"O'Hare skycaps expand beyond the curb"

Monday, October 16, 2006

Skycaps expand beyond the curb
O'Hare lot now has check-in service 
The Chicago (IL) Tribune


There's a new option for travelers to park their bags at O'Hare
International Airport.

For an extra fee, passengers who drive to the airport and park in the
economy lots can check in baggage and receive their airline seat assignments
and boarding passes at a staffed kiosk in Parking Lot E, on Coleman Drive.

Passengers then can board the free airport transit system, or People Mover,
in Lot E, ride to the terminals and go directly to security checkpoints and
aircraft gates, the Chicago Department of Aviation said.

It is recommended that passengers use the service park in Lot E, but if it
is full, they can ride a free shuttle bus from the other economy lots to Lot
E.

O'Hare officials hope the remote skycap service at Lot E will get passengers
on their way quicker and help reduce long lines that form at airline ticket
counters.

But it does compete against the curbside skycap service operated by most
airlines outside the terminals.

The remote skycap service, which charges $5 per bag, is available on
domestic flights only that are operated by American Airlines, United
Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Many
airlines charge for curbside skycap service.

American requires passengers to check their bags at least 90 minutes before
departure, while the other airlines require a minimum of 45 minutes before
flights are scheduled to depart.

However, the Aviation Department recommends that passengers check in their
bags at least two hours before the scheduled departure time to ensure that
bags make it onto planes.

The service is operated by Orlando-based Baggage Airline Guest Services
Inc., in cooperation with the five airlines and the Transportation Security
Administration, said O'Hare spokeswoman Wendy Abrams.

Trucks transport baggage in locked compartments from Lot E to the airline
terminals, where the bags are screened under the normal protocol by the
security agency, officials said. Employees of the baggage service have
undergone FBI background checks.

A similar remote skycap service to O'Hare has been operating at McCormick
Place since March.

The service will be expanded from McCormick Place to Midway Airport next
year and eventually to both airports from hotels and other convention and
meeting facilities in the Chicago area, Abrams said.

It remains to be seen whether the remote-skycap service, available in
several dozen U.S. cities, catches on at O'Hare.

Many passengers traveling on domestic flights check in an hour or less
before their departure. While more people are checking bags these days due
to recent restrictions on carry-on bags containing liquids and gels, some
travelers might not feel comfortable leaving their bags in a parking lot,
especially so close to flight time.

For families traveling together, it might make more sense financially for
one person to drop off the group and their luggage at the airline terminal,
then drive to a remote parking lot and ride the People Mover back.

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