"Ditch the baggage and breeze through airport security"

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Ditch the baggage and breeze through airport security
Luggage shipping services can be pricey, but clients like their ease and
reliability and having bags waiting for them at their destination.
By Rosemary McClure
The Los Angeles (CA) Times


WEIGHED down by the heavy-handed airport searches of carry-on luggage?
Depressed about time wasted waiting for checked baggage to drop onto the
carousel at the end of a flight?

Some travelers are lightening up - physically and mentally - by using
luggage shipping services. Such companies handle baggage, generally picking
it up at home or office and delivering it to hotels or other addresses at
the passenger's destination.

"There's nothing better than going to the airport carrying only a book and a
purse," said Barbara Pizik of Beverly Hills. "It's a fabulous feeling." 

New Yorker Vickie Sheer, who travels weekly, agrees: "It makes life so much
easier and relaxed." The service allows her to skip baggage check-in and
claim, she said. "I walk from the plane, get into a taxi, and at the hotel
my bag is in my room waiting for me." 

The services, most of which sprang up after 9/11, mushroomed when security
limits were placed on liquids last fall. Business is booming in the United
States and Britain. 

"After liquids were banned in carry-on bags, we nearly tripled our volume
overnight," said Jeff Boyd, president of Luggage Free, a 4-year-old
Manhattan-based company. "People were confused. The overriding theme was 'I
don't have a good grasp on what I can bring.' "

The surge tapered off, he said, but business is still strong. "Airports
mishandle a lot of luggage," he said. "People don't want their bags
misrouted." 

Travelers have reason to worry: The number of misrouted bags has increased
at U.S. airports every year since 2002. Last year, about one passenger in
150 had a mishandled bag. 

That isn't surprising. More people are flying, more of them are checking
luggage because of security rules, and there are fewer baggage handlers to
work the system because many were laid off by financially strapped airlines.
Add to that slow replacement of aging equipment and you have a system that
has sent some customers scrambling to find other options.

Enter luggage shipping services.

"We've delivered 31 million suitcases and never misplaced one," said Richard
Altomare, chief executive of Luggage Express. "Compare that to the
airlines." Luggage Express, based in New York and Florida, is one of the
oldest transport services, with 16 years of experience. 

Here's how the luggage shipping services work: Customers fill out an order
online or call to place a request. Some services require a day or two lead
time to pick up a bag, but others - like Luggage Express and Luggage Free -
say they can do pickups within an hour. 

Bags are insured and delivered to the hotel or other address at the final
destination, with shipping monitored by the service. The shipping services
use various companies, such as UPS, FedEx and DHL, to handle the
transportation.

Most of those using the services are luxury leisure travelers.

"We see a lot of families with children, elderly travelers who can't - or
don't want to - carry as much weight as they once did, skiers and other
recreational sports travelers," said Zeke Adkins of Boston-based Luggage
Forward. 

It can be pricey: Some services charge nearly $200 to ship a lightweight
carry-on bag - about 20 pounds - across the United States overnight,
although fees are less if customers OK second-day or later delivery.

But new airline charges take some of the sting out of the cost. Several
airlines have tightened their luggage weight restrictions and added fees for
overweight or second bags. Spirit Airlines charges $10 and up for a second
checked bag and $100 or more for a third piece. British Airways last month
added a $236 charge for economy-class passengers who take a second bag along
on some long-haul flights, but the extra charge will not be rigidly enforced
until September.

Besides the new charges at check-in, there's all that hassle.

"My boss got tired of dragging his golf clubs through airports," said Marsha
Nieto, assistant to a Pacific Palisades businessman who travels about three
times a month. She now ships his clubs using Luggage Forward. "It's great,"
she said. "And I can change destinations at the last minute without a
problem." 

But couldn't a passenger just ship the luggage himself?

Yes. But as Daniel DelliCarpini of Luggage Concierge, points out, "We have
luggage coordinators who track your shipment so that when you arrive, your
luggage is already there. And we offer complimentary insurance." 

Beverly Hills resident Pizak used to pack and ship her own bags. "But I
wasted too much time waiting for FedEx to arrive and deliver on the other
end," she said, adding that Luggage Free is punctual. 

"And this way," she said, "I can communicate with a voice instead of with a
computer."

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