Luggage Jacket invented to circumvent baggage fees

Is it a coat? Is it a bag? Actually, It's both! Hand luggage dress and jacket invented to get round costly weight restrictions on flights.

An entrepreneur has found a novel way to get around strict baggage restrictions on airplanes so travellers can take more on board without having to pay extra costs.

Engineer John Power has invented the Jaktogo, a £56 coat which doubles as a suitcase.

The product cleverly transforms from a coat to a bag and allows flyers to carry up to an extra 10kg of hand luggage on board. It is designed to get round tight bag weight restrictions imposed by low-cost airlines like Ryanair.

Take more on board: The Jaktogo transforms from a bag, left, into a coat or dress, right, with extra pockets for taking holiday essentials onto a flight
It has pockets for gadgets like iPads and cameras as well as space for holiday essentials such as books, clothes and towels. It also comes a dress and a sleeveless poncho for those travelling to hot countries.

As a frequent flyer, Mr Power said he came up with the idea because he was fed up with the extortionate baggage charges on budget airlines. Ryanair charge £15-£50 (depending on whether the flight in in low or high season) for a bag to be checked in as cargo with a weight limit of 15kg. The cost rises to up to £130 if a passenger wants to check in a bag at the airport and they charge an additional fee if a second bag is checked in. They also charge a £20 excess baggage fee if a bag is heavier than 15kg.

They permit 10kg of hand luggage and strictly enforce a rule of only one piece of hand luggage per passenger. Anyone trying to take more than one bag on as hand luggage, or a bag weighing more than 10kg, at the check in gate must pay an extra £50.

'Not the prettiest thing': Inventor John Power admits the dress won't win any style awards but it will come in handy if you don't want to pay for excess baggage on budget flights

But with Mr Power's coat, passengers can squeeze extra clothing and holiday items on board in their pockets at no further cost. They can save money on check in fees and save time on arrival as they won't have to wait to collect a bag from the hold.

Mr Power, 57, lives near Antwerp, Belgium, said: 'Ever since the airlines started restricting luggage allowances and introducing new fees etc it has become more time consuming and expensive to travel so I was struggling to find a way to avoid endless waiting to collect check in luggage, without adding to the already growing price tags of budget airlines.

Carry on: Airlines like Ryanair charge passengers for more than one item of hand luggage or if their bag weighs more than 10kg. The Jaktogo allows people to get around this by adding items to the coat's many pockets
'I have seen people being left at the airport because of a few kilos extra or being forced to check in their carry on for the same reason. It seemed very unjust to me. I've seen many people trying to beat the system so I decided to look for a solution where you don't look like a complete fool.'

Mr Power admits the coat 'isn't the prettiest item' and he can sometimes get 'some funny looks' when he dons one at the airport but it's worth it to save on baggage fees.

Sales of the jacket, available via their website www.jaktogo.com, were so popular the dress and poncho versions were then made.
A spokesman for Ryanair said they would not stop someone from wearing a Jaktogo. 'What a passenger wears on a plane we do not have a problem with as long as it is not a security concern,' they said.