A buddy of mine commuting from BOS to ORD for work was a non-rev, by the time he boarded all overhead bins were full. Agents made him check his bags, when he arrived in ORD his bags were still sitting on the ramp in BOS. Needless to say he flew back to BOS and called in sick.
Moral of the story, probably won't get much luck from any agents or FA's as they treat their own like crap. Best bet talk to the captain.