A man has revealed how he managed to beat Ryanair's controversial new baggage charges by stitching his entire holiday wardrobe to the inside of his coat - and he successfully made it onto the flight.
Lee Cemino, 30, a property landlord from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, filmed his efforts at making it on to the plane, saying he 'loves' flying with Ryanair and that they're always on time and 'run like clockwork'.
However, he added that he wasn't happy with the newly hiked up baggage charges introduced by the low-cost airline.
The new policy Ryanair introduced on November 1 means passengers are no longer allowed to place a small suitcase in the hold for free, forcing them to pay a minimum of £8 for any bag that won't fit under the seat in front or weighs more than 10kg.
Instead Lee decided that he doesn't want to fork out the money to store his luggage instead opting to test out his genius hack - which was a success.
Lee shared the video on his Facebook page which has since gone viral after being posted to Twitter by a friend.
It revealed his clever hack, with several items of clothing stitched inside his coat that would act as compartments for him to store more clothes in.
Crafty Lee told MailOnline: 'I often travel Ryanair, cheap flights and for great destinations. Ryanair had changed the baggage allowance policy the day before we were due the fly to Belfast.
'Because I travel so often, I’m pretty clued up about on the luggage rules. I always manage to get my clothes into hand luggage.
'I had an old coat at home so I though why not try and see what my local tailors could do. We proved we can do it!
He added: 'I felt like I looked ridiculous but I wasn’t noticeable to anyone, if you only need to get away for a day or two – why pay for a luggage fee?'
In the clip Lee says: 'Me and me mate are off to Belfast for my birthday, we booked the flight but it turned out to be two days after the baggage changes.
He continued: 'I was properly annoyed but I had an idea,' he explained.
'I looked through my wardrobe and found an old coat, I found a friendly tailor. The tailor made it so I could fit the entire contents of a roll-on cabin bag into the lining of my coat.'
He explained to MailOnline: 'We use a local tailor in Tunstall. They absolutely loved the idea and threw in some of their own ideas when creating this upgrade to my coat.
'They haven’t yet charged me so I’ll be keeping an eye out for the invoice.
He had also attached small plastic bags to stash his toiletries inside.
Lee was dubious at first joking that 'it is never going to work' before he is seen nervously heading to Manchester airport, to catch his flight to Belfast.
He waits in the line to board the flight: 'They're properly checking everyone...'
But then after the screen cuts to black it is revealed Lee made it through the check-in and shouts 'yes!' as he runs to board the plane, later arriving in Belfast.
A spokesperson for Ryanair told the MailOnline, in response to Lee's attempts to get around the baggage fee:
'Thanks to our larger free small bag allowance (40 per cent bigger) and cheaper checked-in bag option (£8 for a 10kg bag), Ryanair customers can bring all they need without having to board the aircraft looking like the Michelin Man or Joey from Friends.
'We’ve received lots of positive feedback from customers and airports across Europe on our new bag policy, which is leading to faster check-in, security and boarding, and improved punctuality.'
The stringent new rules have led to confusion among many Ryanair passengers who have pointed out that if they pay for priority boarding – which costs £6 – they will continue to be allowed to take both a 'personal bag' and a small suitcase as hand baggage.
A Ryanair spokesman previously said: 'Our new bag policy, which was first announced on 23 Aug, came in to effect on Thursday (1 Nov) and initial reports from the airports and our customers is that that it's working well and reducing delays at security and speeding up the boarding process.
'Priority Boarding customers will continue to enjoy two free carry-on bags. All other (non-priority) customers will be allowed one free (small) carry-on bag, and those who wish to check in a second bigger 10kg bag can do from €/£8 at the time of booking.'
Passengers have to pay £8 to check in a 10kg bag. The previous lowest price for checked luggage was £25 for up to 20kg, which remains an option for those with heavier cases.
The maximum size of 'personal bags' allowed on board has been increased by 40%.
Passengers who pay for priority boarding – which costs £6 – will continue to be allowed to take both a 'personal bag' and small suitcase as hand baggage.
Ryanair believes some customers may prefer the £8 checked luggage option because they 'do not want to drag a wheelie case through airport security.'
It claimed most passengers will be unaffected by the changes, as 30 per cent already buy priority boarding and a further 30 per cent travel with only a 'personal bag'.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
