What can be done with hand-luggage for which no cabin space is left?
On a recent inner-European flight that was almost or completely booked, many of the passengers brought the typical trolley suitcases that are increasingly used as hand luggage, presumably (based upon visual judgement) within allowable size limits as hand luggage1. The overhead compartments were completely filled, and I witnessed how cabin staff asked various of the passengers who were still looking for a space for their trolleys towards the end of the boarding phase to store their trolleys in front of their seats like this:
No other storage space was available at that point according to staff.
Needless to say, this removed most of the legroom the respective passengers had (depending on shoe size, maybe forcing them to invade their neighbour's legroom), made the part of the legroom below the seat in front of them inaccessible, and (probably most importantly) also made accessing the life vest impossible.
This made me wonder: At this stage of boarding, i.e. all passengers have left the terminal, most are in the cabin, or the doors have even already been closed - is there anything that can be done about hand-luggage for which no space is left?
Please note that I do not consider this a list question. I expect there to be either a very small set of options that would generally apply, or just the statement that it entirely depends on the airline, location, etc. (which would be a valuable answer in itself, too).
As a last detail, the plane was a smaller passenger plane, maybe an Airbus 319 or similar. Larger planes might offer more leeway for stowing away things.
1: Roughly like the ones shown in that other question.
EDIT: Seeing some of the answers/comments so far, please do note that I am not asking about the legality of the luggage storing solution that I observed. I am explicitly asking about realistic short-term alternatives when chances are you end up with your carry-on luggage, but without any cabin space for it.
Best Answer
I think you may have misinterpreted the situation or mis-judged the size of the other passengers items.
Stowing items under the seat in from of you is allowed and encouraged, so longs as it fits completely under the seat. Your legroom is not really a factor.
The only time this would not be permitted is if the item extend out so far as to block egress during an evacuation.
Regardless of the size of aircraft, there is no 'leeway'. The crew should verify all items are under the seat before the aircraft can move.
If there is indeed no room, any item you have that does not fit under the seat in front of you must be checked or you must deboard the aircraft with all of your belongings.
No airline will intentionally send gate checked baggage on another flight. They will offload cargo first, but, for clarity, that never happens.
Pictures about "What can be done with hand-luggage for which no cabin space is left?"
Quick Answer about "What can be done with hand-luggage for which no cabin space is left?"
- Pre-boarding; if the flight is full - people are asked to volunteer bags to be checked-in at the gate.
- Pre-boarding; if the flight is full - the gate agent will come around and simply tag people's luggage for gate checking.
Can I carry hand bag along with cabin baggage?
According to the rules, in addition to one piece of cabin baggage or package, passengers are allowed to carry one following personal item, which can be: a lady's hand bag, an overcoat or wrap, a rug or a blanket, a camera or binoculars, a reasonable amount of reading material, walking stick, umbrella (folding type), ...Why cabin baggage is not allowed?
Prohibited in Checked and Cabin baggage: Corrosives such as acids, alkalis, mercury and wet cell batteries and apparatus containing mercury. Explosives, munitions, fireworks and flares, ammunition including blank cartridges, handguns, fire works, pistol caps.Is cabin and hand luggage the same?
Carry-on bags, sometimes known as hand luggage or cabin baggage, are items of luggage that are taken into the plane's cabin. They are not checked in before your flight and are normally stored in the overhead storage compartment above your seat.Can I take 2 bags as hand luggage?
Airline rules allow for one carry on bag and one personal item, unless you're flying on a basic economy fare. But we've all seen people selfishly putting two bags in the overhead bin or carrying on more luggage than could possibly be allowed. You don't want to be like them. But you also might not be a one bagger.Cabin bag items which you can and can't carry on plane with you|| Carry on Bag|| SmartFaresFlights
More answers regarding what can be done with hand-luggage for which no cabin space is left?
Answer 2
If there is not enough space in the cabin it goes in the hold. If there is not enough space in the hold it goes on a later flight. (The latter is unlikely because other hold luggage may be removed as necessary to make space - "cabin luggage" will have priority.)
If in the seat wells the airline will be breaching regulations for which it can be in very serious trouble, so is not likely to resort to that solution at all often.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Gabriela Palai, Samson Katt, marco allasio, Karolina Grabowska