A DESIGNER in Princes Risborough believes he has come up with an innovative way for passengers to avoid costly baggage allowance charges.
Andrew Gaule is the co-founder of Rufus Roo The Big Pocket Jacket Company which gives travellers and commuters a convenient and low-cost option for carrying additional baggage.
The team believes a £29.50 jacket could save air travellers a combined £147 million a year in charges by letting them carry their belongings in their pockets, not in the hold.He said: “The airlines are profiting even more from the hassle passengers are suffering at the boarding gate.
“While the operators do not give a breakdown of individual charges, the quarterly accounts of Ryanair to December 31, 2010 reported ‘ancillary revenues’ grew by 22 per cent, faster than the nine per cent increase in passenger volumes.
“As a passenger I have personally been frustrated when I travel on budget airlines and also seen passengers having to stuff handbags in wheelie cases, paying £40 for a camera bag or £20 per additional kilogramme.
“I looked into it and saw that airlines can’t do much about things in your pockets, so last August I stitched together a prototype from parachute material and went through check-in.”
The simple coat has two big pockets for items such as clothes and shoes and two even bigger pockets that can fit books and a laptop.
Two inner pockets are roomy enough to store bulkier items such as wine bottles and two extra hidden pockets are designed especially for fiddly items you are liable to lose, such as a passport, boarding card and keys.
Head of sales and marketing at Rufus Roo, Richard Ingram, said: “Passengers may not be able to avoid some charges, but an inexpensive and stylish travel coat with larger pockets could prevent last-minute stress, embarrassment and cost when they travel.”
The Rufus Roo big pocket jacket design was inspired by a kangaroo’s pouch and the design has been developed with London College of Fashion student, Rebecca Morter, Adrian Oates of Beaconsfield and Richard Ingram of
Barnstable Fashion.
