Most airlines I have taken even forbid you from stowing bags under the seat if you're sitting on the emergency exit row. Only in the overhead compartments.
I counter your anecdata with my own: unless you're at the front of coach, behind first class, I've never heard of this. I book exit row seats as often as I can.
I can confirm at least Air France forbids you if you’re on the exit row.
It is mandatory in EU.
It's not the case in the US if there is a seat in front of you--only in the case of bulkhead seats (whether or not they're an exit row).
Thanks; figured it was probably region-specific. U. S. is where my perspective is coming from.
Some airlines even ban high heels at exit row. And person sitting next to emergency door must be a male, to manage to open it.
I believe that in the US it is only forbidden during take off and landing.
It's a laptop backpack with straps that can move around a bit. All it takes is someone to hook a toe on a loop, and then that person would go headfirst down the slide.
One of the first things crew does after emergency is to make sure that the exit rows are clear. If your bag does move around during the crash landing and blocks exit, it will be removed out of the way
The point still stands - if it can be tripped over you are not stowing it properly and it should be in the overheads.