Debunking the Internet's viral flight hacks

I’m all about travel hacks — if they actually work and save me time, money, or stress. But I’ve noticed a lot of viral travel hacks, especially around flying, are a bit questionable. So today, I wanted to debunk some of the most popular ones.

You’ve probably seen social media videos or online listicles boasting about hacks that will allow you to save money on flights, get free upgrades to first class, double your carry-on luggage allowance without paying, and so on.

As a very frequent flyer myself, I have learned that not all of these flight hacks actually work — but some of them, on the other hand, are totally worth it.

So I’m breaking down a number of the most popular flight hacks I’ve seen, and highlighting which ones are legit and which ones are definitely not.

1. “Ask the gate agent politely if it’s a full flight and if not, if there’s any possibility for a complimentary upgrade to a seat with more legroom.”

The verdict: This might work 1% of the time. Airlines have an upgrade process that’s already in place, and even if there are a lot of empty seats left in first class or premium economy, there’s a whole list of people who might get automatically cleared for an upgrade before someone who randomly asks the gate agent for one. This is a piece of advice that can’t hurt you to try, but it has a low likelihood of working.

2. “Search flights in incognito mode to save money.”

The verdict: Persistent urban legend. Most airlines use dynamic pricing based on demand, not on cookies stored in your browser or how many times you’ve viewed the route. Searching for flights in your browser’s incognito mode won’t unlock cheaper fares or prevent them from going up over time.

3. “Book flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the lowest fares.”

The verdict: Partially true. A lot of people get this wrong, thinking that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days of the week to actually book your flights. But what’s actually true is that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly — it doesn’t matter what day of the week you make your booking.

4. “Neck pillows don’t count as a personal item.”

The verdict: Depends on how strict the gate agents are feeling as you board. Most airlines allow one piece of carry-on luggage and one personal item (purse, backpack, etc.) or just one personal item only if you’re flying an ultra-budget airline. The “hack” is that a neck pillow doesn’t count towards this allowance, and some travelers are even stuffing hollow neck pillows with extra belongings and treating it like a bonus personal item. This might work if — but I’d personally just pack lighter instead of relying on gimmicks like this!

5. “Book the aisle seat and window seat when flying as a pair to increase the likelihood there’s no one else in your row.”

The verdict: This one is worth it, in my opinion. If you’re flying with one other person and the plane is configured with three-seat rows, book the aisle seat and window seat and leave the middle seat in between you empty. If the flight isn’t totally full, there’s a good chance that this seat remains unfilled and you’ll enjoy extra space to spread out. If someone does end up with that seat, they are usually happy to switch out of the middle seat with one of you so you can sit next to each other.

6. “Ask for a fragile sticker on your luggage so it will come out first.”

The verdict: False. You can ask for a fragile sticker when checking a bag, but it won’t do anything to make it come out onto the luggage carousel faster when you arrive. Fragile luggage isn’t actually sorted or treated differently. Baggage handlers will be mindful if they see the sticker, but there are so many automated conveyor belts and chutes involved that the sticker becomes meaningless in the overall process.

7. “Book a flight with a layover in your actual destination and just walk off the plane and skip the second leg of your flight to save money.”

The verdict: Very risky. It’s unfortunate, because sometimes this is cheaper due to how dynamic airfare works. Let’s say you want to fly from Seattle to Atlanta. That might be $700 on Delta. But if you book Seattle to Jacksonville, with a layover in Atlanta, it might only be $600. So couldn’t you just get off the plane in Atlanta? Well, no. This is known as “skiplagging” and most airlines monitor for it. Plus your whole ticket will be canceled (if it’s round-trip) if you miss the second leg of your flight.

8. “Order a special meal like vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal, or gluten-free to be served first on long flights.”

The verdict: This one works! As a vegetarian, I do this a lot. However, the drawback is that you’ll have to wait for the general meal service to start to get your beverage. You’ll also be left sitting there with the remnants of your meal while everyone else is still eating. But if you just really want to eat first, pre-ordering a special meal works.

9. “Carry a duty-free shopping bag to stash extra belongings.”

The verdict: Likely to work, but similar to the neck pillow hack, really depends on the strictness of the gate agent you encounter when boarding. Since passengers are allowed (and encouraged) to purchase from duty-free shops after passing through security, you can usually get away with this. But again, I would probably just focus on packing lighter rather than attempting this one!

10. “Freeze liquids to bring them through TSA.”

The verdict: Unlikely to work, and also unhinged. I can’t believe I saw this being recommended, but some people are literally freezing their water bottle, toiletries, and other liquids to get around the 3.4-ounce limit TSA has. Not only will this not work if your frozen liquids start melting into a slushy state, but it also just seems unnecessarily difficult and potentially messy. Skip the hassle and just bring an empty refillable water bottle through security, and stick to travel-size toiletries.

11. “Put an AirTag inside your checked luggage so you can monitor its location.”

The verdict: Worth it for the extra visibility. I haven’t tried this myself, but if your luggage doesn’t make it to your final destination, an AirTag can pinpoint the location of where it is, whether it never left your departure city or got mis-sorted and is currently somewhere else in your arrival airport. This can make it easier to file a claim when speaking to the lost luggage desk too.

Have you tried any of these viral flight hacks yourself? Did you have any success? Is there anything else you’d add to this list? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Read next: