Aussie traveller finds 'loophole' in airline rule that makes no sense

“They were going to charge me $70!"

Let’s be real, 7kg for carry-on luggage is almost never enough - especially if that’s all you’re trying to bring on a trip.

Luckily, one Aussie traveller has come up with a loophole that might save the day - if you’re willing to take the risk.

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Image: iStock.

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“Tell me how that makes any sense whatsoever!”

TikTok user Sydney, on the app as @ukmidwifedownunder, has posted a video detailing her experience flying with Jetstar.

Sydney said that she, in the past few days, has taken domestic flights with the airline from Brisbane to Melbourne and back again, and encountered something she’d never seen before.

“This has never happened to me, but it happened to me yesterday flying from Melbourne to Brisbane, and now it’s just happened from Brisbane to Melbourne,” the woman said.

“They want me to weigh my bags that I’m taking on, they’ve got to be 7kg… but they let you remove everything from your bag, so all of my water, my snacks, my book, I hold, and then they weigh the bag again.”

Budget airlines - and most airlines in general - can be incredibly strict when it comes to overweight baggage, meaning that without the staff member’s kindness, Sydney’s bag’s extra 3kgs would have set her back $70.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the case. But now, she’s wondering why it happened.

“They were going to charge me $70 because it was 10kg, but then I took everything out of my handbag that I have to carry on the plane anyway,” she said.

“Tell me how that makes any sense whatsoever!”

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“It’s an Aussie thing!”

Some commenters on the post said that this practice is standard, complimenting Jetstar on its kind staff and lenient policies.

“It’s an Aussie thing, they are being kind and saving you $70!” said one commenter.

“They're doing that just to let you through. Basically cheating to help you. Not crazy, just say thank you and move on,” another agreed.

@ukmidwifedownunder

Ridiculous

♬ original sound - Sydney

“They didn’t allow me to do this…”

But, don’t try it if you’re not prepared to pay the price, with other commenters saying this isn’t the norm at all.

“They didn’t allow me to do this, made me weigh even my lunch,” said one frustrated commenter.

“You’re very lucky because usually they make you weigh everything including your water bottle,” another agreed.

Try at your own risk

According to Jetstar, their carry-on baggage policy has not changed.

“There’s been no change to our carry-on baggage policy,” a spokesperson told Kidspot.

“Being a proudly low-cost airline, we offer customers incredibly low fares which all include carry-on baggage allowance of 7kg across two items.

“Our carry-on baggage restrictions are designed to ensure a smooth boarding process, enough room to stow safely and comfortably all carry-on items and the correct weight and balance for take-off.”

Jetstar customers can pre-purchase up to 14kgs of carry-on baggage, however excess baggage fees at the flight gate are more expensive, because at this point exceeding carry-on weight restrictions could potentially cause disruption to their operations.

Originally published as Aussie traveller finds 'loophole' in airline rule that makes no sense