Hand luggage charges, often in addition to the basic ticket price, have become more prevalent in recent years, with some airlines reducing the size of their free cabin baggage allowance. Ryanair and easyJet, known for their low fares, have been pioneers in charging for hand luggage as an additional cost. In fact, Ryanair customers who bring an oversized bag (over 55x40x20cm) to the gate may be forced to check it and be charged £70-£75 for the pleasure.
Travel packing has become a viral trend with holidaymakers seeking innovative ways to maximise their luggage space. But experts have warned that popular workarounds for sneaking extra items on board a plane could land passengers in hot water.
The ‘pillow hack’ has been making waves on social media for a couple of years. This crafty trick saw passengers stuff an empty pillowcase or neck pillow with extra clothes to dodge paying for an additional bag for clothing. But one TikTok user, @natashaorganic, realised it wasn’t foolproof. They shared a video of the hack spectacularly failing, racking up more than 2.8 million views and upwards of 300,000 likes.
The clip shows a passenger looking far from pleased after staff at Orlando International Airport insisted they pay for extra baggage for their pillowcase full of clothes. A row erupted with airport staff when a passenger failed to adhere to their instructions, leading to them being denied boarding and escorted from the gate by airport police.
Airline staff have become wise to the tricks of savvy travellers, with many people calling out easyJet and Ryanair for being particularly hot on it. On an r/Travel Reddit thread, one person wrote: “Easy are very strict with ‘exactly one item’. They have seen it all with people trying to bring on stuff in extra handbags, carrier bags, etc.”
Ryanair’s policy states: “If your small bag or 10kg cabin bag does not fit in the baggage sizers, which are placed at every boarding gate, we will tag your bag and place it in the aircraft hold subject to payment of a gate bag fee.”
“If you have purchased a check-in bag you must check this in at the bag drop desk at the airport. If you bring your check-in bags to the boarding gate, you will have to pay a fee, per bag, to place them in the aircraft hold. If you do not pay the Gate Bag Fee, you will not be able to board your flight.”
But there is a loophole to the tip that many have claimed to be more successful than using a pillowcase.
On easyJet’s website, it clearly states: “You’re allowed to bring some extra things into the cabin. e.g. umbrella, overcoat, crutches, walking stick, one standard bag of goods bought at the airport.”
Travellers have taken advantage of duty-free bags to conceal their faux pillows.
A successful passenger shared on Reddit: “I did it with a cushion cover put into a duty free bag. It worked. I put all my clothes in on the way back and put more things in my case that I bought. It worked again. That again went into a duty free bag. It works, it’s only the airline that cares and even then they don’t.”
Travel experts have urged anyone taking a flight to be wary of the risks involved with packing hacks.
Kate Staniforth, head of marketing at Travel Republic, commented: “Whilst many TikTok users have claimed this hack works, unfortunately, this is not always the case and you can be caught out.”
He noted: “It’s down to the discretion of the airline staff, meaning you could be left with a choice between paying for additional luggage or leaving your items behind.
“You don’t want to risk the enjoyment of going on holiday and having to either leave your possessions or pay for additional luggage at the airport as it is nearly always cheaper to pay for baggage in advance.”
The best way to pack with only hand luggage is to invest in a good carry-on bag that fits airline measurement limits, and use packing cubes that compress your belongings.
However, you will need to pack strategically and densely.