#TikToker’s travel hack for sneaking extra bag on flight

A TikTok video went viral of a woman sneaking an extra bag onto an airplane in this hilarious hack.

TikTok user @miniadvantures aka Ashlin posted a video of herself hiding a drawstring bag under her sweatshirt to fake a pregnant belly in order to avoid paying a fee for too many carry-ons.

Using the popular “Nobody’s Gonna Know” audio, Ashlin wrote on the video, “When you get a $44 flight but can only bring a backpack.”

She then shows herself boarding the flight, writing, “It worked.”

In a follow-up video, the TikToker informs viewers that her illusion worked so well, she was able to pre-board the flight as a “pregnant” person.

The original video has gathered 13.2 million views and 2.7 million likes.

Some questioned how she got through TSA, or what would happen if she wanted to take off her sweater, but most viewers thought Ashlin’s hack was “genius” and let her know in the comments.

One viewer wrote, “Saving this for next time I fly!”

Ashlin’s travel hack could help some women take advantage of cheap flights before prices rise as the pandemic comes to an end, allowing for more travel.

In March, when President Biden announced that all American adults would be eligible for the vaccine by May, searches for summer travel rose 27% each week, according to Kayak data.

TSA says the number of passengers screened at US airports in early July has been around pre-pandemic levels.

JPMorgan airline analyst Jamie Baker told CNBC that “domestic airfares are rising.”

“While discounts can still be found, they’re no longer falling into consumers’ laps,” Baker added. “Discounted fares increasingly require a hunt, and for many consumers that have been locked up for a year, they’re probably not up to the effort.”

As travel returns more and more, TikTok users are sharing horror stories along with hacks. The popular Walker Twins recently had a viral video of their “travel hack,” which got mixed reviews.

The video, which has 4.9 million views, shows a Walker bro sitting on an airplane while an unseen passenger behind him places their bare foot on the armrest of his window seat.

Then the perturbed videographer decides to pour water from a Dasani bottle over the encroaching toes, prompting his inconsiderate neighbor to take their tootsies out of his space.