A Service That Bears All When Bags Are a Burden

Three years ago the idea of paying $50 or $100 to ship a bag to your destination seemed like a luxury for the rich, the famous or perhaps a few eccentrics with phobias about airport luggage carousels.

“People thought we were way ahead of the curve,” says Richard Altomare, who founded such a shipping service in 1999 after he popped a shoulder hoisting a bag. At first his service was not widely used: “I was happy if my wife and her girlfriends signed up for it.”

But since the Sept. 11 attacks, as security-related luggage hassles have grown, so has Altomare’s business--by 20% per month, he estimates. He heads Universal Express Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla., which runs Luggage Express, (866) 744-7224, www.usxpluggageexpress.com, and a similar company, Virtual Bellhop, (877) 235-5467, www.virtualbellhop.com, which it bought last year.

At least two other companies, Sports Express in Durango, Colo., (800) 357-4174, www.sportsexpress.com, and Skycap International in Anchorage, (877) 775-9227, www.skycapinternational.com, specialize in luggage shipping for airline passengers.

Typically such services pick up bags from your home and ship them to your destination hotel using FedEx or other couriers, timing them to arrive when you do or sometimes the day before, and coordinating with the hotel staff. On return, they ship the bags back to your home.

Airlines, cruise lines and upscale hotels are starting to refer customers to such services. So don’t be surprised if your travel agent asks you, “Window seat? Aisle seat? Baggage shipping?” when booking your plane ticket. That’s now an option, thanks to a deal between Virtual Bellhop and Sabre, which has loaded the service onto its computerized reservation system, widely used by agents.

Bypassing the baggage carousel remains a pricey indulgence. “It’s not oxygen. It’s ice cream,” Altomare says. But for certain travelers it may make sense. Here are some examples:

* Extra bags: If you have excess baggage, you may find it doesn’t cost much more to ship it than to check it, and the convenience may be worth the price.

Recently more airlines have begun charging if you have more than two checked bags. The so-called third-bag fee is $40 to $80 per piece, depending on the airline. Among those that impose it: Alaska, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United. (Some exempt first-class passengers.) America West allows three bags total, checked and carry-on; above that, the fee is $80 per bag. As of last week, Southwest wasn’t charging for a third checked bag, but charges $40 each for a fourth and fifth bag.

By comparison, some luggage services may charge less than $100 to ship a bag, depending on the weight, dimensions and distance. For instance, shipping a 50-pound bag from Los Angeles to New York City, using two-day delivery, Virtual Bellhop recently quoted me $111.83; Luggage Express, $99; Sports Express, $96.71; and Skycap International, $79.96.

Lighter bags can cost less. Sports Express quoted $67.17 for two-day delivery of a 32-pound bag from Los Angeles to New York.

These rates are close to FedEx and United Parcel Service fees. But most of these luggage shippers include extra services, such as monitoring your bag en route (Sports Express) and calling you to let you know your luggage has arrived (Virtual Bellhop).

Packages and discounts can drive these prices lower. Luggage Express sells $995 annual memberships that cover up to 20 one-way deliveries in the continental U.S., which can bring the per-bag cost down to $49.75 if you’re a frequent traveler.

If you book the Sports Express service through America West, you get $10 off each order; Delta gives $5 off, according to deals recently posted on the airlines’ Web sites. Factor in the few dollars you save in tips to the skycap and bellhop, and the costs of shipping your third bag versus checking it may be about the same.

* Lengthy trips: If you’ve invested thousands in an extended vacation and you have lots of luggage, shipping may not be so onerous. In fact, Holland America is picking up the tab for passengers on its around-the-world cruise on the Amsterdam, departing Jan. 4 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to ship 100 pounds of luggage or more, depending on the cabin category, from a traveler’s home to the ship.

This summer, the high-end Seabourn cruise line began offering to send passengers’ luggage by way of DHL to any of its ships’ embarkation points for a fee. (It’s about $200 to ship a 30-pound bag from the U.S. to London, the line says.)

* Health issues: If you use a wheelchair or have heart, back or other health problems, lugging your luggage may be unfeasible. You could pay skycaps, but shipping is also an option. Skycap International got its start several years ago handling luggage for travelers with disabilities and has since expanded to all customers, says company President Gary Hovanec.

* The hassle factor: Avoiding an hour or two in line to check your baggage could be worth $50, $100 or more to some people. Others dread intrusive bag searches. “How much is it worth to you [to avoid] having someone unzip your suitcase and take everything out, and you need to repack everything?” Universal Express’ Altomare asks.

How safe is your luggage with shipping services? Probably pretty safe. The four I contacted primarily use FedEx.

Spokesmen for the four say their companies have never lost a bag, although they concede some bags have been delayed or damaged. Such claims total about 1.2% of orders at Virtual Bellhop and 1.5% at Luggage Express, says Cecilia Vesnesky, logistics and development director for Universal Express. Sports Express’ delayed-or-damaged complaint rates total 1.1% of bags handled, says spokesman Mike Smedley. Skycap International’s Hovanec says he does not have figures but that such claims are rare.

The 10 biggest U.S. airlines averaged 3.99 mishandled baggage complaints per 1,000 passengers in July, the latest figure available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Comparison with luggage services is difficult because the DOT figure isn’t tracked against the number of bags moved, and it lumps together complaints of lost, damaged, delayed and pilfered bags. The definitions of “delayed” and other terms also vary.

If you use a luggage service, ask about insurance. Some include coverage in their rates; some don’t. Buying insurance can raise the total price above the initial quote.

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Jane Engle welcomes comments and suggestions but cannot respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail jane.engle@latimes.com.