Given that the overhead bins are usually highly congested, the capitalist playbook clearly says you should be able to solve this space allocation problem by introducing a cost for the space usage.
Except the overhead bins only got cluttered in the first place because capitalists took something that was usually included, a checked bag, and charged $50 for it, so now passenger planes fly with pretty underfilled cargo areas and overstuffed overhead compartments that make it take 2x as long to board and deboard the plane.
So yeah, inventing a problem where there wasn't one and selling a solution IS actually the capitalist playbook.
FYI, the low cost airlines in the US are actually in a business crisis right now, because their cost per seat mile has doubled and none of them are really making a profit, while the legacy carriers are making reasonable profit. So expect some truly offensive bullshit from "low cost" carriers to offset their bad business decisions.
They doubled their fleet size but now each plane is flying fewer hours per day, and wouldn't you know that's bad for an airline, from an economics perspective.
This might be true for low-cost airlines, but is it for the traditional ones?
I recall times where checked luggage was included in the air fare, but people would still fill up the overhead space, as it was simply more convenient (and quicker) to have your luggage with you, instead of having to wait for your checked luggage to show up 10-40 Minutes after leaving the plane.
Oh the good old days of flying in to Tegel (Berlin), time from the Gate to the Taxi? Approximately 3 Minutes.
Nowadays, it seems everything goes extra, as that allows airlines to list first on any of the travel portals where people buy their flights nowadays.
