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Not to turn this into an all airline blog, but Spill liked this article on Facebook, and I read it, and had my own thoughts.

As airframers, cabin interiors houses and design firms work feverishly to expand overhead luggage compartments, airlines too are addressing the problem of trying to fit an increasing load in too little space. There’s a remarkable amount of design and materials engineering ongoing to eke out that last bit of room in what used to be the hat-rack.

It’s important work throughout the aircraft, but particularly in first and business class, where road warriors need to be surgically separated from their rollaboards and upmarket leisure travellers expect more space overhead as well as underfoot.

Airbus and Boeing are each carving out centimetres of space to create bins that will fit large rollaboard bags in and on their sides. As RGN noted last year, Boeing’s 2010 Sky Interior pivot bins on its smaller 737 fuselage came years before RGN broke the news of Airbus’ pivot bin in 2013, and the details about the A320 interior were released at last year’s APEX Expo.

Indeed, Boeing trumpeted the delivery of its thousandth Sky Interior aircraft before Airbus had even delivered a single upgraded jet, and the US airframer released an updated ‘Space Bin’ product this year.

Brazilian regional jetmaker Embraer and its design partner Priestmangoode have revolutionised the overhead passenger service units and contoured the cabin ceiling in order to enlarge the overhead bins to take modern carry-on luggage.

The introduction of check baggage fees of anywhere from $25 to $50 dollars a bag means damn near everyone I know flies solely with carryon luggage, unless the trip is international.

I’m hardly a frequent flier, but even I know the standard US carryon allowance is one piece of luggage (of an appropriate size) and one “personal item” which as the article later notes is maddeningly vague. What it was intended to permit was women to carry on a piece of luggage, and their purse, or businessmen to carry on one piece, and their briefcase.  As for me, whenever I fly, I have my rollerbag, and then my old Army issue helmet bag, which serves as my combined laptop case, briefcase, lunchbox (yes, I do eat smelly Burger King in flight- hate me if you must) and portable junk drawer for odds and ends.

Here’s the thing, it would never occur to me to even think of trying to put the helmet bag in the overhead. Overhead bins are clearly designed for taking rollerbags. Jerks who try to put other things up there, or use oversized bags, deserve scorn and contempt.

As for gatechecking bags, I often find myself flying legs on regional jets that have overheads too small to accommodate the standard roller bag. And that’s fine by me. Just roll out to the jet, hand it off to the luggage guy, and keep my helmet bag with me. That’s where all the important stuff is anyway. Same as if the overhead is too crowded on a 737. I have no problems with the gate tag. Heck, I prefer it. It is easier than trying to maneuver the bag down the aisle, and then stuff it in the overhead without elbowing some innocent in the face.

The worst overhead bin experience is when troops fly on a chartered commercial airliner. Stuffing your weapons, helmet and load bearing equipment into a bin that wasn’t exactly designed with that in mind is a struggle. And that announcement that contents may have shifted? Rollerbags won’t jump out and smack you in the face, but a Kevlar helmet *always* will.

What’s the worst thing you’ve seen someone bring aboard a flight?