I get a lot of press releases in my inbox, but few stop me in my tracks quite like this one did.
Three simple words made me click immediately:
Air Fryer Suitcase.
According to the release, Brits are so obsessed with their fryers that they’re taking them on holiday – so much so that AO has designed a Rimowa-esque suitcase perfectly moulded to carry one.
My first reaction? How utterly ridiculous.
Now don’t get me wrong, I can understand bunging an air fryer in the boot for a caravan trip or a week in a holiday cottage.
But on a plane? Who on earth is flying abroad with one of these things?
AO, it seems, has research to back it up. One in five people, they claim, have taken their fryer on holiday.
Another one in five have sacrificed clothes or toiletries to make space, while nearly a quarter of 25–34-year-olds admit paying for extra baggage just to bring one abroad.
The release even claimed some travellers choose accommodation based on air fryer access! Where did they find these people – at a home appliance convention?
Still, they had me. Hook, line and sinker…
A ridiculous idea I couldn’t resist
Here’s the thing: I love a gimmick. I knew this was PR fluff designed to generate headlines, but it made me laugh – and I figured it might make others chuckle too.
Plus I was genuinely curious. Could this bizarre silver case, with its see-through front panel and comedy handle poking out, actually survive the brutal world of airport baggage handling?
There was one hitch: I had no flights booked.
Luckily, Anna from my Holiday Expert team was heading down from Glasgow to London for filming. Lightbulb moment – instead of sending her home on the train, I asked if she’d mind flying back with a brand new gadget in tow.
She agreed, becoming our very own Air Fryer Correspondent.
Turning heads at the airport
On the day, I barely made it out of my front door before people started staring. One man, walking with his grandson, called out, “What on earth is that?!”
I explained I was off to test whether an air fryer could make it through the airport. He earnestly wished me luck.
By the time Anna and I had joined forced and reached Luton Airport departures, I was nervous. Would easyJet even let us check it in?
As we wheeled it up to the desks, one staff member exclaimed “how cool!” while her colleague asked,“Is that a cat?”. Cue laughter.
No – it was an air fryer.
We weighed it – mercifully under the 15kg allowance – but were then told we couldn’t put it on the main belt. Disaster? Not quite.
They were worried the fryer’s protruding handle might jam in the machinery, so we had to head to oversized baggage. Apparently, the world’s first “frequent fryer” belonged there.
But would it survive the trip?
Anna boarded her flight without a hitch, leaving me waiting for the final verdict.
In Glasgow, she stood back as the carousel lights whirred on and bags began to appear.
1, 2, 5, 10… and then, 12 bags in there it was – the air fryer suitcase, gliding out in one piece.
She ran forward to claim it – no dents, no smashed panels, no missing handle.
And, yes, it still worked. Against all odds, the air fryer had flown.
I don’t know how they stacked this thing amongst the other luggage given that there was not even a scratch. I wish I could have seen the handlers’ reactions! Meanwhile at Glasgow Airport… no-one even noticed. Neither airport staff or my fellow travellers batted an eyelid – perhaps they’ve seen stranger things.
How useful is it?
So does this prove AO’s “1 in 5 people have taken an air fryer on holiday” stat?
I remain unconvinced – at least when it comes to flying.
Taking it in the car and driving with it – maybe as we did find a TikTok of a woman who drove all the way to Ibiza just to spend the summer with her fryer! So perhaps it isn’t as wild as it sounds.
Still, the suitcase itself is a sight to behold: aluminium shell, transparent front panel revealing the fryer inside, and a moulded cavity that makes it look both futuristic and absurd.
The handle sticking out at the front gives the whole thing the air of a novelty prop – which, of course, it is.
Would I recommend it?
Was it a silly PR stunt? Absolutely.
But here’s the kicker: AO listed the limited-edition cases on their TikTok shop for £99, air fryer included – and within days they were sold out. There really is a market for everything.
So yes, you can take an air fryer on holiday. You can even join the “frequent fryer club”.
The real question is: would you ever actually need to?
