Are some more equal than others?

[ferntree]

Today, flying back from Mel to Hba I had an experience that left me flabbergasted.

I had boarded, one of the first on, placed my bag in the overhead locker, and taken my seat, 4D. The plane (a 737) gradually filled up, and I recognised as one of the last to board a former premier of Tasmania, who saw that both the lockers above 4A-4C and 4D-4F were by this time full. Instead of placing his bag one or two rows back (where there was room) I watched in disbelief as without so much as a please or by your leave, he took my bag out of its locker and moved it to another, putting his bag in its place. When I finally accepted the evidence of what my disbelieving eyes had just seen, I protested about this behaviour, to which he replied something about needing to put his bag in there.

Astoundingly, from his tone and manner he clearly seemed to believe that he was well within his rights to do this, and seemed genuinely unable to understand what my problem was.

Not wanting to cause a scene, I said no more. For me the inconvenience was minor, but I did find this man's arrogance beyond belief. I can't help but harbour a thought that one day he might behave in this way with the wrong person and end up with his eye in a sling!

Anybody had a similar experience? Or any comments on this one ....

 

[JohnK]

DYKWIA? Happens quite regularly.

 

[ferntree]

DYKWIA? Happens quite regularly.

Ha ha! In this case more like DYKWIOW

(Don't you know who I once was?)

 

[Deleted member]

Today, flying back from Mel to Hba I had an experience that left me flabbergasted.

I had boarded, one of the first on, placed my bag in the overhead locker, and taken my seat, 4D. The plane (a 737) gradually filled up, and I recognised as one of the last to board a former premier of Tasmania, who saw that both the lockers above 4A-4C and 4D-4F were by this time full. Instead of placing his bag one or two rows back (where there was room) I watched in disbelief as without so much as a please or by your leave, he took my bag out of its locker and moved it to another, putting his bag in its place. When I finally accepted the evidence of what my disbelieving eyes had just seen, I protested about this behaviour, to which he replied something about needing to put his bag in there.

Astoundingly, from his tone and manner he clearly seemed to believe that he was well within his rights to do this, and seemed genuinely unable to understand what my problem was.

Not wanting to cause a scene, I said no more. For me the inconvenience was minor, but I did find this man's arrogance beyond belief. I can't help but harbour a thought that one day he might behave in this way with the wrong person and end up with his eye in a sling!

Anybody had a similar experience? Or any comments on this one ....

I would have removed his bag and replaced mine in its place.

 

[Deleted member]

Mind you. I'm usually in row 2, and that seems to happen less often there

 

[tgh]

I have become the ugly orstraylyen on a couple of carriers when the oh locker above my seat was pre filled.
Most fun was boarding in suisse where the good ol boys had already spread all their stuff out.
I proceeded to make room and scrunched up a nice suit coat in the process.
The culprit jumped up amid a sudden silence in the vicinity and produced a cultured objection in perfect english.
I produced a typical strine summary and was rewarded with considerable mollification as now several culprits arose to rearrange the realestate to accomodate our bags.
Squeaky wheels get greased.
I was polite and thankful for their consideration.. didn't want them to think too badly of pushy colonials…

 

[RooFlyer]

Today, flying back from Mel to Hba I had an experience that left me flabbergasted.

I had boarded, one of the first on, placed my bag in the overhead locker, and taken my seat, 4D. The plane (a 737) gradually filled up, and I recognised as one of the last to board a former premier of Tasmania, <snip>.

Which former? As the immediate 'former' was a she, must have been former former or the former former former? I'm betting on the latter, but surprised he was flying VA.

 

[ferntree]

Which former? As the immediate 'former' was a she, must have been former former or the former former former? I'm betting on the latter, but surprised he was flying VA.

It was Qantas (a rarely sighted 737, possibly to pick up vast hoards from mof_?). As to which former former it was ...? I suspect it might have been very much in character for Paul Lennon, but he it was not. Nor could it have been Jim Bacon unless you believe in reincarnation. Now how many pathetic little twerps does that leave?

 

[amaroo]

Ough! Don't touch my bag... works every time.

 

[Hvr]

You let him touch your bag? Why? You were there first.

No one apart from cabin crew can move my bag without permission. Nor will I let them. If I was forced to move his bag I may have accidentally dropped it.

 

[ferntree]

You let him touch your bag? Why? You were there first.

No one apart from cabin crew can move my bag without permission. Nor will I let them. If I was forced to move his bag I may have accidentally dropped it.

Thanks for the comment. It helps give me the confidence to be more assertive if faced with this situation in the future. On this occasion, it didn't really sink in what was happening until it was over.

 

[GDSman]

I was on that flight - got moved at boarding to 13A as they wanted someone at emergency exit...otherwise I would have been up near you. I saw him, I thought in 4D, he's a very recognizable little bloke. I find that sort of behaviour extraordinary...I get annoyed when there's no room in immediate vicinity but not to the point that I would take someone else's bag and move it....

 

[RooFlyer]

It was Qantas (a rarely sighted 737, possibly to pick up vast hoards from mof_?). As to which former former it was ...? I suspect it might have been very much in character for Paul Lennon, but he it was not. Nor could it have been Jim Bacon unless you believe in reincarnation. Now how many pathetic little twerps does that leave?

Actually, I mis-typed. Have met Lennon a couple of times since he left politics and have found him quite the opposite of his political image. So, yes, pathetic little twerp would be on the money.

My own line is: "I was quite happy where that was - please put it back or I will."

 

[GDSman]

Bingo......

 

[ferntree]

Thanks to everyone who has commented. I'm quite annoyed with myself now for letting the snotty little toerag get away with it, but will be more prepared next time.

 

[Scarlett]

I'm more surprised that an ex-premier would be in whY. Have they forgotten the art of nest feathering down there?

 

[Denali]

So this happened on a flight a couple of months ago.

The guy then decided that my husbands bag needed to be removed from our overhead so he could put his bag above us - this was met with me being very loud in telling him not to touch our bag or he will get a wake up real fast.

The OP needs to be more assertive next time, loud works as the other guy was in the wrong. US domestic flights and Flyertalk has prepared me for a overhead space war and Im not afraid to use it.

 

[Deleted member]

So this happened on a flight a couple of months ago.

The guy then decided that my husbands bag needed to be removed from our overhead so he could put his bag above us - this was met with me being very loud in telling him not to touch our bag or he will get a wake up real fast.

The OP needs to be more assertive next time, loud works as the other guy was in the wrong. US domestic flights and Flyertalk has prepared me for a overhead space war and Im not afraid to use it.

"Space War"..... Sounds like a new George Lucas Movie title (LOL)

 

[Anna]

I had a different experience once with someone else touching my stuff in the overhead bin. I got a last minute flow-forward on QF (in the good old days) and they put me in 4B. Mr and Mrs 4A and 4C rolled their eyes when I arrived, last to board. I put my (small) bag in the overhead bin and I scrunched up my coat and crammed it in on top, in a hurry to sit down and not hold the plane up. Mr 4C jumped up, took out my coat, carefully folded it up and placed it gently back in the locker, then glared at me the whole flight. I assumed this was because I was sitting in a shadow-seat he thought he was somehow entitled to. Then on disembarkation he took out my coat and placed it over his arm. I said 'excuse me that's my coat' - turned out he had a similar one further back in the bin and he had thought I had taken his coat out and stuffed it back into the overhead bin any old how :shock: He didn't apologise.

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm more surprised that an ex-premier would be in whY. Have they forgotten the art of nest feathering down there?

Current Premiers have flown economy for some years. Very hard to hide in (usually) a Qantas 717!