Suitcase on the plane or transport company: how to decide
If you have flown recently, whether with a low-cost or a traditional airline, you know the suitcase “nightmare”: extra bags, weight limits and fines for excess baggage (overweight baggage) that can upset your travel budget.
Whether you are moving for studies or work, or going away for a long time, shipping your luggage with a transport company is an alternative worth working out. Here you can see how to decide with numbers rather than guesswork.
How airlines charge for luggage
Airlines charge separately for an extra bag and for excess weight, and the amounts vary by airline, destination, season and booking time:
- Adding a suitcase when you book costs less than adding it at the airport.
- Excess weight is charged per kilo above the limit, at a rate set by each airline.
- Weight and size limits differ from airline to airline and by fare type.
You will find the exact amounts in your airline’s terms for your travel date.
How to compare the two costs
- Weigh and measure everything you want to take with you.
- Find the airline cost: extra bag and excess weight, for your own destination and your own date.
- Find the shipping cost: enter the weight, dimensions and destination in the cost calculator and see the exact amount before you send.
- Compare and add convenience to the scales: no dragging, no waiting at baggage reclaim.
Luggage is sent by road to Europe and England, with a delivery date given together with the price. See your destination: UK, Germany, the Netherlands. If you left something at an airport in Greece and have already flown, see the airport lost and found courier.
The comfort of travelling light
- Carry nothing: forget dragging heavy suitcases onto trains, the metro and cobbled streets.
- Less stress at the airport: you get through security quickly with just your backpack.
- Straight out on arrival: when you land, you skip baggage reclaim and your suitcase cannot go missing on a connecting flight.
- From your home to your new front door: we collect your things in Greece and deliver them to your new home abroad.
How to send your things: suitcase or box?
Many people ask: “Can I send my suitcase itself?” The answer is yes, but fabric and plastic travel suitcases are not made to travel unaccompanied alongside other boxes. Wheels and handles break easily and the fabric can tear.
Our tip: use sturdy double-wall cardboard boxes (heavy duty).
- They hold more, especially if you use vacuum bags.
- They stack safely in the truck.
- They protect your things and cost very little compared with a suitcase that may get damaged.
Travelling soon? Send ahead
Work out the cost of shipping your things and see how it compares with the airline’s fees for your trip.
