Rob Adcock, 31, was travelling with a friend to Poland when he said he was irked by Wizz Air’s 20kg baggage policy so decided to fill his allowance in the ‘pettiest’ way possible
A holidaymaker has been labelled ‘petty’ after he took 20 kg of gym weights on his flight in a bid to get back at the airline over their fees.
Rob Adcock was planning a day trip to Poland when he noticed that Wizz Air’s flight from London Luton Airport only offered a ticket with a 20kg baggage allowance included. The 31-year-old, who usually travels light, felt it was unjust that he had to fork out £266 for the ticket, so he decided to utilise his allowance in the most ‘petty’ way possible.
A viral video, posted on January 29, shows him packing gym weights into a reusable Sports Direct shopping bag and struggling to place it on the check-in scales. Rob admitted he was “irked and annoyed” by the lack of booking options, but the stunt gave him and his friend a good laugh.
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The duo were off to Krakow, Poland, to watch a football match on July 26 and returned home the next day [July 27]. Content creator Rob hopes that the bosses at Wizz Air will see the video and reconsider charging people for something they don’t need in the future.
While many users of the app praised Rob for his “pettiness”, others criticised him as “pathetic” for causing inconvenience to the staff. Wizz Air stated that the basic fare, which doesn’t include hold baggage, was only available as part of a Wizz Air package or bundle, but Rob didn’t opt for this.
Rob, hailing from Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, said: “I’m quite a petty individual. Just the idea of paying for something that I was never going to use just really irked me and at the time I didn’t need it, that’s what annoyed me.
“When we were booking that particular flight, it made us have the luggage. It said it ran out of a certain amount of seats without luggage so you had to have the 20kg luggage. I’ve never experienced this before. We didn’t need that level of luggage. There was no use for it whatsoever and there was literally nothing I could’ve taken that could’ve made it worthwhile.
“They know exactly what they’re doing. They probably knew I wasn’t going to need it and I assume they just hoped I would buy it because I’ve got to buy it and then not use it. We thought we’d do it in a shopping bag just to make it as petty and pathetic as possible. It was a bit tricky to drag across to put it in the oversized baggage to put on board. I didn’t know if they’d let them on to be honest, no-one batted an eyelid. We’re both pretty pathetic people anyway, it made us laugh.
“If they were just clear and straightforward with their pricing policy from the beginning and don’t charge people for something they don’t need we wouldn’t have any of the hassle. That’s firmly on Wizz Air’s shoulders, not mine. It wasn’t about upsetting the staff. It was more about making a point to the airline company that they shouldn’t really be charging people for something they don’t need.”
Rob’s TikTok, which has more than 670,000 views, was quick to gain comments with one user commenting: “My hero.”
Another shared their admiration for the stunt: “I love this level of pettiness.” Similarly, a third praised the passenger’s ingenuity: “Checking in a shopping bag is the absolute best.”
Despite the humour found by some, there were those who criticised the passenger, for unnecessarily creating extra work for airport staff. One disappointed user pointed out: “Absolutely pathetic. Poor Wizz Air staff.”
While another commented on the practicality of the passenger’s actions: “Looks like you inconvenienced yourself significantly more than them.” Additionally, a user highlighted the impact on employees: “[You’re] punishing the employees for the rules made by higher management.”
A Wizz Air spokesperson responded to the incident, stating: “As an ultra-low-cost carrier, Wizz Air aims to provide passengers with affordable and flexible options for travel. Given the peak travel period when the passenger made the booking, basic fare was available with bundle combo, whereas the customer chose to purchase with Wizz Go. Like many other ultra-low-cost carriers, our tickets are subject to dynamic pricing and based on demand.
“We always encourage all our customers to book as far in advance as possible – especially when booking during peak travel periods, as was the case for this passenger – to ensure they can secure the lowest price possible.”