The poll, carried out across 2,000 travellers, found that more than 52% of men had had their suitcases commandeered by their other halves, who could not fit the desired items in their own luggage. Such was the extent of the suitcase hijacking that men sacrificed an average of 5kg to their other halves content – roughly a quarter of the maximum baggage allowance.

The findings come after a survey carried out by British Airways earlier in the year which revealed that Brits fly the flag for excess baggage costs from their inability to micro-pack.

In addition to hogging their partner's suitcases, 37% of women had had to reshuffle suitcases at the check-in desk. What's more, despite a quarter of travellers claiming to spend at least three hours packing their suitcases, 13% had set off for the airport without their passport or a boarding pass.

Mandy Mather, Stansted's terminal manager said: "The days of saying 'don't forget your toothbrush' are long gone. Now the question should be: what can we leave at home?"