Alaska Airlines/Boeing team up to offer larger overhead "Space Bins''

Boeing's "Space Bins'' will add extra room on Alaska Air flights 

Good news from Alaska Airlines. It will be the first carrier to get new Boeing "Space Bins,"  larger overhead bins that will be easier to reach and will hold more bags, including oversized items such as guitars.

The Seattle-based airline said Alaska's next-generation 737-900ERs, scheduled for delivery starting late next year, will hold as many as 174 standard carry-on bags, a 48 percent increase compared to current bins that hold up to 117 bags. 

“Boeing listened to Alaska when developing its innovative new 737 Space Bins,” said Mark Thompson, Boeing sales director, in a press released posted on the airline's blog today.

“Flight attendants, customer service agents and others visited Boeing’s design center, tested prototypes and gave Boeing’s designers insightful feedback. In addition, Boeing engineers who regularly fly Alaska observed first-hand how customers load bags into bins." Boeing truly appreciates its special partnership with Alaska Airlines.”

When open, the bin’s bottom edge hangs about 2 inches lower, which means people don’t have to lift their bags as high to load them. I'm especially happy to hear this, having recently struggled to reach new reconfigured overhead bins on a refurbed Delta Airbus A330 from Paris. The airline said it expects the new bins will cut boarding times, improve on-time performance and require less intervention from flight attendants.