How to sneak your hand luggage onto a flight without having to pay for it
PASSENGERS are constantly on the lookout for ways in which they can get extra luggage on to their flight without having to pay for it.
One of the ways in which airlines make money is by charging passengers who want to bring extra items on board their flights.
And with hand luggage allowances getting stricter and stricter, it's no wonder people are having to find more creative ways in which they can dodge the excess fees.
However, two very simple methods could reduce the chances of airline staff checking the size of your bag, allowing you to sneak a bit more in without paying a penny.
One of which is to avoid using hard shell suitcases.
Australian retirement community have told their members that using soft bags is a great way to get away with overpacking.
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The reason is that hard cases are more noticeable to airport staff and much more likely to be checked.
They said: "Skip the hard-cover suitcase and go for a material zip-up bag instead.
"They’re easier to fit into the overhead baggage space and draw less attention from airport staff looking out for people with too much carry-on luggage."
Meanwhile, there's another simple trick that people can use to look less obvious when they're in an airport.
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The has said that using darker bags will help people blend in, even if their bag is bigger than it's meant to be.
They wrote: A black backpack that blends with dark clothes will be less conspicuous. A shopping bag filled with snacks, not so much."
For passengers who feel a little more daring than others, there are some riskier hacks out there.
In on Tiktok, a user who goes by the name @freiavi showed how she removed the insides from her pillow and filled the case with extra clothing.
The video was captioned "POV you've just booked a Ryanair flight, without wanting to pay for extra luggage" and shows her taking her stuffed pillow case through airport security and onto the plane.
It ends with Freia dumping her smuggled clothing out onto her hotel bed.
She isn't the first person to get away with the hack either.
Anya Iakovlieva, who goes by the handle @nolimitua on TikTok, managed to smuggle a number of extra items with her on the plane by using an empty pillowcase.
stuffing the case with a load of clothes, then placing it on top of her suitcase.
Presumably, the cabin crew checking passengers onboard assumed the pillowcase was going to be used as a sleeping aid, as Anya then showed a clip of herself hugging the pillow on the flight.
While the videos show people sneaking bags onto planes, the chances are flight attendants have spotted them, but they just aren't that bothered about it.
One cabin crew member told Sun Online Travel that they are often impressed by the hacks.
They said: "It's a money making scheme too and the fact that every single passenger has the option to bring more luggage onto the aircraft shows that there's probably enough room.
"If every single passenger starts doing it, we'll likely have problems, because even with smaller bags, the weight would add up.
"But we're not at that stage yet and at the moment, it's really not as much of a big deal.
"Personally, I've been inspired - I'm all about saving money wherever I can.
"Even as flight attendants, we have to ask our manager if we want to bring any extras on board, so I totally sympathise."
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Meanwhile, these are some of the best packing hacks currently on Tiktok.
And this travel pro revealed how to fit a week's worth of clothing into hand luggage.
