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“I haven’t carried my luggage in a long time and the benefits are many. For me, the best part of shipping luggage is the fact that my vacation now starts when I leave my house and not once I finally get to my hotel. Air travel without luggage is a true luxury,” says Boyd.
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Today in the Sky
When shipping, you can forget about waiting in line to check and pick up your bags, and the penalty fees (about $50 to $80) that come with violating the airline’s weight restrictions.
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“We’re the only company that wraps and protects luggage for its customers. Travelers can use our service and have the piece of mind knowing their luggage is safe and will be waiting for them at their destination,” stated Boyd.
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On Thanksgiving, Lindsey Wieber, 31, of New York boarded a plane to Dallas to visit her family and carried just her purse, a magazine and an iPod. The rest of her belongings were taken care of by Luggage Free, a baggage delivery company based in New York City.
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Baggage hassles can be the cherry on a sundae of a bad business trip. So why not skip them? For those who don’t mind paying for the convenience, a handful of companies will pick up and deliver your bags to domestic and international destinations.
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Luggage Free picks up your baggage wherever you designate, does all the paperwork necessary for shipment, arranges for delivery to a designated address at your destination, and tracks the shipment’s progress.
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Luggage forwarders can reduce the hassle of air travel. The companies, which pick up, ship and deliver bags for passengers, report a brisk increase in business as a result of tightened airport security. Shipping bags allows travelers to bypass airport check-in lines and to travel light.
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“Checking in became a whole different ball game. And it’s only gotten worse. There’s this constant confusion over what you can carry on. People are realizing it’s just easier to send it ahead,” said Jeff Boyd, president of Luggage Free, which was founded in 2003
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The News & Observer
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, Calif. “It’s a fabulous feeling.”
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Many luggage shipping companies were created after Sept. 11, 2001, in reaction to new security measures and precautions that made going to the airport a long and stressful experience. “It’s really sort of a black hole as far as travelers go,” according to Jeff Boyd, president of Luggage Free in New York. “You can’t carry it on any longer; you have to check it. But you can only check a certain amount of luggage. It was — it still is — very restricting, very confusing. A lot of people saw, after that, great value in our service, if they didn’t before.”
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If what they’re really worked up about is the airline surcharge for bags that weigh more than fifty pounds, then suggest that they send the baggage ahead. (With Luggage Free, the minimum charge domestically is $110, with a $40 pick-up fee within forty miles of the airport; 800-361-6871.)
