bag is too big for the overhead bin in a plane! What to do?

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What do you do when your camera bag is too big for the overhead bin in a plane or all of the bins are taken?

I am sure I am not the only one who experienced the problem. Lot of times the crew already announces that all overhead bins are full and that no more larger carry-ons can be brought into the plane. What is your tactic to avoid your camera bag being put in the main luggage area of the plane where it can be smashed or stolen...?

I usually do the following:

1. Try to be in the A or B boarding zone. Board the plane first! The chance that you will find empty bins is higher!
2. Try to stand behind somebody who has a bigger bag and the crew will pull out the person in front of you and will be asked to hand over his/her luggage to be put in the main cargo area of the plane. Usually, they are busy with that person in front of you and you can bring my carry-on camera bag on board.
3. Once on board, I try to take out my laptop and larger lenses to make my bag smaller. Hopefully, it fits!
4. I also try to put under the seat of the person in front of me...

Have you ever experienced this problem? What did you do you could share with us? This always stresses me out when I fly somewhere so photograph a destination wedding.
Thanks!
 
Ummm.... Obey the carry-on regulations on size. That's a good start.

Flying outside the USA is seldom a problem if you do obey the regulations, but inside the USA, so many people ignore them that the problems you describe are commonplace. In fact, I've NEVER had a problem outside the USA with a legitimate-sized bag.

Cheers,

R.
 
I agree with Roger.

It would have to be a large camera bag to exceed the overhead bin size limit!

I try to carry a bag that will fit under the seat. I've never had a problem with that and I can usually pack quite a bit of equipment in it.

Ernst
 
I fly internationally 5 or 6 times a year, and I have never had to check my carry-on bag/bags. I carry a typical Tumi carry-on bag which holds my notebook PC, headphones, books, etc., and a Billingham 225 bag which holds my Rolleiflex, X-pro, and a couple of Leica M cameras. The Tumi bag fits under the seat in front of me, and the camera bag goes in the overhead bin.

I make sure to get a bag which will fit under the seat easily, and my camera bag is smaller than a typical carry-on, so there are no issues fitting it in the overhead compartment, or in the case of my flight from France last month, I inadvertently left it sitting on my lap. The flight attendants didn't comment on it.
 
Can you split between two bags, and pay extra for more hand luggage? I expect you don't want all your expensive gear in the hold. Or may split some of the less expensive/delicate items into the hold, like tripods etc.
 
I have never had problems with camera bags, but I usually pass my guitar to the flight attendants who place it in the first class coat cabinet. They label it with my seat number and return it to me as I disembark. This is on Singapore Airlines.

I use a Billingham Hadley as my camera bag and place it under the seat, so I have easy access to my iPad.

The alternative is to fly business class :D
 
One time I made the mistake of using my newly acquired Think Tank Airport Antidote not realizing it was over the size requirement. I was headed to Grand Cayman on a flight from Miami for an underwater photography workshop, so I was on an international flight. At Miami International Airport, they took my bag from me and told me it couldn't go on the plane with me. I freaked out because my DSLR and all my lenses were in that bag! However, when I got to Grand Cayman to pick up the bag, everything was still in the bag thank goodness.

Nowadays, I never use that bag and always carryon my Lowepro Mini Trekker, which most definitely fits under the seat and which I've never had a problem with on both domestic and international flights.

Ellen
 
Best practice is to consult the airline before you travel. Camera bags are high value fragile items and you can make a special arrangement to take them with you in the cabin. The crew will take care of where exactly in the cabin will be positioned.

Placing bags under seat is normally forbidden as they restrict access to life vests and can block emergency escape paths.
 
Addendum from Frances: be EXTREMELY polite. Insisting on 'your rights' does not go down well, especially when you haven't got any rights because your bag is oversize.

Cheers,

R.
 
EliasK said:
Placing bags under seat is normally forbidden as they restrict access to life vests and can block emergency escape paths.
Click to expand...

Placing bags under seats (the seat in front of you) is recommended airline practice, except when you are sitting in an emergency exit row.

Ernst
 
EliasK said:
Placing bags under seat is normally forbidden as they restrict access to life vests and can block emergency escape paths.
Click to expand...

I don't know on what airlines you fly, but here in the US, it's quite normal to place bags under the seat in front of you as long as they meet certain size requirements. The only time this can't be done is if your seat is one of the bulkhead seats as there are no seats in front of you.
 
ornate_wrasse said:
I don't know on what airlines you fly, but here in the US, it's quite normal to place bags under the seat in front of you
Click to expand...

Indeed, safety regulations REQUIRE it for all heavy luggage in Europe (and probably the world - these things are generally either IATA or aircraft maker's rules), even though it frequently gets ignored by passengers and cabin crew alike - heavy bags dropping from the overhead lockers in a turbulence account for a very considerable number of flight related injuries and deaths.
 
ernstk said:
Placing bags under seats (the seat in front of you) is recommended airline practice, except when you are sitting in an emergency exit row.

Ernst
Click to expand...

Are you sure that under the forces of a crash or hard landing the bag will not move to a position where it blocks escape path?
Or, that your bag does not restrict access to life vest to the person seated in the seat in front of you?

If an airline recommends something like that, it is a bad safety practice.
 
EliasK said:
Are you sure that under the forces of a crash or hard landing the bag will not move to a position where it blocks escape path?
Or, that your bag does not restrict access to life vest to the person seated in the seat in front of you?

If an airline recommends something like that, it is a bad safety practice.
Click to expand...

You seem to suggest that the airlines are wrong in their recommendations?

It is absolutely required that luggage be stored in the overhead locker or under the seat in front of you, subject to it being the right size and that you're not in an exit row.

If you check, you will see that the seat in front has a strong frame which prevents your bag from moving further forward, or getting in the way of the life vest.

Ernst
 
This has never happened to me, and I fly a lot and with heavy bags. The biggest carry-on luggage I've had with me in the cabin was an electronic stage piano (160x45 cm), the heaviest a bag of antiquarian books (40 kg). Never did I have to check anything.

There are three easy rules:
* Call the airline in advance and have them advise you, register the oversize item in your ticket or whatever they offer.
* Show up early. If possible, spend the money on speedy boarding or howecer your airline calls it.
* Be polite, always.
These will avoid 99% of all trouble.
 
In most cases a solution can be found, people are polite and friendly, but sometimes you encounter those "I-am-the-official-one"-guys who think what they say is the law.
In that I case I insist on my rights and even "risk" to talk to their superiors.
 
The bag size restrictions are usually available on airline websites prior to flying. Some bag manufacturers advertise their products as being within these constraints as a selling point. If you manage to get an oversize one past the check-in (which seems unlikely in my experience of flying) the only option you'll probably have is to ask cabin crew to stash it safely for you. Otherwise, it'll be off to the hold - which is not a great option for reasons you already understand.
 
Paul Jenkin said:
The bag size restrictions are usually available on airline websites prior to flying.B If you manage to get an oversize one past the check-in (which seems unlikely in my experience of flying) the only option you'll probably have is to ask cabin crew to stash it safely for you. Otherwise, it'll be off to the hold - which is not a great option for reasons you already understand.
Click to expand...
Dear Paul,

Highlight: not, alas, always honestly.

Cheers,

R.
 
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