Jetstar: Weird items passengers try to smuggle on board

The weird and wonderful items Jetstar passengers have been caught trying to bring on board as carry-on luggage have been revealed by the airline.

New Zealand flight staff of the budget airline have found fliers trying to travel with an array of bizarre things, including multi-tiered wedding cakes, horse saddles, and dead fish, not packed in ice.

Colleagues in Australia have also highlighted some of their most surprising stories.

It includes one "very muscley customer" carrying 10kg dumbbells in two bags so he could keep up his gym routine while on holiday.

Other memorable check-in counter experiences included a plumber trying to fly with a 40kg plumbing fixture, a Sydney customer with a full car windscreen wrapped in brown paper, and another with a 40-inch plasma TV.

"We carry more than 25 million customers a year and most of them do the right thing with carry-on baggage but we've also seen some ridiculous items reach our boarding gates," said Jetstar head of customer strategy, Cath Stone.

"There are some extreme examples that are good for a laugh but the trend of packing bigger and heavier baggage as carry-on has been growing steadily in recent years.

"We know many of our customers just want their fair share of overhead locker space close to their seat and we expect the carry-on baggage changes we've recently introduced will help deliver this."

Jetstar this week updated its carry-on baggage policy for all domestic and international flights booked from October 28 this year.

The revised policy allows economy passengers to bring one main item of carry-on baggage and one other small item, with a total combined weight of up to 7kg (previously 10kg).

Any customer with an existing booking made before October 28 will be permitted to bring up to 10kg (economy) or up to 20kg (business) on board.