Flight attendant Miguel Muñoz shared “the duty-free hack” and explained that passengers can easily bring an extra bag on their next flight without extra cost by simply using a shopping bag from the Duty-Free at the airport. The crew members revealed that “duty-free bags don’t count as carry-on baggage” and if holidaymakers have “something that doesn’t fit in your suitcase or you want to bring an extra bag on board, here’s the trick, all you have to do is carry a duty-free bag”.

Miguel suggested: “Or ask for one at the duty-free shop and you place whatever you want in the shopping bag.”

Although “there is obviously limited space, at least you are bringing an extra bag to the cabin with you,” he commented.

The flight attendant continued: “Now you know. If you ever find yourself in that situation, just put whatever you need in a duty-free bag. You are welcome!

“I know the trick because I always do this when I fly as a passenger. And when I see people coming on board with a duty-free bag that looks very full I always assume they are using it for this purpose as it obviously doesn’t contain just one perfume or bottle of wine.

“But a lot of crew don’t know this and most won’t realise. If you come on board with one piece of luggage, which you are allowed to, and a duty-free bag with some of your belongings, no one will say anything.”

Although luggage policies vary depending on the airline, passengers often have to pay to bring a suitcase on board, for an extra carry-on and checked-in luggage, and they are sometimes only allowed one small cabin bag which has to fit under the seat.

If the cabin bag doesn’t fit the strict dimensions or weighs too much, holidaymakers will also be asked to pay an extra fee at the gate.

Travel experts at Panache Cruises shared their top four hacks to avoid “paying the dreaded overweight baggage fee”.

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1. The pillow trick

The hack involves bringing a pillowcase full of the passenger’s clothes to disguise as a comfy pillow on the aircraft.

“Many travellers have said they have successfully used this trick to avoid fees for overweight baggage,” the experts said.

Flight attendant Miguel commented on the pillow trick saying: “This is one I keep seeing on TikTok and it consists of placing the additional clothes inside a pillowcase and carrying that with you on the plane. It’s genius. As a crew, I would never suspect anything.”

However, he pointed out that “it’s easier to carry a duty-free bag than a pillowcase around the airport”.

2. Utilise duty-free bags

As Miguel previously mentioned, the travel experts also recommended using duty-free bags as they “don’t count as carry-on baggage”.

“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,” they suggested.

3. Travel in the heaviest clothing

One of the oldest tricks in the book, the experts said, wearing the heaviest clothes while travelling “is a great way to keep to weight restrictions”.

All holidaymakers need to do is wear their bulkiest items, like hoodies, coats and heaviest shoes, which will make more room in their case and will keep them extra warm on the plane.

“Travellers should use the pockets of their bulky clothing to stash more items if they are still concerned about the weight of the case,” the travel gurus suggested.

4. Layer up

Finally, 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,” the experts commented.

As soon as travellers get on board, they can strip down to their original outfit because, “technically, no one can say anything”. The travel experts added: “While this strategy can involve holiday-goers wearing an entire wardrobe on the flight, if desperate to travel cheaply, this is definitely an option.”

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