It's hardly the most stylish of in-flight outfits. But this strange-looking jacket could save its wearer thousands of pounds, money that would otherwise have gone to budget airlines such as Ryanair or EasyJet.

Businessman Andrew Gaule invented this coat with huge pockets in frustration at seeing fellow budget passengers charged over the odds for their luggage.

He said: 'I have lost count of the number of times I saw passengers having to either repack their hand luggage at check in or pay sky-high fees to put it all in the hold.

'The airlines have very strict rules governing how much luggage you are allowed to check in and carry on board. It is not only expensive, but often the rules are themselves rather difficult to understand.

'This jacket allows you to carry on board everything that you would otherwise have to pack in the hold. The pockets are big and strong enough to take 10kg of luggage, including even laptop computers or bottles of wine.'

Though their advertised ticket prices are often low, most budget airlines charge extra for hold luggage, and enforce weight limits strictly.

These rules have prompted passenger fury