Arguments still persist as to which coach passengers control the rights to the armrests on a plane. I’ve always claimed it’s the person stuck in the dreaded middle seat who should get both of them.
But what about the overhead bins? What are the rules there?
Does the storage space on the plane directly over your head belong to you?
Actually, it does not. It all gets down to passenger boarding priority, which means who boards first gets the overhead space.
And that includes flight attendants who often stow their bags up there as well.
If you’re in boarding group four or higher, consider this fact: with the airlines cramming more seats into the back of their planes, there is not enough physical space to stow all the bags, even if it’s just one carry-on per passenger.
And that means there’s a higher likelihood if you don’t board first, they’ll have to gate-check your bag.