Television presenter Kelly Ripa has publicly admitted to committing a major breach of aeroplane etiquette, confessing she moved another passenger's luggage in the overhead storage compartment. The 55-year-old host revealed her controversial act during Tuesday's broadcast of her show, Live with Kelly and Mark, sparking a renewed debate on the unspoken rules of air travel.
The Incident That Sparked the Conflict
Ripa explained that the situation unfolded on a recent flight with her husband and co-host, Mark Consuelos. She noted the overhead bin was unusually empty, leading her to place her backpack inside rather than under the seat in front of her. The trouble began when a male passenger sitting ahead of her boarded and, according to Ripa, "aggressively" placed his suitcase directly on top of her bag.
"The man that was sitting in front of me came on board, and it was totally - I mean, I'm talking completely empty - and he put his suitcase on top of my backpack. Which I felt was like, aggressive," Ripa recounted. In response, the mother-of-three took decisive action. "I got up and I moved his bag off my bag. I was just like, 'Ha!' And I sat back down," she said.
A Widespread Travel Dilemma
This incident taps into a long-standing and heated online discussion about overhead bin rights. Many travel experts and frequent flyers firmly believe passengers should never touch another person's belongings. In January 2024, TikTok star Caleb Harmon-Marshall went viral for a rant condemning people who assume the space above their seat is exclusively theirs. "You don't get that spot. You're going to find yourself getting in trouble if you try to rearrange bags that's not yours," he warned.
Esteemed travel blogger Matthew Klint, who has visited over 135 countries, echoes this sentiment. He has previously written that it is "never appropriate to move someone else's bag" under any circumstances, advising travellers to simply find other space instead.
Ripa and Consuelos' Travel Tensions
This is not the first time the couple's travel habits have made headlines. Just last month, Ripa and Consuelos humorously discussed the concept of an "airport divorce" on their show due to their differing travel philosophies. Ripa described it as intentionally parting ways at the airport until meeting again at the gate. She cited Consuelos's fast walking pace and his alleged irritation when they are recognised by fans as points of contention.
While Consuelos defended his friendliness to the public, he did concede there was a "difference" in their airport styles, joking that they might now be headed for that very divorce. Ripa did not disclose how the stranger reacted to her moving his luggage, leaving the in-flight confrontation unresolved.
