You have no right to the overhead bin by your plane seat if someone else got there first, travel influencer says

09.01.2024 - 22:38 / insider.com

A travel influencer sought to lay down some etiquette around overhead bins on planes, arguing that a lot of people get it wrong.

Caleb Harmon-Marshall, who goes by the name Harmony on TikTok, where he has 150,000 followers, says he's a former federal security officer who's now a "passenger rights advocate."

In a recent video, he listed some rules he said people should follow when using an overhead locker.

"The overhead space right above the seat that you paid for on the plane? Yeah, it don't belong to you," he said.

"Right now, we have an image in our head that doesn't exist."

This is how overheard bin space works on a plane. If you have something to add, sound off in the comments. I love hearing what my travel friends have to say! #Travelwiththeharmony

Most people assume they have a right to the locker right above them, but Harmon-Marshall said they didn't.

There aren't official rules that dictate who gets to use which bins, leaving it open to interpretation and argument.

Some airlines — such as Delta — sell guaranteed overhead storage as a perk. And cabin crew can intervene to settle individual disputes.

In his video, Harmon-Marshall said: "When you get to your seat on the plane, the seat that you paid for, and you look in that overhead bin, and you find other items there, that's not your time to take somebody else's bag out."

"Trying to rearrange, talk about, oh, I'm sitting here. That's not how this works," he said.

Overhead bin space is "first come, first serve," Harmon-Marshall explained, which is why paying to board a plane quicker can have its advantages.

"People really don't understand, or they think that they automatically get that spot," he said. "You don't get that spot. You're going to find yourself getting in trouble if you try to rearrange bags that's not yours."

While many find it annoying to see that their locker is full when they get to their plane seat, Harmon-Marshall seems to be right.

In 2022, the travel editor of the lifestyle publication InsideHook, Lindsay Rogers, wrote in an op-ed that the rules about overhead bins are clear: "Overhead storage is available on a first-come, first-served basis."

"So while it may be annoying, particularly when someone has room above their own seat and still, for reasons unclear, has opted for yours, or when you're invariably forced to check your carry-on because there's no more space on the aircraft, you aren't entitled to anything," Rogers wrote.

"Further, it is never, ever okay to move someone else's bag."

Harmon-Marshall said rearranging bags and finding enough space for everyone's luggage was the flight attendant's job.

He recommended looking for a spot to put your bags as soon as you board and not worrying if it's above your seat or not.

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