Ah. Just grabbed whatever bag is at their feet and go.
So once they got to the terminal they got together and returned each bag to its rightful owner.
That had to be it. Sorting them out while still on the plane would be insane.
I think it was a long time before they even got to the terminal.
SFO is a huge place, and where that plane smacked the shore wall is over a mile from the terminal.
We had a rough landing going into Seattle once, and all of the baggage was hitting people in the head and shoulder area, and then to the floor. We were told to either grab our own, or if it was someone else’s put it on a seat, so that the aisle was passable.
What wasn’t picked up by passengers went to the carosels anyway. But some passengers were injured, and were not going to be carrying any luggage.