'I'm sick of flying': I paid for priority boarding, but the overhead bins were full. Was I duped?

By Quentin Fottrell

'Maybe next time I'll try the other approach: I'll board whenever I feel like it and drop my suitcase in the first open slot I see'

"I wondered what would happen if I put my carry-on in the first-class bin." (Photo subject is a model.)

Dear Quentin,

On a recent flight, I paid extra for priority boarding. When I reached my row, the bin was already full. I looked down the aisle and saw people who were seated much farther back had put their bags in the bins over the forward rows. One man had wedged two bags into a single compartment, and his seat was several rows behind mine.

I asked a flight attendant if there was room for my carry-on. She said I'd have to look farther back or maybe check it at the gate. I told her I'd paid extra to board early and that the space above my seat had been taken by people who hadn't reached their rows yet. She said there wasn't much she could do.

I stood there with my bag, the line of passengers stacking up behind me. I'd done the sensible thing and followed the system as it was explained to me, and I was the one holding up the aisle. It reminded me of being a kid who raised his hand and waited his turn while everyone else shouted out answers. Frankly, I'm sick of flying.

Also, I wondered what would happen if I put my carry-on in the first-class bin. Would the flight attendants be so relaxed about that? I suspect the rules would suddenly matter a great deal. Maybe next time I'll try the other approach: I'll board whenever I feel like it and drop my suitcase in the first open slot I see. What do you think?

A Frequent Flyer

You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com. The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

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Priority boarding and charging for larger carry-on bags are, in part, the result of overzealous hard-shelled wheelie bags being crammed into overhead compartments.

Dear Flyer,

The beauty of priority boarding is that it only works if you use it and board as soon as possible.

That sounds harsh, I know, but the fact is if you had boarded early, I don't think you would have had a problem finding overhead space for your bag. Boarding is generally spaced out strategically: People with disabilities and/or children typically board first, followed by first-class passengers, priority boarders, veterans, seniors and, finally, all the other plebs (that is, people like me who don't pay for assigned seats or priority boarding).

You pay for your seat, not the overhead space. That can lead to disgruntled passengers trying to find space, like yourself, and also "carry-on monsters" who bring so many bags that they squeeze them all in those overhead compartments - sometimes at the expense of their neighbors, who then have to find a space at the back of the aircraft, and wait until everyone else has deplaned before they can retrieve their bag.

Baggage fees have become big business since they were first introduced two decades ago. U.S. airlines make more than $7 billion from baggage fees, according to reports, and while they account for only a small amount of revenue for many major carriers - despite adding to already skyrocketing fuel costs - they can add as much as 20% to revenue for low-cost carriers that enforce their baggage rules with an iron fist.

Priority boarding and charging for larger carry-on bags are, in part, the result of oversized, hard-shelled wheelie bags being crammed into overhead compartments. As writer Ian Bogost pointed out in The Atlantic: "The rabble holding cheap tickets who board last are most affected, but even jet-setters with elite status seem to worry about bag space; they hover in front of gates hoping to board as soon as possible - 'gate lice,' they're sometimes called."

You pay for your seat, not the overhead space.

Regarding priority boarding: Some passengers also have a legal right to go first, even if they have not paid for priority boarding. Under the Air Carrier Access Act, U.S. airlines and foreign carriers operating flights to and from or within the U.S. are legally obligated to offer early boarding to passengers with disabilities, while some airlines allow passengers with young children to board next, even before customers who have paid for priority boarding.

As this bill of rights from Delta Air Lines (DAL) says: "Airlines must allow a passenger with a disability who self-identifies at the gate as needing additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment or be seated, the opportunity to board before all other passengers. Passengers with disabilities must be provided prompt and timely boarding and deplaning assistance, upon request, from properly trained airline personnel."

"If level loading bridges are not available, a lifting device must be provided to assist persons with limited mobility safely on and off the aircraft at most U.S. airports, except when boarding smaller aircraft (less than 19 seats)," it adds. "For smaller aircraft and nonprimary U.S. airports or foreign airports, airlines must ensure boarding and deplaning assistance by any available means acceptable to the passenger."

Don't turn left when you enter the aircraft with your bag unless you have a first-class ticket.

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Check out The Moneyist's private Facebook group, where members help answer life's thorniest money issues. Post your questions, weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns or email The Moneyist at qfottrell@marketwatch.com.

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My stepmother wants me to repay my late father's $40,000 wedding gift. Should I oblige?

My ex-husband sent me a text, promising $20,000 for our children's education. Now he refuses to pay. What can I do?

My wife cried when I found out she had only $80,000 in her 401(k). I have $2.2 million. Am I wrong to be shocked?

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-Quentin Fottrell

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