August 5, 2025 • 6 mins
Don't lose sleep over this one.
Welcome back to Day 5 of the Dog Days of Podcasting! This month, we're bringing you a new episode every day, featuring a bizarre-but-true Odd News story and a classic clip from the comedy4cast archives.
In this edition of "Odd News PAC," we're talking about a travel hack that's taking to the skies. Are you tired of paying those pesky and expensive airline baggage fees? Well, some savvy travelers have found a loophole. It turns out that while most airlines limit you to a carry-on and a personal item, a travel pillow might be your new luggage best friend.
Of course, this hack isn't without its risks. As we discuss in the episode, getting caught could lead to a less-than-glamorous exit from your flight.
To celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast (or PAC), we're also taking a trip down memory lane! In a classic clip from May 2007, Clinton dives into the absurdity of things randomly being declared "official". Prepare to have your mind blown when you find out what comedy4cast is the Official Podcast of.
Tune in to hear the full story and relive a moment of comedy4cast history!
>> Support comedy4cast by becoming a patron on Patreon>> Or you can get Clinton a Dunkin' card or a cup of coffee via Ko-Fi>> Follow comedy4cast on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, MeWe, and Mastodon >> Give us a call via the Super Secret Phone Line (213) 290-4451>> Also check out Clinton's other podcast, The Topic is Trek>> Certain sounds effects heard on comedy4cast are courtesy of freeSFX and FreeSound.org
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting, a call for podcasters to
try to put out a podcast every day in August.
For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
(00:24):
We always take this month to provide you with some interesting,
yet totally useless, odd news.
And this year, to celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast,
or PAC for short, we'll end each Dog Day episode with part of a classic comedy4cast episode.
So, let's get started with Odd News PAC!
(00:50):
If you've ever flown on a plane, you know there's one thing that's more of a
hassle than anything else.
Figuring out how the sink works in the restroom at the terminal.
I mean, I put my hands right underneath the faucet. Why isn't it turning on?
Is there any soap in this thing? How come the sink next to mine works and this
one doesn't? And how do I get the paper towels to come out of this dispenser?
(01:13):
Sorry, that's just me. No, the issue is luggage.
Especially that age-old balance of paying for a checked bag versus the free
items you can bring with you into the cabin.
Well, some flyers have come up with a hack that is helping them avoid shelling out for a checked bag.
And it doesn't even involve putting on every single item of clothes you plan
(01:35):
to wear on vacation just before you board the flight.
That's silly, right? Who would do that? This hack takes advantage of an apparent
loophole in airline regulations.
See, most airlines allow passengers to bring a carry-on and a personal item into the cabin.
But then, I guess you can also bring along a travel pillow without that counting
(01:55):
as baggage. That makes some sense.
It's soft and squishy. It doesn't need to go into the overhead bin or under the seat.
It's a perfect way to try to squeeze a bit more comfort out of an airline seat
that was designed for a five-foot-tall person who has the width of a sheet of paper.
However, where some people view this pillow thing as a benefit,
other travelers see it as an opportunity.
(02:18):
These frequent triers are stuffing clothes and other soft items into the pillowcase
and using it more as an incognito duffel bag than a comfy headrest.
That could explain why, on my last flight, I saw a passenger in row 12 accidentally
drop their pillow and the plane suddenly dove down 300 feet.
This whole pillow hack's been going on for a while now, so the airlines are beginning to notice.
(02:42):
Which means, if you try this hack, you run the risk of getting caught.
And it might be a bit embarrassing to be tossed off of a flight because you
had a pillowcase stuffed with jean shorts, Crocs, and eight bags of Cheez-Its
you bought at the Hudson News.
Of course, I suppose you could try to claim that's what you always have in your pillowcase, right?
But to sell that, you might have to do some prep work. show up to the flight
(03:06):
looking like you haven't slept in a month, and constantly complain about agonizing
neck pain. It's worth a shot.
And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip.
This clip is from May of 2007.
After hearing a radio station declare itself the official radio station of summer,
(03:29):
I wondered how that particular title had been bestowed.
Realizing no one but the advertising department had conferred the title,
I decided to do some bestowing of my own.
I've seen or heard ads about products being everything from the official drink
to the official antacid of summer. So you know what?
(03:49):
That's right. comedy4cast is now the official podcast of summer. How about that?
In fact, comedy4cast is now the official podcast of spring.
It's the official podcast of winter.
comedy4cast is the official podcast of fall and autumn.
Now, naturally, comedy4cast is the official podcast of the number four.
(04:13):
But it's also the official podcast of electricity, footwear, and the wheel.
comedy4cast is the official podcast of powered air flight,
gorillas, the tulip, stairs, cheesecake, and the Pacific Ocean.
No, strike that. comedy4cast is the official podcast of all water everywhere in the universe.
(04:37):
Speaking of which, comedy4cast is the official podcast of Mars,
the Crab Nebula, Alpha Centauri, and even poor downgraded Pluto.
We love an underdog. comedy4cast is the official podcast of the color orange and the color blue.
It's the official podcast of granite, diamonds, and gold. Heck,
(04:59):
it's the gold standard of official podcasts.
It's the award-winning gold standard of official podcasts. In fact,
comedy4cast is the official podcast of the internet.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know.
That about wraps it up for today's odd news pack.
(05:22):
But first, a shout out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons,
including our producer level patron, Paul Barrie, from the A Window to the Magic
podcast at windowtothemagic.com.
You too can support comedy4castand
get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month.
Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number 4, on Patreon.com.
(05:49):
Script, voices, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025.
All rights reserved. Talk to you again next time. But for now,
that's it. We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting, a call for podcasters to
try to put out a podcast every day in August.
For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
(00:24):
We always take this month to provide you with some interesting,
yet totally useless, odd news.
And this year, to celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast,
or PAC for short, we'll end each Dog Day episode with part of a classic comedy4cast episode.
So, let's get started with Odd News PAC!
(00:50):
If you've ever flown on a plane, you know there's one thing that's more of a
hassle than anything else.
Figuring out how the sink works in the restroom at the terminal.
I mean, I put my hands right underneath the faucet. Why isn't it turning on?
Is there any soap in this thing? How come the sink next to mine works and this
one doesn't? And how do I get the paper towels to come out of this dispenser?
(01:13):
Sorry, that's just me. No, the issue is luggage.
Especially that age-old balance of paying for a checked bag versus the free
items you can bring with you into the cabin.
Well, some flyers have come up with a hack that is helping them avoid shelling out for a checked bag.
And it doesn't even involve putting on every single item of clothes you plan
(01:35):
to wear on vacation just before you board the flight.
That's silly, right? Who would do that? This hack takes advantage of an apparent
loophole in airline regulations.
See, most airlines allow passengers to bring a carry-on and a personal item into the cabin.
But then, I guess you can also bring along a travel pillow without that counting
(01:55):
as baggage. That makes some sense.
It's soft and squishy. It doesn't need to go into the overhead bin or under the seat.
It's a perfect way to try to squeeze a bit more comfort out of an airline seat
that was designed for a five-foot-tall person who has the width of a sheet of paper.
However, where some people view this pillow thing as a benefit,
other travelers see it as an opportunity.
(02:18):
These frequent triers are stuffing clothes and other soft items into the pillowcase
and using it more as an incognito duffel bag than a comfy headrest.
That could explain why, on my last flight, I saw a passenger in row 12 accidentally
drop their pillow and the plane suddenly dove down 300 feet.
This whole pillow hack's been going on for a while now, so the airlines are beginning to notice.
(02:42):
Which means, if you try this hack, you run the risk of getting caught.
And it might be a bit embarrassing to be tossed off of a flight because you
had a pillowcase stuffed with jean shorts, Crocs, and eight bags of Cheez-Its
you bought at the Hudson News.
Of course, I suppose you could try to claim that's what you always have in your pillowcase, right?
But to sell that, you might have to do some prep work. show up to the flight
(03:06):
looking like you haven't slept in a month, and constantly complain about agonizing
neck pain. It's worth a shot.
And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip.
This clip is from May of 2007.
After hearing a radio station declare itself the official radio station of summer,
(03:29):
I wondered how that particular title had been bestowed.
Realizing no one but the advertising department had conferred the title,
I decided to do some bestowing of my own.
I've seen or heard ads about products being everything from the official drink
to the official antacid of summer. So you know what?
(03:49):
That's right. comedy4cast is now the official podcast of summer. How about that?
In fact, comedy4cast is now the official podcast of spring.
It's the official podcast of winter.
comedy4cast is the official podcast of fall and autumn.
Now, naturally, comedy4cast is the official podcast of the number four.
(04:13):
But it's also the official podcast of electricity, footwear, and the wheel.
comedy4cast is the official podcast of powered air flight,
gorillas, the tulip, stairs, cheesecake, and the Pacific Ocean.
No, strike that. comedy4cast is the official podcast of all water everywhere in the universe.
(04:37):
Speaking of which, comedy4cast is the official podcast of Mars,
the Crab Nebula, Alpha Centauri, and even poor downgraded Pluto.
We love an underdog. comedy4cast is the official podcast of the color orange and the color blue.
It's the official podcast of granite, diamonds, and gold. Heck,
(04:59):
it's the gold standard of official podcasts.
It's the award-winning gold standard of official podcasts. In fact,
comedy4cast is the official podcast of the internet.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know.
That about wraps it up for today's odd news pack.
(05:22):
But first, a shout out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons,
including our producer level patron, Paul Barrie, from the A Window to the Magic
podcast at windowtothemagic.com.
You too can support comedy4castand
get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month.
Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number 4, on Patreon.com.
(05:49):
Script, voices, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025.
All rights reserved. Talk to you again next time. But for now,
that's it. We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
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