The reason passengers shouldn’t close a plane’s overhead lockers

When passengers board a flight with hand luggage, they can choose to put it in the overhead locker or under the seat in front. However, even if the overhead locker appears to be full, passengers are usually told not to close it themselves.

Rosie Panter, travel expert at dealchecker, said: “It massively slows down the onboarding process if passengers must keep opening the lockers to find space for their belongings.

“Even if an overhead storage locker appears full to an untrained eye, leave it open, there may be room for something small or squishy and the cabin crew will check and ensure they are securely closed before take-off.”

Cabin crew are masters at fitting multiple bags into a small space so passengers should always leave the locker open.

To help maximise space in the lockers, passengers could also keep small items under the seat in front.

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In the event the plane’s lockers are full, some passengers will be asked to put their bag in the hold.

If their bag is the correct size for the cabin, they won’t need to pay for this but will need to wait at baggage reclaim.

Cabin crew will also make sure all the overhead cabins are locked so nothing falls out during the flight.

If the lockers aren’t closed correctly, bags could fall out with the potential to injure passengers or attendants.