Avoiding Overweight Baggage Fees

by: Harry Johnson |

Serial overpackers and savvy travelers hoping to avoid being stung with dreaded overweight baggage fees are being offered advice to cut down on the heavy travel bags.

Low-cost airlines are particularly notorious for stinging their passengers who are over the suitcase or hand luggage allowance with large fees.

Baggage fees have become an integral way for airlines to generate more revenue from flyers, with the cost sometimes trumping the actual flight cost.

Money-saving travelers who opt for free baggage, which must be small enough to fit under the seat, are often told they must pay for an extra carry-on or checked-in luggage if it doesn’t fit the strict dimensions or weighs too much.

Each airline is different, but air carriers are always pursuing new revenue opportunities and charging extra for baggage has proved to be profitable.

Some airlines regularly change their bag and weight limits which can catch people out. When this happens the changes can still catch ‘none the wiser’ holidaymakers out several years later.

With a little bit of imagination, there are many hacks that holiday-goers can try to sneak a little extra on board without paying any more.

From packing clothing within a pillowcase to using duty-free bags to sneak in extras, travelers who want to keep costs down when traveling have some inventive options.

It is easy to overpack and fill bags to the brim, so holidaymakers should think twice about what they truly need because there is no worse start to a holiday than unexpected and unwanted charges.

To make it worse, over packing and having to take a hold bag can also seriously delay the arrival experience because of waiting times at the baggage carousel, so to avoid inconvenience, people should avoid over packing at all costs and stick to hand luggage on shorter trips.

The rules surrounding cruise luggage are far simpler and more straightforward than what you’ll find on a flight; most cruise lines have a 90kg limit. For cruises which leave a home port with no flights, this can be welcome news.

However, if flying to get to a port, holidaymakers will need to limit their packing to keep to the strict airline limits.

Hacks to avoid overweight baggage fees:

The pillow trick

This hack involves bringing a pillowcase full of clothes to disguise as a comfy pillow on the aircraft. Many travelers have said they have successfully used this trick to avoid fees for overweight baggage. A former flight attendant’s viral TikTok makes this hack famous, and there is now concern that airlines could stop letting people bring on their pillows as more customers brag online about beating the system.

Utilize duty-free bags

Duty-free bags don’t count as carry-on baggage, so if passengers buy something in a duty-free shop, they can use the bag they provide to add in their extra heavier items. This hack is great for people who want to bring an additional item on-board without breaking the strict one-small-bag rule. Simply wear layers through security and then place them in a duty-free bag afterwards.

Travel in the heaviest clothing

Perhaps one of the oldest tricks in the book, wearing the heaviest clothes while traveling is a great way to keep to weight restrictions. Holidaymakers who wear their bulkiest items, like hoodies, coats, and heaviest shoes, will make more room in their case and keep extra warm on the plane. Travelers should use the pockets of their bulky clothing to stash more items if they are still concerned about the weight of the case.

Invest in a Travel Vest

Wearable luggage, which offers a multitude of pockets to cram in small items, would be a great investment for frequent flyers who don’t want to pay extra for baggage. They are an incredibly functional item to have, often lightweight, that travelers can use to safely store their valuables and gadgets.

Layer up

Although sometimes impractical, layering up is a great way to free up baggage space. Under a coat, no one will ever know there are eight bikinis, five tops and a hoodie. As soon as travelers get on board, they can strip down to their original outfit because, technically, no one can say anything. While this strategy can involve holiday-goers wearing an entire wardrobe on the flight, if desperate to travel cheaply, this is definitely an option.

Invest in the best travel bag

Airlines can be very strict about the size and weight of hand luggage and suitcases. For this reason, investing in a lightweight bag makes sense so that travelers can pack in heavier items. There are also many viral hand luggage bags which have been made popular by social media. Available to buy online, these fit the specific measurements of each airline’s policy.

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