I suppose you didn’t have to tell the FA, you could have just left it in your way. But I presume you wanted the bag removed.
I guess you also could have just put the bag in the aisle. Of course, it would be a tripping hazard, and the result would still be to get the FA involved.
I suppose you could have even picked up the bag and walked it off the plane. But I wouldn’t want to place a bet on who would win a court case for theft if the guy decided to press charges — I doubt “seat possession” would qualify as an exception that allowed you to claim access to someone else’s private property.
My point is that while you had no obligation to touch the bag or move it, since you WANTED it moved, there were probably obligations related to HOW that move took place, even if the only “obligation” was to pick up the bag and throw it into the aisle or another seat.
I would also be surprised if there was any actual case law as to where a passenger is allowed to place the bag, and I am interested in whether the airline putting a bag off the plane like that will even pass muster in the end, although an airline has a lot more law on their side than a passenger.
Again, there was no obligation on my part to do anything. The passenger who wished to use my space instead of his own had the obligation to stow his bag correctly. I informed the FA that it wasn’t my bag. The flight attendant is under no obligation to track down the owner of a misplaced bag. If the bag would have been in the proper space then there would be no question as to whom the bag belonged unless of course the FA is notified otherwise. The FAs are well aware of such underhanded practices and do not seem to mind carrying out the letter of the law when possible (unidentified or unaccompanied bags are removed).
Maybe for a moment you could focus on the obligations of presumptuous passenger who wished to keep his space clear for his own feet by using someone else’s space. What should he have done?
See he did not try to take my space, he did not ask, or even inform. He simply took it. I was the victim. I refused to remain a victim. Any consequence are on the thieving passenger.