Passenger booted off plane after fight over overhead compartment

A passenger was kicked off a plane following a fight sparked by the overhead luggage compartment. Photo / Snapchat

The start of a flight is often a high-stress situation.

We've waited hours to finally get to our seats on the plane, we're in uncomfortably proximity to strangers and we're about to put our lives in the hands of one or two people as they take us to 34,000 feet in a metal tube.

Passengers can often feel a little tense, and it can be the smallest things that send them flying into full-blown rage.

And often, it's the overhead bag compartment that's the cause of it.

The tricky business of loading belongings into the overhead bin got a little too much for a couple of passengers who broke out in a dramatic fight that was caught on camera.

The violent incident last Friday began when a man started arguing with flight attendants about the overhead compartment as he and other passengers boarded the Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas to Los Angeles.

The man was asked to get off the plane but refused, Fox News reported.

According to witnesses, another passenger intervened and also asked the man to get off so everyone could get on with the flight.

But the man spat on that passenger, and the fight was on.

The two men punched at each other as other passengers screamed and rushed to get out of the way, Snapchat footage of the fight shows.

The two men were eventually separated and the instigator was taken off the plane, Fox 4 reported.

The fight was reportedly sparked by a disagreement over the overhead luggage compartment. It is unclear from the video who the aggressor was. Photo / Snapchat

But the whole commotion ended up delaying the flight for an hour.

In a statement, Southwest Airlines confirmed the flight was delayed due to an "altercation between two passengers".

"The passengers involved were deplaned and local law enforcement took over from there. The safety and comfort of our employees and passengers is our top priority," the airline said.

The overhead compartment is frequently the catalyst for on-board drama.

Last month, a passenger's bag in the overhead bin suddenly burst into flames, leaving shocked onlookers no choice but to try and put out the fire with bottles of water and juice.

The two fighting men were eventually pulled apart. Photo / Snapchat

And in May last year, a family said they were booted off a flight following an argument with cabin crew over whether they could store a cake in the overhead compartment.

The Burke family said they put the cake in the overhead bin, but a JetBlue flight attendant told them it posed a "security risk" so they moved it under a seat. Then a second staffer got involved, apparently arguing with the first, and dad Cameron Burke says he stepped in.

The family was on their way to celebrate mum Minta's 40th in Las Vegas from New York but they ended up getting kicked off the plane.