Now that toothpaste and hand lotion are officially verboten from carry-on bags, two businesses seem to be profiting: private jet charters and luggage forwarding services.
Although the first is out of reach for most business travelers, the second might be more affordable.
Luggage shipping companies pick up your suitcases -- toothpaste and all -- at your home or office and deliver them just about anywhere in the world. But it's no bargain at around $100 or more per bag, depending on the size and destination.
Even so, business travelers are flocking to the services after last month's terrorist threat in London.
"Many business and leisure travelers now view luggage delivery as a necessity if they hope to reach their destination without delays," said Jon Trevelise, chief executive of Sports Express in Durango, Colo.
Sports Express ships luggage as well as oversized sporting equipment such as golf clubs and skis and has seen a 40% increase in business in luggage delivery since the terrorist scare, he said. It is also launching a new brand, Luggage Advance (www.luggageadvance.com), to better serve the luggage needs of travelers.
Luggage Club Inc. (www.theluggageclub.com), based in Oshkosh, Wis., is a year old, and sales were already on an upward trend. But the event in August quadrupled business, said company President Todd Kempinger.
Boca Raton, Fla.-based Luggage Express, which last year shipped 2 million bags, reports a 20% increase in calls since mid-August.
The latest Transportation Security Administration list of prohibited items can be found at www.tsa.gov. Restrictions in Britain are stricter, especially for flights to the United States. Lipstick in carry-ons is forbidden in Britain, for example, whereas solid lipstick and lip balm are OK in the U.S.
A small carry-on bag is allowed in Britain, but its dimensions must be less than about 18 by 14 by 6 inches, or about the size of a laptop computer case (see www.heathrowairport.com for the latest updates).
Checking bags is seldom a happy option for many business travelers who need to hit the ground running and are loath to stand around the baggage carousel.
And the airlines' dismal record of losing bags -- more than 10,000 were mishandled a day last year -- hasn't improved this year. More than 343,000 bags were mishandled in June, according to the Transportation Department, an increase of 16,000 over June 2005.
