UPS - New Airport Luggage Box Alternatives - This is What Makes America Great!

Okay, There is a problem. Some people toss up their hands and whine. Americans fix the problem.

United Parcel Services (UPS) watched as airlines ratcheted up the costs of luggage for air travelers - Problem.

Some folks at UPS, Americans All, tackled the problem.

Only days after federal officials announced that the nation's airlines had collected 33% more revenue this year from checked luggage fees, UPS offered its alternative to the hassle and expense of lugging a suitcase through an airport.

The world's largest package delivery service announced last week that it was selling specially designed boxes that resemble suitcases. Passengers can ship the "luggage boxes" to their final destination to avoid the airlines' check-in lines and luggage fees.

The new UPS boxes include carrying handles and come in two sizes. The UPS announcement came a few days after the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that the nation's 10 largest airlines collected nearly $770 million in checked baggage fees in the first three months of the year, a 33% increase over the same period last year.

The new luggage boxes are also hitting the market as demand for airline seats begins to rebound from a two-year slump.

The International Air Transport Assn. announced that international airline traffic jumped nearly 12% in May from a year earlier, raising airline traffic numbers 1% above pre-recession levels.

UPS officials say they created the new boxes simply to make life easier for frustrated travelers.

"It's meant to be a convenience," said UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg.

She conceded that airlines can usually deliver luggage faster than UPS but said luggage shipped by UPS can cost $30 to $80 less per package, depending on the route and the weight of the box.

Rosenberg noted another advantage to the UPS luggage box: A tracking number lets passengers know its exact location.

That's something airlines don't offer.

Chicago Tribune


President Obama might want to get UPS on the horn ASAP - they seem to know how to fix a problem - and President Obama has more problems( Gulf Oil, Sky-Rocketing American Debt, Eric Holder, Jan Napolitano, Lady KaGa and the balance of the WH Insane Clown Posse) than Lindsey Lohan.

Well done