I learnt a valuable lesson yesterday

[Jaryd]

So yesterday I flew QF839 DRW-MEL and I was one of the first people to board. I sat down in my seat (4D) and placed my laptop, folio and other contents in the lower back pocket of 3D, and I placed my hand luggage in the small aisle space under 3D. I then proceeded to quickly use the bathroom at the rear of the plane.

When I returned to my seat (probably 5 mins later) I was surprised to find someone sitting in 4E. I was able to upgrade to J with points (in the lounge), but the lounge ladies offered to block 4E if I didn't want to use my points. Flight ended up being full - so no issue with this.

Anyway, I did my usual thing. I put music on, pulled together my list of things/work to do on my phone for the 4hr flight, and then we pushed back.

After takeoff, I went to get my laptop from the seat back pocket and it wasn't there! I started to look in my bag when Mr 4E said "oh, was that yours? I gave it to the crew". My respond was something along the lines of... 'You didn't see my bag under the seat in front and my pens on the seat?'.

So I wandered down to the CSM and asked him where he had placed my laptop. He told me he had offloaded it, as Mr 4E had told him it was left behind from the previous flight!!

My laptop, folio and credit cards are now in Sydney with a colleague (luckily the crew were able to get it to him on the DRW-SYD flight departing an hour later, but only after I suggested my contents were stolen from me), but my lesson learnt, is do not lose sight of your things between boarding and closing of the final door!!

I wanted to hit the guy sitting next to me for 4 hours. I was beyond annoyed!!

Feel free to tell me if I'm a complete knob by leaving them in the seat pocket for a few mins, but I thought they were relatively safe given They had my name, company name and business cards all over them.

 

[mannej]

Unfortunately many AFF members are aware that blocked seats are never guaranteed for one reason or another.

However, I do not blame the person in 4E for the course of action that he did take, as I don't believe he acted in malice.
Lucky the goods were handed to the crew and not stolen (as there have been reports of valuables stolen out of hand luggage from time to time).
Lesson be learned, valuables probably shouldn't be left unattended and in sight of all.

Personally I wouldn't have left that stuff in the seat pocket while the door was still open (but I am rather paranoid) but I don't think you are at fault at all for what happened.

I am not sure you can absolve all fault from the OP though, as like you said leaving those valuables unattended in the seat pocket isn't a good idea.

 

[RooFlyer]

Personally I wouldn't have left that stuff in the seat pocket while the door was still open (but I am rather paranoid) but I don't think you are at fault at all for what happened.

What a dork 4E was and the CSM might be described similarly for not double-checking that the stuff didn't belong to the present occupant of 4D before off-loading it or at least seeing you at the earliest opportunity to check.

 

[Buzzard]

I think the CSM should have waited and asked 4D before off loading.

 

[tuapekastar]

Unfortunate set of circumstances, but I don't think OP or 4E really did anything wrong in isolation.

 

[Foreigner]

A laptop (and portfolio) missing from seat back pocket should have been obvious when OP returned to seat, no?

 

[Jaryd]

A laptop (and portfolio) missing from seat back pocket should have been obvious when OP returned to seat, no?

Microsoft Surface pro 3 and slimline portfolio. They kind of disappear into the back of J seatpockets.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I think the CSM should have waited and asked 4D before off loading.

Maybe but if the guy said this has been left behind in the seat pocket then I think natural to assume it was his seat pocket , not a random one. They would be trying to do the right thing and offload it, so it was in the same city as the person who had just flown and if it was close to take off maybe not much time to do that.


Sometimes things go wrong and not really anyone's fault.

 

[dk4]

Sometimes things go wrong and not really anyone's fault.

It's a tough one isn't it, but the moral of the story is probably - go to the toilet before you board the aircraft, or wait until it is airborne.

 

[Flying mermaid]

It's a tough one isn't it, but the moral of the story is probably - go to the toilet before you board the aircraft, or wait until it is airborne.

Lessons you learn with age

 

[Melburnian1]

Perhaps the biggest lesson to learn is to (and I know in some circumstances this isn't possible, or nature may call quickly when on board) go to the toilet before joining the queue for the plane!

The CSM may have assumed that the device was left in the seat pocket of the gent next to you, not your seat pocket, as Flying mermaid suggests.

 

[Foreigner]

Lessons you learn with age

Moreso, lessons you learn from/through/with experience.

 

[kpc]

Another lesson I have learnt esp. if you know the overhead compartments will be full...once you have secured a space for your bag overhead, don't be tempted to get the bag out again for something before the doors are closed and every pax seated, otherwise someone might shove their bag in "your" space, leaving you nowhere to put yours...:evil:. To the OP, I would have checked all my belongings were still in place when I returned if I really had to go to the toilet...

 

[Jaryd]

It's a tough one isn't it, but the moral of the story is probably - go to the toilet before you board the aircraft, or wait until it is airborne.

That's the thing. I did. Then I really needed to pee again after boarding. Big night prior.

 

[juddles]

...I wanted to hit the guy sitting next to me for 4 hours. I was beyond annoyed!!.....

Are you for real???!!!

By your own version of events, for that guy you want to hit, it went like this:

He boarded the plane, and there in the still empty seat, was some electronics gear. He saw this and took it upon himself to advise the crew that it was there. His ONLY possible reason to do that was of concern that a previous pax had left their stuff behind. The crew member, upon having this lost luggage brought to their attention, quickly made sure that the gear was offloaded so it didn't end up on the other side of the continent before the pax who left it realized their mistake.

All these good intentions and swift and proactive and reasonable actions occurred while you, who "boarded first" and disappeared off to the toilets for "5 minutes" (damn long leak) after having a "big night".

And you blame them??!!!!!

 

[Jaryd]

Are you for real???!!!

By your own version of events, for that guy you want to hit, it went like this:

He boarded the plane, and there in the still empty seat, was some electronics gear. He saw this and took it upon himself to advise the crew that it was there. His ONLY possible reason to do that was of concern that a previous pax had left their stuff behind. The crew member, upon having this lost luggage brought to their attention, quickly made sure that the gear was offloaded so it didn't end up on the other side of the continent before the pax who left it realized their mistake.

All these good intentions and swift and proactive and reasonable actions occurred while you, who "boarded first" and disappeared off to the toilets for "5 minutes" (damn long leak) after having a "big night".

And you blame them??!!!!!

Yeah I know I just wish he had waited, given that I also had pens etc on the seat and my bag under the seat in front.

There was also already a pax in 4F, who he could have asked.

It probably wasn't 5 minutes but I took a while to get back to the front of the plane whilst people were boarding.

Never again!

 

[medhead]

Are you for real???!!!

By your own version of events, for that guy you want to hit, it went like this:

He boarded the plane, and there in the still empty seat, was some electronics gear. He saw this and took it upon himself to advise the crew that it was there. His ONLY possible reason to do that was of concern that a previous pax had left their stuff behind. The crew member, upon having this lost luggage brought to their attention, quickly made sure that the gear was offloaded so it didn't end up on the other side of the continent before the pax who left it realized their mistake.

All these good intentions and swift and proactive and reasonable actions occurred while you, who "boarded first" and disappeared off to the toilets for "5 minutes" (damn long leak) after having a "big night".

And you blame them??!!!!!

Of course, why didn't this guy hand in and report the bag under the seat? Oh, I'm all concerned about the computer, but not the bag. Perhaps not in malice, but 4E is a bit of a goose really.

 

[RooFlyer]

Of course, why didn't this guy hand in and report the bag under the seat? Oh, I'm all concerned about the computer, but not the bag. Perhaps not in malice, but 4E is a bit of a goose really.

And if the laptop was a small one, as OP reports,

Microsoft Surface pro 3 and slimline portfolio. They kind of disappear into the back of J seat pockets

then 4E seems to have been a bit overly interested in what's in the seat pocket of the seat next to his but not the other gear in the seat's feet space.

Overall, I agree with Flying Mermaid

Sometimes things go wrong and not really anyone's fault.

but I hope I never meet 4E. "Oh, was that your car parked outside? I thought it was stolen, so reported it to the police. They've towed it away."

 

[Jaryd]

And if the laptop was a small one, as OP reports, then 4E seems to have been a bit overly interested in what's in the seat pocket of the seat next to his but not the other gear in the seat's feet space.

Overall, I agree with Flying Mermaid but I hope I never meet 4E. "Oh, was that your car parked outside? I thought it was stolen, so reported it to the police. They've towed it away."

Absolutely. A comedy of errors to top off what was already a cough day.

Then before landing, the poor FA helping me, pivoted and whacked me in the head (at full force) with a full water jug.

Sometimes you have to laugh!

 

[medhead]

And if the laptop was a small one, as OP reports, then 4E seems to have been a bit overly interested in what's in the seat pocket of the seat next to his but not the other gear in the seat's feet space.

Overall, I agree with Flying Mermaid but I hope I never meet 4E. "Oh, was that your car parked outside? I thought it was stolen, so reported it to the police. They've towed it away."

Indeed. It is a bit harder with Qantas row 4 where the middle seat has to share seat pockets. But there are 4 seat pockets to choose.

I had a bit of a goose in 3E on VA this week. Loaded up his "seat pocket" with is folio and computer. No worries, until he wants to read something while landing. Grabs the magazine from my seat pocket, from underneath my stuff stored there. Then puts that magazine back into the middle seat pocket. Just strange.