Not all airlines let you bring a carry-on bag onboard the plane. If you’re flying ultra low cost carriers like Spirit Airlines or Frontier they charge extra for that. If you’re flying on United’s cheapest tickets it isn’t allowed at all.
To bring more things on board than you’re allowed to, or to save on fees, some passengers have been known to turn themselves into a human suitcase by wearing a SCOTTeVEST. Backpackers for years have stuffed their clothes into pillow cases to make pillows to sleep on.
In the ongoing game of airline versus passenger, one traveler has come up with a new way to win: using the pillow case as an extra carry-on bag. Just stuff all your items inside, instead of using it for a pillow. The overpacked pillow just takes all of the extra clothes you can’t fit within your carry-on allowance.
@lequeefthief if you have less clothes i think an empty neck pillow would be easier
Some people try a similar trick, to disguise a carry-on bag inside of a shopping bag. But that doesn’t actually work because it misunderstands airline carry-on rules.
- It may be possible to fool a gate agent, because they aren’t thinking about a full sized bag when they see a shopping bag, but this isn’t something I would expect to work most of the time because a carry-on bag isn’t defined by whether it is a suitcase.
- The difference between a personal item and a carry-on bag is its size. By definition the bag used to carry the carry-on has to be larger than the carry-on.
The genius here of the pillow case is that it understands the psychology people bring to the rules. A pillow isn’t going to go into the overhead bin (where a carry-on bag belongs) or under the seat (which is for your personal item). A pillow is for resting your head, so it stays at your seat.
If your pillow is full of heavy items though it really shouldn’t be out during takeoff or landing. In turbulence it actually could be dangerous though of course that’s a long shot. And with single agent boarding most airline gate staff don’t have time to look closely and think about it anyway.
Of course if everyone did this, it would become so obvious that it wouldn’t work anymore.
Ha, I look forward to someone trying this on Ryanair or some other ULCC only to be told to either put the pillow into their personal item where it will not fit, or else check the pillow (and all its contents)
None of these “tactics” would be needed or used if the airlines quit with their asinine bag fees. Southwest allows 2 free checked bags. The other airlines rake in millions with their bag fees and continue to find more ways to squeeze money out of passengers for things that used to be included in the price of a ticket. I say, “more power” to anyone who can find ways to avoid these rip off fees. I have my own, but I am not stupid enough to post what I do because the airline “bean counters” read postings such as the ones posted here and elsewhere.
As a flyer with status I love the subsidy provided by baggage fees.
Johhny – and I am sure that your “status” was acquired with you purchasing overpriced tickets over a long period of time. You have paid for your smugly stated “status”…..
Lol, used to travel wearing a photographer vest. Amazing what you could stuff into one of those.
I still remember the look on the faces of the screeners in Zimbabwe when I walked up, unzipped it and laid it on the scanner, then put it back on after.
Crazy American! But it worked. Especially in countries who did weigh carry on but never gave my vest a 2nd look.
Using clothes in a bag for a pillow is an old backpacker hack to be more comfortable at camp. The resulting pillow is less compressible than the ones onboard and thus is more useable. I use the pillow in the location of my lower back to lessen backaches. I should be doing this.
@jns … +1 .