On Sunday, a Delta Air Lines passenger flew Detroit to Toronto in first class and observed the behavior of the last woman to board in the cabin.
He reports being “about the 8th out of 12 first class passengers to board,” putting his carry-on bag in an overhead bin above row six since there was no more room up front, and he realizes that’s common with a Bombardier CR9 since only bins on one side of the aircraft are long enough to fit a small rollaboard.
- Predeparture beverages were offered.
- The the last first class passenger came on board. She was “first class Karen,” the “Most Important Person On The Plane who ‘paid hundreds of dollars more than anybody else'”
Noting that the overhead bins above her seat 3A were, and knocking passengers on the head with her backpack as she turned looking for what to do, she “started loudly asking”
WHOSE BAGS ARE THESE? THESE OVERHEAD SPOTS ARE FOR FIRST CLASS! PEOPLE IN THE BACK: GET YOUR BAGS OUT OF THESE SPOTS!!!
Since the smaller-side overhead bins are “precisely engineered to only accommodate individual, unwrapped Cheerios” there just wasn’t enough space for everyone in first class – it apparently wasn’t even a question of ‘coach passengers using first class bins’.
A passenger in row 2 helpfully suggested, “There is some space a few rows back. I had to do the same.” But First Class Karen yelled: “I PAID HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE TO HAVE OVERHEAD SPACE AT MY SEAT!”
She “huffed…left the bag sideways [in a manner that didn’t fit and wouldn’t let the bin close], and left the bin door open.” She sat down at her seat and yelled for a flight attendant, “I NEED HELP. HELP!!!! HELP!!!!” The crewmember offered, naturally, “there is some space a few rows back.”
You guessed the response,
I PAID HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS MORE TO HAVE OVERHEAD AT MY SEAT!!!
The flight attendant defused the situation by offering to stow the woman’s carry-on bag in the forward closet. All was peaceful until the end of the flight, when she interrogated first class passengers who were getting bags from coach, as though they didn’t belong up front.
Detroit to Toronto? That’s a very short flight, so if Karen paid “hundreds of dollars more than anyone else”, then Karen is a certifiable moron. Aside from being a massiver b-word.
DTW – YYZ is like what – 20 mins wheels up to down???
Frankly, the problem here is not the passenger. It’s the aircraft design not being able to hold enough bags, or the airline policy not being compatible with the storage space onboard.
Bad manners, sure. Fair gripe, absolutely. Stowing bags behind your row is a logistical nightmare when deplaning.
This passenger obviously wasn’t originating in DTW, but likely connecting from a delayed inbound, hence her late boarding time.
Classy lady.
Yup those RJ’s are poorly designed with a cabin that is too narrow. One day when the next generation is designed, hopefully the engineers take this into account and have a cabin that can fit bags on both sides.
None of us are entitled to be rude – of course! However, it makes me sad for all the kind, respectful, decent women named Karen whose name has unfortunately become an insult. Can we please come up with another term?
For a premium travel experience with like-minded, discerning guests, please choose Delta.
Next time fly private.
freelance digital marketer in calicut
Gate check! If your bag doesn’t make it, no bodies will
It’s not ‘Karen’, it’s the people bring too many carry-ons.
There are rude, entitled, people everywhere….. and yes most regional aircraft lack ample overhead compartment space. So, why is this even a story?
The aircraft is fine. Do you know what most cabins looked like 60 years ago? Check your bags, and attitudes at the ticket counter, or charter a flight. Passengers pay300-400 dollars for a ticket, then want the carrier to spend millions reconfiguring a fleet to accommodate them. Check your bags. I worked on CRJ, ERJ aircraft for many years. Most are lighter, and faster and I got to most places 20-30 minutes faster than the Airbus. People just want to complain. You paid for transportation, everything else is a perk. If the wifi is down, coffee maker deferred, bags checked in the jetway, you still got there. The airlines have fulfilled their obligations.
I’m sorry my Mommy was so rude to all the peasants up front who paid LESS than her for the privelege of flying with her in the world’s #1 PREMIUM airline. She’s usually better behaved when my Daddy flies with her.
A lot of operational and customer service problems would be lessened if only airlines charged for carry on bags.
Just sayin’
I really don’t feel any angst against gate checking (pink/yellow tagging it) on these Embraer 170-series jets. Alaska/Horizon and American/Eagle seem to let us gate check them and I honestly don’t mind it – so I wait 2 more minutes once I get off the plane, I’d rather do that than wait for row 10 to clear out so I can dart back into coach to get my bag…
For those who say “airlines’ fault” —
Try yelling like that at the FAs and see you ** get thrown in jail.
So you won’t do that, right?
So why would you yell at the passengers? Just because they choose not to pinch your obnoxious mouth?
Just asking. Not inciting violence.
Violence is never the answer to full bins.
You will find Karen’s photo in wiki next to the definition of See You Next Tuesday
They need to start kicking these entitled people off of flights. Shaming doesn’t work as they have never had any. Only if there are consequences to their behavior will they actually behave.
“KARYN with a “y”. Dear all – I love my name. It means “Ray of Light”. Karen/Karyn/Karin are all current names and it causes hurt and discrimination to use it in such a pejorative manner. Can we please find another way to describe a person or behavior that is egregious? I don’t know how “Karen” came to be used in this manner. I am sad. Thank you.
“KARYN with a Y”
Here’s an idea. Maybe there should be free checked bags for any flight under 1 hr wheels up to wheels down. That would speed up the boarding/deplaning time.
First Class from Detroit to Toronto? It is only a five minute flight – what the heck difference is there between domestic “first class” and economy that it make it worth paying for/fighting for/ even commenting on?
(I realize it is a little more than five minutes – but not a lot – it is hardly transatlantic!)
So today we get a couple of ‘its the plane’s fault!’ and a ‘people bring too many carry-ons!’ as rationales/excuses for some arrogant narcissist who believes the world revolves around her-on a regional, of all places! A: the plane is the plane, just deal with it and B: everyone is entitled to a carry-on, just deal with it. Life is as hard as you make it.
I check my bags. I carry a large handbag with everything I need. Fits under seat in front of me. I can not understand why folks wanna struggle taking suitcases on a airplane when they know there is barely any room
The real problem is people taking more than their carryon onto the plane. And being allowed to. Policy is not policy if it isn’t enforced. A neck pillow a backpack a duffle bag and a carryon bag is not a carryon. This same thing happens on the bigger planes. People are going to cheat if the crew doesn’t stop them. You all know this is true. And it’s maddening. I have to say I sympathize with Karen a little. You all do too!
I was yelled at by another Karen (passenger) recently to move my backpack under my seat when it was my only item to carry even though there was sufficient space to put their stuff in the same bins. I refused
The bins were probably full with pilot, flight attendant and other nonrev’s bags.
the woman should have been removed from the plane.
people like this need to stay away from the public..total b…..
Gate agent should have been pushing valet checked bags. Usually on CRJ 900s most roller bags get checked.
Thing is, she wasn’t wrong;actually, good for her for complaining. From a passenger perspective, the plane is poorly designed. Too narrow, very limited overhead. This may have been a connecting flight for her, hence the hundreds of dollars comment. And yes, you pay a lot more money you *should* expect better accommodations. Greyhound bus is more comfortable than some first class I can think of. Just bc airlines treat you like a dog doesn’t mean you have to eat the dogfood too.
Please don’t call her Karen. There are many people named Karen who don’t appreciate having their name used to signify being a jerk!
If someone filmed this, it should already be uploaded to YouTube
Why do ALL airlines indicate WHICH overhead corresponds with WHICH seat? I’m sick of passengers just poaching ANY open bin for all their crap. Check your stuff. Respect that overheads are part of the assigned seat. I blame the airlines for not enforcing this.
I fly almost exclusively business or first class. Now, I’m not one of these people that really wants to be one of the first ones on the plane. In fact, I’d rather be the last person on the plane. The problem here is that if I don’t board the plane as soon as possible, I will find that the overhead space above my seat or anywhere near my seat will be filled leaving me nowhere for my carryon. I check a bag almost every time I fly, but I have a small carry-on that contains stuff I absolutely cannot lose – medications, laptop, etc. I usually just have a backpack to carry on, but on longer trips I may have a very small carry-on bag and a backpack. Anyway, even though I don’t want to be the first one on the plane, I kinda have to be boarding with the first group so I can ensure my stuff has space. So yeah, I don’t wanna be a gate louse, but when they call my boarding group, I gotta board! LOL
However, in the rare event I’ve boarded later rather than sooner and have discovered that there wasn’t space for my stuff, the flight attendants will usually stow my tiny bag up front somewhere instead of making me check it. I doubt they’d do that for you if you’re a giant butthole about the situation, though…
That’s why I like airlines like Ryanair more then Delta for a short flight. They do a proper.job of ensuring that passengers either pay $$ for bags in the overhead bin, or pay $$ to check bags, or they don’t bring anything larger than a laptop. This leaves bins relatively empty and on top of that the flights are super inexpensive.
The lady sounds insane. That said, it’s really frustrating that bin space isn’t assigned like seats. Especially in premium cabins. I’d pay an additional fee for assigned, dedicated bin space for my (relatively small) backpack, which I refuse to check.
First class on a flight from Detroit to Toronto?! I’ve flown from Detroit to Toronto. It was a propeller plane and there was no first class.
It’s unspoken rule. One ticket, One overhead carry on luggage only. Be respectful of the space. If you have 2 ( a hand carry and a personal item) put one of them under the seat. I think this should be implemented. Thank you.
I’m not that strict. I don’t mind the expansion of hatrack to include laptop and prescriptions, as I need prescriptions and I need to take my worktop to any destination. Especially as we often are reminded not to check prescriptions and not to put laptops into seatback pockets. As for the rest of the continuing expansion of carryons and weakness of females to lift their own carryons, I really don’t care. Especially tiny CRJ’s which remind me of old propeller days in the 1970’s, (yes, I’m that dinosaur.) (As a side note, more often th an not, above my seat the hatrack is filled with safety gear and crew gear and I often have to stow my small carryon with prescriptions and laptop and maybe a hat several rows away)
Start charging for bin space and allowing free checked bags. That would speed things up. Any bags that don’t fit under the seat and didn’t pay for overhead bin space can just chucked out the door after the skybridge or stairs are rolled away.
This seems to be a person that doesn’t fly first class at all, so she feels extra entitled to fly upper class on a very short flight.
All other first class passengers is knowledgeable of the situation and get the flight in the air.
The flight is barely an hour. Yes the CRJs are annoying however, she could’ve pink tagged, checked beforehand, at gate, etc I’m a chronic bag checker for this very reason.
Boring article
I enjoyed the comment about the hats, and wish we could go back to the time when “hats” were the majority item being placed above the seats…
You are entitled to nothing Karen! Sit your ass down, shut up and stop causing a done before you leave35 thrown out of this plane!
although every flight begins with the announcement “overhead bins are shared space”
and most bins in first, business, premium economy are clearly marked there are always
those who will immediately drop their bags in the first class overhead before proceeding to economy. simple: let the check in desk issue a pastie with the words FIRST CLASS and flight number and date announce that those not marked will be gate checked
I fly economy BECAUSE I don’t have a lot of extra $$$, and I also make sure I chose economy flights that give me free carry-ons, for that reason. I always make sure my overhead and underseat bags are within the limits ste by the airline I am flying on, and I can still lift my bag into the overhead bin, even though I am in my late 60s. All of you with the deep pockets who say we should all be charged for carry on should just shut up about it. Unless I am bringing bags on that are oversized, it is not your concern, imo.
First/Business class should have reserved bin space above your seating.
Imagine if people used a common black woman’s name to call black women who engage in stereotypical bad behavior people attribute to them.The cries of racism would be deafening.The Karen stuff should stop . The woman is an ass