I am coming from the ERJ at TSA to the CRJ at AWAC and am a little confused. We had a forward closet on the ERJ and sometimes 2 of them. The geniuses at Bombardier decided that pilots and flight attendants don't really fly the airplanes so they decided not to put in a forward closet for crew bags.

Thus, crew bags get put in the PAX bins. Is there ever problems with PAX tampering with the bags or trying to steal them? I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but this is new to me and was just wondering what everyone’s input was on this matter.

I'm also bored on a Friday night...I know...sad.

No. YOUR bag belongs in the back ;-) Hehe...

Seriously though (maybe I'm far too trusting), but I very much doubt any PAX is going to fiddle with a crew-bag...!

P.S. In the Sim yet?! What do you think?

Nah just passed systems test today. Got a 100% I'm cool. Cracked about 6 Blue Moon's before lunch today though HA!

Usually the ground crew knows to leave 3 or 4 bags on the plane, but don't count on it. I would check it ever so often to make sure they are on there. My bag went on vacation over chrismas!

The CRJ does have crew closets. There's a FA baggage closet immediately below the forward cabin interphone. There's a cockpit crew closet (big enough to hold two PNT bags) up front behind the galley. (It's the bi-fold door that's below where the FA jumpseat plugs into the wall)

Unfortunately, after 9/11 the mandate for new cockpit doors resulted in the cockpit crew closet being rendered useless for everything but thin laptop bags.

Good info, thanks! But has there ever been problems with bags being in the back?

I used to stick my bag in either the overhead immediately across from the Lav or under the seats in Row 13 (right against the bulkhead). I never had an issue with somebody fooling around with it. But then again, I didn't leave anything important in any of the easily accessible side pockets.

I wouldn't however leave anything else crew related in an overhead (such as a laptop). Those have been known to walk off. Usually you can spot if somebody is deplaning with a crew bag. It's much easier for them to conceal or otherwise smuggle other bags off.

Alternatively, you can slide your seat forward and put your bag behind your seat. I have flown with a few people that did that, but the downside is that it's hard to climb in and out, and you can't get enough room to put your feet up in flight.

AWAC used to put the bags in the crew closet...however for w&b purposes they are now "required" to put them in the last available rows in the cabin. Notice "required" is in quotes...

When I flew the CRJ, company policy dictated that the CA & FO's bags went over row 10 on the -200. I heard of only one incident where a pilot's bag went missing after being put in the overhead. Anything which is possible is inevitable. As stated above, never put anything you can't live without in your bag. Plenty of room for your laptop up front with you.

If I was in a rush to get off the plane to make a tight commute home, I'd put my rollaboard up front, but other than that I found it to be way too much hassle. The risk factor is low, take reasonable precautions, but don't worry much about sticking it in the back with the cattle.

Even when you're flying out of Philly.

or in the last 2 overhead bins, which is where I have been putting mine, never had anyone tamper with it, infact mostly people worried that someone left their bag on the plane.