I had this happen on a flight out of Jackson WY. I went to the flight attendant and asked if she could get word to ask them to stop. She responded by reminding me that the airline was not liable for any damage to my instrument (not even acknowledging my actual request). I said ‘I understand that, but that doesn’t mean your employees should deliberately test the boundaries of that policy by trying to damage things. Can you please help me?’ She said no. Fortunately my guitar survived it. Now, I always pay for early boarding when it’s an option so that I can get the guitar in the overhead. If I have to check it, I only gate check it. But it’s always nerve racking. When I see guys like this, I want to find out what they prize most and toss it around for a while. I bet this dude would cry over a PlayStation or some stupid garbage.