Duty-free tip that could save you up to £100 on flights | Personal Finance | Finance

Travellers have been alerted to a tip that can help you get around airline hand luggage rules. 

Packing for a trip can be a complicated endeavour when you’re trying to adhere to all of the airlines’ strict rules, particularly for the size of cabin bags and hand luggage. 

Everyone dreads having a struggle at the boarding gates and spilling your bags’ contents in the hopes a quick repack will make your luggage squeeze down to size. Many spend up to £100 to check in a bag at the last minute according to Skyscanner.

However, one luggage expert has shared an ingenious tip to avoid this entirely from the very start by using an extra bag no one gets charged for. 

The shipping specialists at My Baggage explained: “Most airlines allow you to bring a duty-free bag on the flight alongside your carry-on for no extra charge, a fact that most people don’t take full advantage of.”

This means your last-minute holiday shop or snack run before the plane could double as a carrier for your hats, jackets, brollies and other space-hogging items in your hand luggage. 

They continued: “If you find yourself with a few extra items that won’t fit in your carry-on, ask for a carrier bag in one of the duty-free shops after going through security and place your extra items inside. This will allow you to take them on your flight without having to pay extra.”

One warning though – they advised double-checking the policies of your airline to ensure this duty-free hack doesn’t cost you even more. 

If your airline won’t allow this trick, check if they will allow pillows onboard without counting them towards your hand luggage allowance. Instead of using your normal fluffy sleep accessory, stuff a pillow case with some soft items to double as baggage. 

They shared: “Fill it with things like bikinis, rolled up t-shirts, and other small items to free up extra space in your carry-on bag. Most airlines, including Wizz Air, Jet2 and EasyJet allow it, while it isn’t officially allowed with Ryanair.”

If you can’t quite weasel your way out of the extra hand luggage, they recommend rethinking the outfit you’ll be wearing on board. They recommended the bulkiest, heaviest numbers such as coats, boats and headphones. 

They shared: “If you’re desperate, wearing multiple layers can also allow you to bring more clothes with you, as airlines don’t charge for anything you are wearing.

“Although this isn’t the most comfortable way to travel, it works well in a pinch when you can’t quite fit everything in your carry-on, and you can always remove some layers once you are seated on the plane.”