The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting story today on advanced luggage shipping services, and how some travelers choose to utilize these services instead of checking their bags with airlines.
We believe there are three reasons you might want to use luggage shipping services instead of checking your bags: One: Convenience; Two: You will have more connection options, and will be able to take advantage of cheaper fares; and Three: the airline won’t misplace your bags.
It’s all about convenience…
Most frequent travelers will also tell you that they loath having to check luggage. It not only requires you to stand in line at the check-in counter instead of checking in online or at an airport kiosk, but then you have to wait at baggage claim instead of heading out to pick up your rental car or jump in a taxi. God forbid if you’re traveling with an international connection where you’re required to collect your bags, take them through customs, and then re-check them for your connection flight. It’s just an all around painful experience, even when your luggage isn’t lost.
The solution for many seasoned travelers has been carry-on only. But sometimes that is not an option, plus the carry-on limits are getting stricter all the time. So, an advanced luggage shipping service sounds like a good idea. In the past few years a number of companies have sprung up that offer to come pick up your bags and make sure they are waiting for you when you arrive at your final destination. Many of these companies are operating in the US domestic market only, but quite a few are offering international service as well.
You will have more connection options, and can fly low cost…
The Journal argues that “luggage services aren’t cheap, especially for passengers whose bags can go through the airline system free.” Not necessarily so. First of all, some airlines are beginning to charge a fee for each checked luggage item, not just the overweight bags. Secondly, if you don’t have a checked bag, you are able to take advantage of low cost airline connections and cheap offers that you otherwise might not have been able to exploit. Most low cost airlines do not have luggage transfer agreements with other airlines. If you don’t check a bag, it’s much easier to catch a connecting flight with some of these super cheap budget airlines.
And the airline won’t lose your bag…
Then there is the lost luggage. It can be pretty annoying to arrive at your holiday destination to find that your suitcases are en-route to Anchorage. The Air Travel Consumer Report produced by the US Department of Transportation provides consumers with information on the quality of service provided by airlines. Their September 2007 report provides information on mishandled luggage for July 2007. The 20 airlines mentioned in the report filed total of 466,250 lost baggage reports in the month of July 2007 alone, with 7.93 bags misplaced per 1,000 passengers. And that’s only data for US domestic flights for these 20 carriers. The numbers are going up. The Journal reports that there have been 3.5 million incidents of lost bags this year compared to 2.9 million in the same period last year.
Here is a list of a few luggage shipping service providers. If you know about others, let us know and we’ll add them to the list.
Baggage Quest
Luggage Concierge
Luggage Free
The Luggage Club
XS Baggage
Luggage Forward
Virtual Bellhop / Sport Express
U-Bag
Excess Baggage Company
First Luggage
Carry My Luggage
Luggage Advance
Baggage Express