Check 'Em Or Ship 'Em? Either Way It'll Cost Us

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Check 'Em Or Ship 'Em? Either Way It'll Cost Us

By Craig Altschul
March 27, 2008

Here's just what mountain resorts need. More aggravation for guests who know all too well that "getting there' is no longer half the fun. We don't need a news flash: Airlines are struggling and are adding "extra fees" faster than banks.

That brings us to "extra baggage" like skis, snowboards, and bootbags. We are coming very close to the time when our guests will make that "check 'em or ship 'em" decision. It just adds more pennies to the cost of an already-pushing-it ski vacation.

CNN reported last week more and more travelers are turning to luggage delivery services because of extra fees charged, the likelihood of lost, or at least delayed, luggage, security jams, and filled-to-the-brim overhead compartments. United Airlines and U.S. Air will charge $25 per second bag checked starting in May. British Air has been charging $150 per extra bag on long haul flights for over a year. The CNN report said seven bags were lost last year for every 1,000 passengers.

Two of the major baggage shipping companies (other than the usual suspects like UPS, FedEx, and USPS) are Luggage Free and Luggage Forward.

CNN cited a Great Neck, N.Y. family (two adults, four kids) who shipped eight large bags of ski equipment and baggage round trip to a Colorado resort at a cost of $1,200. He said it was worth it compared to the airport hassle he would have faced.

The Industry Report checked the price of a one-way set of skis/snowboard from NYC to Vail on both services. The amount you pay depends on how quickly you want them to arrive at your destination. You'll pay $250 for one-day service on Luggage Free, but you can knock it down to $150 by choosing three-or five-day timing. Saturday delivery is extra ($75).

The deal at Luggage Forward is slightly less, rolling from express delivery at $210 down to basic (pick up five days before) for $99. The good news is either service picks up at your door and delivers to your destination lodging.

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