Not even Harry Potter could have got round the UK’s luggage restrictions at one point.
But now one inventor has come up with the equivalent of Harry Potter’s Invisible Cloak for travellers – a piece of hand luggage which flips into a dress or coat in seconds and carries all your possessions in handy pockets.
The Jaktogo was designed by engineer John Power as wearable luggage and consists of a dress or coat with various pockets.
The garment to go is made of lightweight but tough polyester and has a strap which turns it back into hand luggage.
The Jaktogo costs £56 and can even get round luggage weight restrictions set by budget airlines.
The women’s version is styled like a puffball dress with a ruched back and drawstring hem.
There are 14 pockets in the Jaktogo, which hold a total of 15kg of luggage.
Mr Power, 57, is a frequent flyer who lives near Antwerp and flies twice a week.
This summer budget airline Ryan Air was charging £60 this summer for 15kg of luggage checked in in advance – and £240 if checked in at the airport, he says. It was the high charges for luggage on a budget flight that inspired him to design the Jaktogo solution.
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Passengers are still prohibited from carrying certain items in the cabin, however, and these restrictions are still likely to apply.
But if you can live without scissors and tweezers on a flight, investing in the Jaktogo could mean taking that extra pair of shoes tucked under your arm.
Once through the baggage check in, the coat/dress slips off and converts back into a bag, ready for the all important Duty Free, paperback and sandwich.
Most charter and package holiday airlines now allow 20kg as hold luggage and 5kg as hand luggage – including a handbag, which if carried separately must fit into hand luggage without exceeding the weight restrictions or containing prohibited items like a nail file.
Scheduled airlines usually have enhanced luggage allowances, with British Airways allowing 23kg of hold luggage.
Restrictions on what can be carried in hand luggage and items which must be stored in the hold are updated from time to time and current restrictions are available at airport websites under Security Information, or from your package holiday tour operator.
Some airline are still charging passengers for taking luggage into the cabin with them, including Wizz Air, which charges passengers £9 for hand luggage stored in the cabin and £27 if the bag turns out to be too big and needs to be stored in the hold instead.
Wizz Air allows handbags, laptops and small backpacks to be carried on board free-of-charge – so with a Jaktogo as well, you could get through baggage check in and onto your budget flight Scott free.
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