How US Woman Faked Pregnancy To Avoid Extra Baggage Fee On Plane

Airline baggage fees have long been a sore point for travellers, but one passenger took an unconventional approach to bypass them. The passenger pretended to be pregnant.

Grace Hale, a 20-year-old from Dallas, Texas, recently pulled off the stunt on a Ryanair flight from England to Scotland. She tucked her belongings under her clothing to mimic a pregnancy bump.

Speaking to What's The Jam, Ms Hale explained how she staged the ruse to avoid paying Ryanair's hefty baggage fees. "It was so funny. I Googled what pregnancy bumps looked like at different months and how far along I'd be," she said.

Hale then decided on a "26-week pregnancy," a choice as Ryanair requires a doctor's note for women who are 28 weeks pregnant or beyond.

Hale documented her experience on TikTok, according to a report in The New York Post.

Hale's decision was in response to rising complaints about airlines increasing baggage fees. Ryanair passengers, for instance, are expected to pay anywhere between $50 (around Rs 4,280) and $80 (around Rs 6,850) for excess luggage. Other airlines, including Air Canada and Southwest, have also introduced new baggage charges in recent months, said The New York Post report.

For Ms Hale, paying extra was just not an option. "It's ridiculously expensive if you want to take a bag on a Ryanair flight. I like to take ten options for a three-day trip," she told The Jam.

Faced with the dilemma of excess luggage, she improvised by stuffing a makeup bag and jackets under her top just before boarding. She said, "We were running late and the flight was so early. I was scrambling and packing on the train to the airport, then I realised that the jackets and makeup bag weren't going to fit. I thought I'd act like I was pregnant. What would they say?"

Ms Hale rehearsed her trick at the train station before reaching the airport. She carefully wrapped the jackets around the makeup bag to prevent anything from slipping out and causing embarrassment.

Her plan worked as she boarded the flight and reached Edinburgh without any incident. She later even joked about her stunt on social media saying that it was a boy and "we're naming him Ryan," in a nod to Ryanair.