, they gonna know it’s you by looking at the crew list,” he advised.
Regardless, if flight attendants are struggling to find storage for their belongings, changes need to be made at a higher level.
According to an article from Travel + Leisure,“It’s a problem that travel experts say was created when airlines started adding more seats and charging passengers to check luggage. As the number of fliers increased, cost-conscious travelers started maxing out their allotted carry-on and personal item to avoid checked bag fees.”
Ethan Cotler is a writer and frequent contributor to YourTango living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news, and human interest stories.