For example: Let’s say you fly with United all the time because you live in Denver. Get yourself a United Airlines luggage strap, a United Airlines baseball cap, an “I Love United Airlines” t-shirt, etc… United Airlines employees will assume you are an employee and treat you like one. The baggage handlers will see the “United Airlines luggage strap” and assume the same thing. They won’t want to piss off a fellow employee because you will know exactly how to report the incident. Also – If someone is getting a an upgrade or other kind of break, it will be you.

Another tip is to bring a big jacket – No matter how hot it is. Why? “Because the coat is a carry-on freebee”. It exploits the loophole about how coats and jackets don’t count as carry-on luggage.

So… You can stuff the coat pockets with whatever non-liquid & non-metallic items you like and bring it on the plane. A coat is flexible so it will squeeze into overhead bins that won’t accept another suit case. It can act like a blanket or a pillow. Some guy invented a thing called the “Suitcase Coat” a while back but never had the means to manufacture it. Just search Google for “Suitcase Coat” and you should get the idea.