I swore I would never fly Flair again, but the 20% discount code was too good to resist. I had flown with them 5 times before, the experience getting progressively worse each time, ultimately culminating in the shitshow of my final Flair flight. Even if the price is right, what you save in money will be paid for in time and humiliation, so there was no way I was paying for a carry-on too.

Choosing the right bag

Your personal item must fit within the measurements of 15 cm x 33 cm x 43 cm (6 in x 13 in x 17 in), which is already smaller than what other airlines offer. I pulled out a measuring tape and found that my old high school backpack fit the bill perfectly… when empty. If you overstuff it, it definitely won’t fit into the sizer at the airport, and they will 100% make you size it. It doesn’t matter if you know it will fit under the seat.

Given the size limitations, your personal item will likely only have one compartment (even filling the small outer pocket on my backpack made it too large). This is where packing cubes come in handy, not only to separate your underwear from you laptop charger, but also to make your clothes as compact as possible.

Fanny packs are personal items

Flair’s base fare only includes one personal item, so you cannot bring a fanny pack or purse in addition to your backpack, unless you hide it well.

Fanny packs are easy; put it on under your shirt, flip it to the back, and then put your backpack on over top. For the ubiquitous crescent bag, strap it around your waist with the bag behind you. Tie a sweater around your waist, and put on a long coat for good measure; they can’t fault you for a large, abnormally shaped behind.

If you’re carrying a purse, put it around your forearm and drape your coat over it. You can also wear it under your jacket if you’re not sweating after stuffing your bag in the sizer.

Laptops don’t count as luggage, apparently

I didn’t know this, but electronic devices like laptops, tablets and cameras don’t have to be packed in your personal item. You can remove these when sizing your bag and they won’t say anything.

Rearrange at the gate

Flair will trick you by allowing you to check in online for your outbound flight. You’ll receive your electronic ticket and believe that you won’t have to size your bag at the check-in counter only to be met with a sizer at the gate. Whatever you do, don’t be the first to line up when they announce that they need to measure your luggage. Let others take the fall while you sit far away from the gate, removing items from your oversized bag. Once the initial line dies down, you can bring your now compliant bag to be sized and get your golden, or in this case, purple ticket—the tag that confirms your bag as a personal item. Now, go back to your seat victorious, repack the items you had removed and hope that they don’t size your backpack again during boarding.

Rip those hideous tags off

We thought we were so clever keeping our purple tags on to reuse for our return flight. Unfortunately, Flair has caught on and has started dating them. In fact, dated or not, they will be ripped off first thing when you go to check in for your flight home. Yes, you will be forced to check in at the counter for your return flight where you will not be able to avoid the bag sizer. If you bought any souvenirs, you’d better hope they fit in your pockets.

Fly with another airline

Budget airlines aren’t all bad. I don’t need in-flight entertainment or complimentary meals. I can easily bring my own water bottle, pack my own snacks and deal with the minimally padded seats. However, Flair’s Draconian bag restrictions make it far too stressful to be worth the deal.

Having flown with the likes of Ryanair, EasyJet and Viva Aerobus, I’ve never had an issue or even had to size my backpack as long as it looked like it could fit under the seat. From my experience, Latin American airlines are the most lax; SKY Airlines let my friend bring a literal carry-on suitcase as her personal item and even asked if she wanted it checked for free.

Unlike Europe and Central/South America, with their plethora of budget options, Canada has but one low-cost carrier left standing. This isn’t really surprising given the huge market share held by Air Canada and WestJet, so I guess Flair has to charge as many baggage fees as possible just to stay afloat. I’d hate for them to join Lynx and Swoop in Canada’s budget airline graveyard, but there aren’t many reasons to fly Flair anymore.