I have to recognize that I have not been airlines best customer recently so yesterday I asked for practical advice from a friend who is a very frequent flyer.
I plan on attending the South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin in March and needed a quick update on flying from Newark Airport these days.
It was mostly about boarding and check in time on a certain airline. The conversation then moved to luggage and bags. I had not thought that much about it until then.
So this morning I was pleased to find out about a new service that should be especially useful for frequent business travelers.
Named Fly Lite, their claim to fame is to be "the world’s only remote wardrobe manager" and that their service means "no packing, no luggage, no lines, no laundry".
How? first you need to register for the service. They then send you an empty luggage. You fill it with all the clothing you might need on various trips. Once done, call them and they will pick it up, make a list of the items and set up a virtual closet for you.
Before each trip, log on your virtual closet, check all the items that you need to have.
They will make sure it is packed and cleaned and ironed and delivered to the hotel at your destination. Before you leave, arrange for pickup.
No need to wait in line, nothing to drag along, hopefully nothing forgotten and no unpredictable weather (they do not offer any service to cover that yet).
Check the Demo to see their ICloset in action.
Qualified Frequent Flyers, those with 100.000 miles under their belt and taking 20 trips or more a year, can currently request a 3 months Free Trial.
I believe that for now the service is only available in the US.
Will they let me put Fly Lite to the test for my trip to Texas in March? I will let you know.
Cannot afford or do not need a service as extensive as Fly Lite, having the right luggage or bags can be a time and money saver. FlyLite (UK) offers lightweight luggage solutions. Their motto is "A weight off your mind before you travel". You can also order various very handy scales from them so you know where you stand before leaving for the airport (or the train).
Their website shares very useful information on baggage allowance, weight and dimension and the excess charges you will incur if not careful.
Hope this helps for future trips.
I first read about the Fly Lite service on Springwise.
Also on the topic of air travel and luggages: Silver Jet aims to be the first Carbon Neutral transatlantic airline and Headed for the Airport…Stop stressing about parking and lost luggages