September 29, 2018

This Clever Travel Jacket Will Help You Avoid New Airline Baggage Fees

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Forbes Magazine. Read it here.

With fall just around the corner, a lot of air travelers are asking themselves: How do I avoid new airline baggage fees?

If you're flying somewhere soon, there's good news and bad news. The bad news: Several airlines have raised their luggage fees. The good news: You can avoid new airline baggage fees -- by wearing the right jacket. That's right, a jacket.

Consider what will happen when Linh Tran boards a flight this fall. Tran, an entrepreneur from Atlanta, packs one fewer bag thanks to his versatile jacket.

"On a multi-week trip, I can fly with only a carry-on and what I'm wearing on my body," he says.

The latest lightweight and midweight jackets, ideal for the cooler weather, offer a way to circumvent the airline industry's latest money grab.

In August, JetBlue Airways raised baggage fees to an industry high of $30 for the first checked piece of luggage, as my colleague Grant Martin reported. Air Canada, United Airlines, and Westjet followed suit.

So which jackets can help you avoid new airline baggage fees?

For travelers, the Coalatree Camper Hooded Jacket also offers a solution for anyone who wants to cut their carry-on. Although it's a puffy jacket, it’s lightweight and it retains 93% of warmth when wet. It also has six thoughtfully designed pockets for gloves, headphones, passports, plus interior side pouch for larger items. It's hypoallergenic and naturally allergen-free, and also made with recycled materials. The Camper Hooded Jacket is also water and spill resistant, so you don't have to worry about those rushed coffee-spilling-filled travel mornings.