‘I Would Think It’s A Setup’: Woman Sneaks In Extra Carry-On To Airport. So She Asks A Stranger To Pretend It’s His—And He Does

One of the most expensive parts of flying is extra luggage. You think you're buying a cheap ticket, and then, as you scroll the next few pages, you realize that bringing one more bag could double the price.

The modern checked-bag fee era for major U.S. carriers only started in 2008, when American Airlines announced a $15 fee for the first checked bag. Since then, bag fees have become one of the many ways airlines make money from passengers.

Travelers have several ways to avoid the extra charge. Some pack as little as possible, and others do so through meticulous point planning.

One traveler, however, recently revealed a more unorthodox “hack.”

In a video posted to TikTok by user Dami (@chocodamiix), which has garnered over 655,900 views, she films a man in front of her wheeling a carry-on.

“POV: you snuck 3 carry-on's so you ask the guy in front of you to pretend it's his carry-on so you don't have to pay for another checked bag,” she wrote in the video's text overlay.

The video cuts between different moments of the trip. It shows the man walking towards the gate, while boarding, and then, eventually, the suitcase back in Dami's possession after she arrives at her destination.

“Shoutout to him man…..closed mouths don't get fed!” she wrote in the caption. “Work smarter not harder.”

Should Passengers Do This?

While this worked for Dami, it's probably not a good idea to try it yourself.

It may seem like you're doing someone a favor, but carrying someone else's bag is a bad idea. That is, unless you know the person very well, know exactly what's inside, and are willing to be treated as responsible for it.

Once you carry the bag through security, customs, or onto the plane, you are the person physically in possession of it. So if there is something banned, suspicious, undeclared, or illegal inside, you'll have to answer for it yourself.

As the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) puts it, “TSA reminds passengers to always know the contents of their carry-on bag prior to coming to the security checkpoint.”

The State Department has also warned travelers in multiple countries' advisories not to accept packages from anyone, not to carry packages across borders, and to keep direct control of their luggage.

While so many of us would like to do something kind for a stranger, this is one case when your answer should probably be a firm “no.”

The Real Consequences Of Carrying Someone Else's Bag

Most people out there likely don't have bad intentions. However, there have been cases of people taking the fall for someone else after agreeing to take their bag on a plane.

For example, in 2012, a physics professor named Paul Frampton thought he was meeting a bikini model he had been talking to online in South America. Once there, a man handed him a suitcase and asked him to take it to her in Argentina.

Police opened it at the airport and found more than four pounds of cocaine. Frampton was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison.

Another similar case was Joseph Bryon Martin, a 77-year-old retired pastor from Maine. He ended up in a Spanish prison after believing he was carrying “real estate documents” for a woman he had met online. Instead, he was arrested after authorities found more than 4.4 pounds of cocaine. Though he was sentenced to six years in prison, U.S. officials managed to free him after one year of incarceration.

Viewers Were Divided

In the comments, some viewers admitted they had not even thought about how risky the situation could be.

“I didn't even think about how dangerous it could be… I'd have said yes so fast,” one person wrote.

Another was more direct.

“That was very naive of him,” they said.

Dami defended the man.

“Leave him alone! He was just helping a girl out… he was able to discern I was a good person!!” she replied.

Others said there was no chance they would agree to it at an airport.

“Whaaat? At the airport?! I'm not holding anyone's luggage,” one commenter wrote.

But some viewers loved the stranger's willingness to help.

“He's a real one icl,” one person said.

“LITERALLY,” Dami replied.

Dami did not respond to a request for comment.

@chocodamiix Shoutout to him man…..closed mouths don't get fed! work smarter not harder #funnymoments#airportlife#traveling ♬ オリジナル楽曲 – けちゃん8/22生誕祭 – 人妻Kちゃん