Narrative:

Working the L1 position on flight xx, it became apparent as passenger started to board that large carry-on items were being brought on plane. I went out to agent, asked her to please monitor baggage as we were booked (and subsequently were) full. I returned to boarding door with a few gate check baggage tickets. Passenger Z soon then entered with an athletic bag approximately the length and width of a coach bar cart (approximately 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, 18 inches high). I told passenger that the bag was oversized and would have to be checked. I secured a bag check ticket on it and placed bag on jetway. He objected saying he always brought it on board. I apologized and told him again it was too large. Mr Z initially went to seat xa to return a moment later saying that the bag was coming on board or he was not going on the flight. He brushed past me while saying this and continued out to jetway to retrieve the bag. I stepped into the cockpit, informed captain Y that a passenger was bringing an oversized bag back on board after I told him it would have to be checked. Captain Y said 'no, no' and shook his head in the negative motion which I took to mean that he would not permit this to happen. I stepped back into the forward area of the cabin and told passenger Z the captain said he could not bring the bag on board. Passenger Z pointed to another passenger in seat xb struggling to place his too large bag in the overhead, and another passenger with an extremely large garment bag over his shoulder. I stepped away from passenger Z to ask these men to check their bags and they too refused. I asked them again, explaining to them calmly that their bags were oversized but they ignored my request. Meanwhile, passenger Z, used this opportunity to enter cockpit and speak to captain. Passenger Z then brushed past me saying at least the captain understood customer service. Looking on the floor of the cockpit from the forward part of the cabin I could see the bag stuffed behind the captain's seat, the end of it protruding into the entrance. I went into the cockpit confused, and feeling betrayed and told him in a sincerely hurt voice that he 'made me feel like a fucking asshole for letting the passenger put his bag in the cockpit.' the captain replied in a low, menacing voice that 'I was to shut up, leave the cockpit, and not return, or he would remove me from the flight.' I left the cockpit immediately without saying another word to him for the rest of the flight as per his request. I am writing this flight report to raise several issues. I feel captain Y's lack of support ruined all trust between the cockpit and cabin and was extremely poor CRM. I was not comfortable and did not have any further communication with cockpit in-flight and wonder how I would have handled an in-flight emergency knowing I could not rely on the cockpit for support. I am curious what is FAA and our air carrier policy of placing unrestrained, oversized passenger luggage in the very small confines of the cockpit of an MD80. I will conclude this report by adding I have been a flight attendant for 12 yrs and that I have received several commendation letters and never a negative one from a passenger. I have learned to solve the vast majority of passenger problems without having to involve the flight crew and cannot think of another time I asked a captain to support me in a problem with a passenger. I feel betrayed by captain Y's decision and now wonder what sort of support we can really expect from the cockpit overall.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 ACFT LOADING PAX, RPTR CABIN ATTENDANT TELLS PAX THAT HIS CARRY ON BAG MUST BE CHKED DUE TO ITS SIZE. PAX CONFRONTS CABIN ATTENDANT, RETRIEVES BAG, GOES TO COCKPIT WHERE CAPT STOWS IT BEHIND HIS SEAT.

Narrative: WORKING THE L1 POS ON FLT XX, IT BECAME APPARENT AS PAX STARTED TO BOARD THAT LARGE CARRY-ON ITEMS WERE BEING BROUGHT ON PLANE. I WENT OUT TO AGENT, ASKED HER TO PLEASE MONITOR BAGGAGE AS WE WERE BOOKED (AND SUBSEQUENTLY WERE) FULL. I RETURNED TO BOARDING DOOR WITH A FEW GATE CHK BAGGAGE TICKETS. PAX Z SOON THEN ENTERED WITH AN ATHLETIC BAG APPROX THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF A COACH BAR CART (APPROX 36 INCHES LONG, 18 INCHES WIDE, 18 INCHES HIGH). I TOLD PAX THAT THE BAG WAS OVERSIZED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE CHKED. I SECURED A BAG CHK TICKET ON IT AND PLACED BAG ON JETWAY. HE OBJECTED SAYING HE ALWAYS BROUGHT IT ON BOARD. I APOLOGIZED AND TOLD HIM AGAIN IT WAS TOO LARGE. MR Z INITIALLY WENT TO SEAT XA TO RETURN A MOMENT LATER SAYING THAT THE BAG WAS COMING ON BOARD OR HE WAS NOT GOING ON THE FLT. HE BRUSHED PAST ME WHILE SAYING THIS AND CONTINUED OUT TO JETWAY TO RETRIEVE THE BAG. I STEPPED INTO THE COCKPIT, INFORMED CAPT Y THAT A PAX WAS BRINGING AN OVERSIZED BAG BACK ON BOARD AFTER I TOLD HIM IT WOULD HAVE TO BE CHKED. CAPT Y SAID 'NO, NO' AND SHOOK HIS HEAD IN THE NEGATIVE MOTION WHICH I TOOK TO MEAN THAT HE WOULD NOT PERMIT THIS TO HAPPEN. I STEPPED BACK INTO THE FORWARD AREA OF THE CABIN AND TOLD PAX Z THE CAPT SAID HE COULD NOT BRING THE BAG ON BOARD. PAX Z POINTED TO ANOTHER PAX IN SEAT XB STRUGGLING TO PLACE HIS TOO LARGE BAG IN THE OVERHEAD, AND ANOTHER PAX WITH AN EXTREMELY LARGE GARMENT BAG OVER HIS SHOULDER. I STEPPED AWAY FROM PAX Z TO ASK THESE MEN TO CHK THEIR BAGS AND THEY TOO REFUSED. I ASKED THEM AGAIN, EXPLAINING TO THEM CALMLY THAT THEIR BAGS WERE OVERSIZED BUT THEY IGNORED MY REQUEST. MEANWHILE, PAX Z, USED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER COCKPIT AND SPEAK TO CAPT. PAX Z THEN BRUSHED PAST ME SAYING AT LEAST THE CAPT UNDERSTOOD CUSTOMER SVC. LOOKING ON THE FLOOR OF THE COCKPIT FROM THE FORWARD PART OF THE CABIN I COULD SEE THE BAG STUFFED BEHIND THE CAPT'S SEAT, THE END OF IT PROTRUDING INTO THE ENTRANCE. I WENT INTO THE COCKPIT CONFUSED, AND FEELING BETRAYED AND TOLD HIM IN A SINCERELY HURT VOICE THAT HE 'MADE ME FEEL LIKE A FUCKING ASSHOLE FOR LETTING THE PAX PUT HIS BAG IN THE COCKPIT.' THE CAPT REPLIED IN A LOW, MENACING VOICE THAT 'I WAS TO SHUT UP, LEAVE THE COCKPIT, AND NOT RETURN, OR HE WOULD REMOVE ME FROM THE FLT.' I LEFT THE COCKPIT IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT SAYING ANOTHER WORD TO HIM FOR THE REST OF THE FLT AS PER HIS REQUEST. I AM WRITING THIS FLT RPT TO RAISE SEVERAL ISSUES. I FEEL CAPT Y'S LACK OF SUPPORT RUINED ALL TRUST BTWN THE COCKPIT AND CABIN AND WAS EXTREMELY POOR CRM. I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE AND DID NOT HAVE ANY FURTHER COM WITH COCKPIT INFLT AND WONDER HOW I WOULD HAVE HANDLED AN INFLT EMER KNOWING I COULD NOT RELY ON THE COCKPIT FOR SUPPORT. I AM CURIOUS WHAT IS FAA AND OUR ACR POLICY OF PLACING UNRESTRAINED, OVERSIZED PAX LUGGAGE IN THE VERY SMALL CONFINES OF THE COCKPIT OF AN MD80. I WILL CONCLUDE THIS RPT BY ADDING I HAVE BEEN A FLT ATTENDANT FOR 12 YRS AND THAT I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL COMMENDATION LETTERS AND NEVER A NEGATIVE ONE FROM A PAX. I HAVE LEARNED TO SOLVE THE VAST MAJORITY OF PAX PROBS WITHOUT HAVING TO INVOLVE THE FLC AND CANNOT THINK OF ANOTHER TIME I ASKED A CAPT TO SUPPORT ME IN A PROB WITH A PAX. I FEEL BETRAYED BY CAPT Y'S DECISION AND NOW WONDER WHAT SORT OF SUPPORT WE CAN REALLY EXPECT FROM THE COCKPIT OVERALL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.