Bee had to strip off when she got onto the plane but says it was worth it, and she’ll do it again
A holidaymaker wore seven pairs of trousers to avoid paying a £70 easyJet baggage fee. Bee Solman, 31, and her partner Ben, 32, had paid £280 for the return flight, including extra to choose their seats.
When the pair went to board the plane, Ben’s bag wouldn’t fit inside the luggage sizer. They were told by staff they’d have to pay a further £70 to take it with them. The nanny went to the toilet where she unpacked her clothes and layered herself in multiple T-shirts, jackets and seven pairs of trousers.
They were flying from Bristol Airport to Mercia International Airport, near Torrevieja, in Spain. “We got unlucky because the staff picked us out randomly to check our bags,” said Bee, from Bristol. “My bag fit in the sizer fine but Ben’s didn’t even when we tried to squeeze it in.
“They said we’d have to pay £70 but I wasn’t paying that. Flying gets expensive when the extra bits start racking up. I said I’d wear the clothes so we went to the toilet and I put on all of my trousers.
“I had seven pairs of trousers on, two tops and a denim jacket Ben wore two pairs of shorts, a T-shirt and three shirts – and he had his laptop mouse in pocket.”
Bee claims that staff at the gate found the trick hilarious and let her board the flight on 20 April. Once on the plane, Bee stripped off and put the clothes back in her hand luggage bag. She said: “We went back to the gate and they took a photo of us and said we’d go viral.
“She said it’s fine for now but we’d have to pay next time. When we got on the plane, I took it all off and put it back in the bag.
“I wore them from the airport to the plane. It was ridiculous. One woman said ‘you look lighter than when you got on’.
“The trousers were thin so it just looked like I had thick trousers on. I’ll be doing it again if I need to.”
easyJet has been approached for comment.