Originally Posted by
MajorLemond
+1 above.
...They’re certainly not airtight...
I've seen this comment a bunch on this topic a heap but there is a big difference between airtight and appropriately ventilated. Cut the corner slightly off a large garbage bag, fill the bag with air, seal your head in it for a few hours and you will see what I mean. OK don't actually do that! (should go without saying but some people these days..) but you get my point. The bag isn't technically air tight but you wont survive without adequate ventilation. I see you are from Sydney but if you've ever been on a north american flight, there aint no breathing space in that over head bin once the first 20 passengers have boarded. This is winter there too so add jackets stuffed into every little space. The dog didn't stand a chance. The passanger had two choices, trust that the hostess knew what she was doing, or get dragged off the flight. It's not the passengers job to know the ventilation characteristics of the overhead bin.