Travel Trends: Is The Viral Pillowcase Hack Worth It?
There’s always a hack for something, including travel hacks. But there’s one viral travel trend, the pillowcase hack for flights that can put you in a situation of “Instagram vs. Reality” moment. A passenger learned a hard lesson about following viral travel hacks at Orlando International Airport.
What’s the pillowcase hack for flights?
For airlines that charge for carry-on luggage, you can skip the fee by bringing a pillow on board which airlines usually don’t charge for. Here’s what some people are doing about it. Instead of bringing along a real pillow, they just stuff the pillowcase with clothes and other soft items.
It may sound like a nice loophole because you get to skip the baggage fees and have a lumpy pillow nap on your flight. But unfortunately, it may not work that way at all.
In a video posted by @NatashaOrganic on TikTok, a man tries this hack on a Frontier flight. His plan goes awry at Orlando International Airport when airline employees realize his pillowcase is actually filled with luggage. They don’t let him board without paying the fee, leading to an escalating confrontation that ends with Orlando Police escorting him out of the airport.
In the video, the narrator ends with some advice about hacks and trends. “Stop listening to the internet,” they said.
More people have tried the pillowcase hack
The hack has not only been shared on TikTok, but there are also Reddit threads discussing its effectiveness. Recently, a Redditor asked, “Anyone tried the pillowcase hack on an airplane?” In response, comments pointed out some drawbacks of the “hack.”
For instance, most airlines now restrict travelers to two personal items, including bags, pillows, suitcases, water bottles, and other handheld items. If you are flying with an airline that has size restrictions on personal items such as Frontier, Spirit, and other popular budget airlines, any personal item that exceeds the size limits will still be considered a carry-on and may incur extra charges.
“Airlines are now on to this, and stop passengers with pillows,” commented one Redditor. Another person wrote, “If you try it, be prepared to be told no or called out, and if you are, don’t be rude to airline workers about it.” They continued, “That being said, I’d try it.”
Someone decided to tweak the hack in the thread, saying, “I’m sure it’ll be easier to do with a neck pillow vs a standard pillow. You can put smaller things like socks and underwear in the neck pillow case.”
Overall, not all hacks are actually hacks. It may be worth doing some research before experimenting with them,
