Exorbitant checked baggage and excess weight fees are leading many travelers to board planes with nothing but their phones and wallets. This "flying naked" trend, primarily embraced by Gen Z and Millennials, also includes variations like stuffing clothes and belongings into pockets or shipping luggage ahead via mail to save money.

According to a survey by Send My Bag, an Irish luggage shipping company, 48% of respondents believe airlines intentionally profit from baggage fee policies. 37% have paid over 100 USD in excess baggage fees in the past year. 30% admitted to wearing multiple layers of clothing to avoid these charges.

28-year-old Rachel Kelly, when moving from Ireland to Australia earlier this year, opted to ship her luggage instead of paying over 500 USD for a checked bag, saving her more than 300 USD. "Checked baggage fees are ridiculously expensive; it's simply not worth it," Kelly said.

Kelly during her trip to Australia in January. Photo: Escape

On shorter flights, Kelly often hides bags under her coat or wears up to seven layers of sweaters when flying with Jetstar, which has a 7 kg baggage limit. "I'm always nervous about getting caught," she admitted.

Previously, another controversial trend called "rawdogging flights" circulated on social media—flying without any form of entertainment. Participants challenged each other to endure entire flights without music, movies, or even food and drinks, simply staring at the flight map. Numerous TikTok videos captured passengers sitting motionless, with vacant stares, garnering millions of views.

Anh Minh (From Escape)