A WOMAN has revealed how she used drastic measures to take four kilograms out of her backpack and avoid paying for excess baggage.
Luggage fees can really add to holiday costs, especially for passengers who get caught out at the airport without paying in advance.
TikTok/@flavieedubeFlavie had to remove items from her backpack and layer up for her flight[/caption]
TikTok/@flavieedubeShe managed to remove four kilograms from her hand luggage[/caption]
TikTok/@flavieedubeAfter removing the items from her backpack it fit the hand luggage requirements[/caption]
One person who was determined not to be hit by the extra fees was Tiktoker ‘Flavie’ (@flavieedube) who had massively overpacked for her flight from New Zealand to Sri Lanka.
She showed how she managed to take 11kg worth of luggage on holiday, despite having a 7kg allowance.
In a video, she filmed herself packing on extra layers and stuffing items into the waist on her jeans until she managed to transfer the excess weight from her bag onto herself.
A clip from the end of her video showed that she had reduced her bag to a just about acceptable 7.04kg.
In a caption on the footage she wrote: “You travel from New Zealand to Sri Lanka and make your 11kg luggage fit into 7kg.
“Always believe in yourself.”
Her video has been seen more than 124,000 times, with other users impressed with her methods.
One wrote: “Very smart.”
Another said: “I need tips for this cause I’m going in November and would like to not spend an extra $80.”
A third added: “This is the best.”
Flavie isn’t the only passenger to sneak extra luggage onto a plane.
People have been seen using cushions, asking for plastic bags from duty free and hiding smaller backpacks underneath coats in order to get around the rules.
While it may seem sneaky, flight attendants have admitted they aren’t particularly bothered about people doing it.
Sun Online Travel’s resident cabin crew member explained that, for the time being, they’re happy for people to try and save a bit of extra money.
They said: “Some people think excess luggage fees are there for safety reasons, to stop everyone bringing too much on the plane, which is true to some extent.
“If the plane is too heavy we’ll have big problems that we really don’t need.
“But it’s mainly a money making scheme too and every passenger has the option to bring more luggage onto the aircraft, which shows there’s usually enough room.
“If everyone is sneaking luggage onto flights, we’ll start to have problems – even with little handbags and backpacks, the weight will eventually start to add up.
“However, I don’t think we’re at that stage yet – you should see how much people bring on board after their trips to Disneyland. Bags and bags of merchandise, it’s crazy.
“So your little bag hidden away, or a few extra layers hidden in your pillow isn’t really much of a problem.
“Save as much money as you can – some of you have even inspired me to try the same.”
Meanwhile, this passenger was fined by an airline after trying to use a similar luggage hack.
And this is the perfect bag to buy when only flying with hand luggage.
TikTok/@flavieedubeFlavie also tucked items into the waistband of her jeans to make her bag lighter[/caption]