I don’t think you read my post. Never said a thing about having two items in the overhead bin. So if someone’s carryon is not a suitcase, they are not entitled to having it in the overhead bin? 
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I never said anything about only allowing suitcases in the overhead bin. Just that you shouldn’t have two items up there.
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No snark intended, just would like everybody to play by the same rules. If we are allowed one 21-inch bag in the overhead, then shouldn’t that apply to everybody???
If someone has two bags and both are bigger than a purse or SMALL bag, then the rule is to check the second bag—if the cost is seen to be too much, or one’s time is too precious to waste it waiting at the carousel, then pack less stuff—simple!!
What frustrates me are those who think the rules apply to everybody else, but not to them–NOT implying this pertains to you, @me29034 , speaking generally
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And I never said anything about having 2 items there. 
Of course, it would help if airlines installed the newer bigger overhead bins that have space for a full size carry on bag for every passenger, rather than the older ones that could hold a full size carry on bag for about 2/3 of the passengers.
It would also help if passengers put their bags in the bins the space efficient way – typically wheels in or out, and tipped up on the narrow side of the bin if it is one of the newer bigger ones.
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Last year when we flew home from Amsterdam, the woman in the seat in front of us had so many bags that she took up the entire bin. Just with her stuff. Her seat mate had to put her stuff across the aisle and so did we. It was a bag and several tote bags and shopping bags.
The good news is that it was not a full flight and there was room. But it was very inconsiderate.
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I’ve noticed flight attendants doing this on most flights I’ve been on. I was on a flight maybe 10 years ago where a passenger who was trying to stuff her giant fur coat in the overhead bin, got into it with a flight attendant who demanded that it be removed.
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In general, luggage deities have been kind to us. All of our checked luggage has generally arrived intact. They’ve broken a bottle of mango chutney and a medical device (valued <$200), plus a suitcase or two over the decades we have flown and checked luggage. We figure that’s pretty good considering the number of flights we’ve traveled.
These days, when United breaks luggage, they tell you to choose a new bag from the display of bags they have in baggage claim customer service and you take it home then & there. Of course, none of the selections are name brand luggage. (At least that was what they told me the last time they broke one of our bags.)
A lot of my vacation trips involve extensive hiking. So I have trekking poles and microspikes etc that cannot be kept in carryon. Because of flight delays, missing connections, and baggage issues, I always stay in or near the airport city for the first night.
I have had luggage miss a flight but in recent years I don’t think it is lost as the airline knows exactly where it is and has been able to get it to me by next day latest.
Two years ago I flew from Denver, thru Nashville, to Savannah GA. One suitcase also flew that itinerary, but the other had a much better vacation. It stayed in Nashville for a while and then I was told it went to Baltimore and would be in Sav the next day. Nope. It seems it went around the midwest, to chicago for a while, then somewhere in New England, oh maybe to Baltimore, maybe not. It took 3 days for me to get it, and by then SW treated me to a new summer wardrobe of bathing suits, beach stuff, a few t-shirts and hats, toiletries, etc. What bothered me the most was every time I called they gave me a different story and time when my stuff would arrive. I did have shoes with me, and underwear (I hadn’t packed the suitcases evenly -live and learn).
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Whatever each plane now has for overhead bins should have dividers installed…one per passenger who can use it for whatever they want. If your bag doesn’t get fit, it gets checked. Simple. Of all the problems airlines have with…well, uh, everything… this seems like it should be the easiest issue to solve.
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Except there isn’t enough overhead space for every seat to have a 12" slot in the overhead (I think that’s about what a wheelie bag is on its side). Some of the overhead compartments have equipment (oxygen, first aid stuff). I’ve even seen the flight crew bags in some. Sometimes the bins span over a row and a half, so the three rows (9 seats) would have to share 6 divided slots. The bulkheads have no under seat area so they have to have the overhead even for their coats and purses.
Problems, problems
In the comparison below (older bins on the left, newer bins found in some aircraft on the right, the roller bags on the left need ~14" slots, while the ones on the right need ~9" slots, based on typical carry on bag dimensions (22" x 14" x 9").
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I didn’t put any size limits in my solution. Whatever the compartment size is, divide it into 3 equal sections and that’s it. Bulkhead passengers can easily be told that their space is extra limited and to pack accordingly. Those passengers are NOT, imo, entitled to “my” bin space.
On our trip home from Maui last month, the FAs were encouraging passengers on the sides of the plane with rollaboards to put them in the middle section overhead bins where they’d fit on their sides, wheels to the back. The upper side bins went to people with smaller bags.
Woe to the passenger who had their bag lengthwise with a pair of shoes tied to the extended (!) handle.
They were very nice about the whole thing and there weren’t any problems to speak of.
I think Alaska airlines has the larger bins throughout on their Boeing planes.
I have very short legs, so I can fit just about any squishy bag under the seat in front of me.
Those who gently spread out their overcoat and hat in the otherwise empty bin and then shut the door have a special place in h*** reserved for them.
A typical overhead bin sit above approximately two rows of economy class seats. The older smaller bins will have space for four roller bags (for the six passengers in those two rows), while the newer bigger bins will have space for six roller bags (if the passengers stand them on up as shown in the example a few posts back).
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Ok…on those planes the bins should be divided into however many seats they “cover”. If they cover six seats, then there should be 6 spaces available. I realize airlines would have to adjust their maximum carry on size, and I think that would be good.
But they can’t. They’ve added way more rows than available overhead bin space. Profit trumps passenger convenience.
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They are wider than 12 inches!
And many of us would need to buy smaller carryon bags. I have a smaller one that actually can fit under my seat. But I think it’s very unrealistic to expect the whole luggage industry to retool the carryon bag size. My opinion.
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