Leon says if he had been caught, he had a plan B
A holidaymaker has explained how he saved himself £75 to £100 on a Ryanair flight thanks to a £15 neck pillow. Leon Docwra packed underwear, T-shirts, swimming shorts and even a beach towel into a £15 travel pillow before boarding a Ryanair flight.
The 50-year-old also wore two tracksuits, three pairs of pants and three pairs of socks. Leon, who flies once a month, says the trick helped him avoid paying additional luggage charges after previously being stung.
“We fly frequently and have been charged for having too much stuff in our bags and wanted to find a way to get extra on without paying fees,” said Leon, from Great Yarmouth.
“Neck pillows are allowed and they didn’t check it. If they had, I would have gone to the bathroom and worn everything to avoid paying a £75 fine. I was already wearing two layers of clothes, three pairs of pants and three pairs of socks and it did get hot but it was worth it.”
The scrap metal dealer said he had paid only for hand luggage on the flight from Norwich to Portugal, which cost around £400. Among the items hidden inside were four pairs of boxer shorts, four pairs of socks, four T-shirts, two pairs of swimming shorts and a beach towel.
Leon admitted it wasn’t the first time he had used the money-saving tactic. He said: “I’ll do it every time. Flights are expensive enough without having to pay for extra luggage and fines.
“I fly a lot so I’d spend a fortune on baggage. It’s money we can spend on our holiday.”
Leon shared a video of the stuffed pillow online, where viewers praised the inventive travel hack. He added: “People think it’s great. They said they’re going to start doing it themselves.
“Anything at the moment where you can save money is great to share with others.”
One person said: “I wore two trackies when I travelled last week to avoid the extra cost. Was sweating like a b*tch though.”
Someone else said: “Mate, I’d rather pay the 80 quid than have to iron that lot the other end.” A third person added: “Just like Joey from Friends.”
Another person said: “Can u block the airline lo?l They will start asking to check these items.” Someone else added: “That’s actually good idea. I got charged over £100 on my last trip.”