To Ship OR Not To Ship (Luggage Ahead): That is the Question

As domestic and international airlines continue to feel the 'squeeze' of sky-rocketing fuel prices, they continue to pass increased costs on to consumers. Most of us can make it through a 2-hour flight without paying two bucks for a bottle of water. Few of us, however, have the luxury of traveling with only luggage that is considered "carry-on". If you must check any luggage, most domestic carriers now charge a fee.

So far, Alaska, Continental and Delta are allowing travelers to check their first bag free of charge (Southwest still allows two checked bags for free). American, U.S. Airways, Northwest and United are charging $15 for the first bag you check. The second bag checked will cost you $25 on most domestic carriers. And, the prices just go up from there for each additional bag you check. If you are a business traveler and must carry displays, heavy A/V equipment, be forewarned: the over-limit (weight and size) fees can be astronomical. Some carriers charge as much as $250 for shipping one over-sized piece.

So, what's a traveler to do? Whenever possible, travel light; very light. For those for whom traveling light is not an option we began to wonder if there were cheaper ways to ship your luggage than via the airlines. What we found was very interesting; there is no shortage of firms and services that will happily ship your luggage - for a fee - sometimes a hefty fee.

For the sake of comparison, we measured services based upon shipping a medium weight bag (40 to 55 lbs.) from Miami to New York City.

Virtual Bellhop charged $122.19 for three -day service (which included an online discount)
Luggage Forward charged $147.00 for three-day service
Luggage Concierge assessed a fee of $198.23 for two-day delivery
Luggage Free came in with the lowest cost at $120.75 for guaranteed three-day delivery

*Fees for overnight shipping were substantially higher in each case

It is important to note that there are definite advantages to using one of these services and they offer a variety of services airlines do not:

1)  Your luggage will be picked-up from a specified location within a designated window of time. (Research revealed that while some companies guaranteed pick-up within a two-hour time frame, most allowed 6 hours or more - it's not any better than sitting around waiting for FedEx or UPS to pick-up)

2)  Service is door-to-door; ideally, your luggage will be waiting in your hotel room when you arrive at your destination.

3)  You no longer have to wait in long lines at the airport to check your bags.

4)  Most services deliver shipping labels to affix to each piece of your luggage. These labels include tracking numbers so you can track your luggage via online web sites.

5)  The majority of companies will place anything that even "seems" fragile inside a box and surround it with bubble wrap to ensure safe delivery.

6)  All of these services included insurance in the event any of your bags are lost or misplaced. (In most cases, a maximum of $1,500 per bag) Airlines insure bags also; most often with a maximum $300 replacement cost per bag.

What came as a complete surprise was the fact that three of the four companies studied sent Federal Express or UPS to pick up your bags. Only one service employed a private courier. So, if your bags are going via FedEx or UPS anyway, we wondered what it would cost to ship luggage (using the same weight parameters) directly through them. The following is what we discovered:

New York to Miami:
Luggage service fees ranged from $143.50 to $112.50; while FedEx charged $64.50 and UPS charged $73.81

New York to Los Angeles:
Luggage service fees ranged from $183.49 to $112.50; while FedEx charged $77.08 and UPS $87.32.

Los Angeles to Chicago:
Luggage service fees ranged from $153.58 to $112.50; while FedEx charged $68.31 and UPS $77.67.

(Prices are based on shipping one piece - maximum 55 pounds - two-day delivery)

Conclusion:
1)  It is still cheaper to check most luggage directly through the air carrier.

2)  If you have the extra cash to spend and want the special customer service offered by luggage services, there are plenty to choose from.

3)  UPS and FedEx do charge more than airlines; they also pick up and deliver your bags so you can avoid carrying them and long airport check-in lines

While the major carriers have upped their checked baggage rates, they still seem to be the most reasonable (in most cases). If fuel prices continue to rise, however, airlines will probably charge more for each piece you check. Keep in mind, UPS and FedEx also have to pay rising fuel costs so they'll be passing on additional costs as well. Your best bet, by far, is to learn how to pack as light as you possibly can.

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