Travelers Are Hiding Their Clothes in Pillows to Avoid Baggage Fees

• TikTok consumer @is.me.larry just lately shared a video of herself making an attempt the “pillow airport hack.” 
• She packed additional garments into her pillow, which helped her keep away from paying additional baggage charges.
• Arina Bloom, a former flight attendant, informed Insider that the pillow hack is a good concept.

From the tickets to the luggage charges, everything about flying is getting costlier. 

However some savvy vacationers have discovered new hacks to chop down on prices, they usually’re sharing the following tips and tips on TikTok. 

TikTok consumer Larissa of @is.me.larry shared a video of herself on June 30 making an attempt the “pillow airport hack.” Larissa didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark. 

The clip, which has racked up 4.6 million views as of Thursday, reveals Larissa and her pals strolling via the airport, all holding pillows. As soon as Larissa will get to her vacation spot, she opens the pillow to disclose dozens of clothes gadgets tumbling out. 

Larissa wrote within the caption that the hack helped her and her pals save €80, or round $81.20. 

The video has acquired greater than 2,000 feedback, with many TikTok customers saying they could not wait to strive the pillow hack.

“Now everyone’s going to be carrying pillows across the airport,” one wrote. 

Others, although, mentioned they had been apprehensive about “getting caught.” However Arina Bloom — who worked as a flight attendant for two years — informed Insider the pillow hack is definitely an incredible concept. 

“You’re allowed to convey a pillow on a airplane and, so long as there’s nothing prohibited inside, it’s very OK,” she mentioned.

Pillows are permitted in each carry-on baggage and checked baggage, in response to the TSA’s website. However whilst you’ll don’t have any downside bringing a full-size pillow via safety, it is as much as the airline to resolve if it counts as your private merchandise. In line with Executive Flyers, American Airways, United, and Delta all think about a pillow to be a private merchandise.  

Journey and packing knowledgeable Lydia Mansel, founding father of Just Packed, informed Insider she can be a fan of the hack. 

“Packing garments in a pillowcase can undoubtedly be an efficient solution to maintain your bag beneath the burden restrict,” she mentioned. “Nobody desires to pay these additional charges, in any case.” 

Mansel mentioned the hack would possibly solely be a problem if you need to catch a connecting flight, which may go away you working via the airport with a heavy pillow. 

In the event you do not need to lug round an enormous pillow, you might put additional gadgets in a journey pillow as an alternative — which has turn into one other well-liked TikTok journey hack. 

And should you’d fairly simply go away all pillows at house, Mansel recommends packing your heavier gadgets — like footwear and coats — in a carry-on bag so your checked baggage is way lighter. A handheld baggage scale may also allow you to keep away from having to shuffle garments round on the check-in desk. 

“You’ll see precisely how a lot room you have got left, or if it’s essential take away just a few gadgets, earlier than heading to the airport,” Mansel mentioned.