Taking off Travel blog

Suitcase.com has recently published its Consumer Luggage Report 2010. Among its key findings were:

57.4% are now packing lighter and using smaller travel bags, and 56.5% check fewer bags, due to increasing airline fees and restrictions.

72.3% most commonly use carry-on bags during air travel.

79.1% consider luggage size and dimensions the greatest influence on their decision to purchase, with luggage weight (69.3%) the second-most deciding factor.

44.2% prefer lightweight materials the most when purchasing luggage.

88.9% consider wheels the most important luggage feature, with retractable handles (71.4%) the second-most important feature.

The Taking Off Travel Blog talked to John Ebb, CEO of Suitcase.com, about the findings, especially related to business travel.

1. John, what can we learn about business travel behavior from your Luggage Trends survey?

Based on the survey results from those travelers who stated they fly for business more than 50% of the time (with the majority taking more than 10 trips a year) now use lighter, smaller suitcases (61.5%), and check fewer bags (53.8%) than in previous years. In addition, these business travelers use carry‐ons 79.4% of the time.

When purchasing luggage, these business travelers consider luggage size and weight (89.7%) the greatest influence on their luggage purchases, with specialized luggage features and functionality (73%) the second‐most important factor and luggage weight (71.7%) the third factor.

Many of these business travelers included in their responses that they seek the added features and functionality of durable wheels (91%) and retractable handles (71.7%), when purchasing luggage. Several responses also mentioned preferring to switch their airlines to one without baggage fees, such as Southwest Airlines, rather than bringing different luggage.

2. Apart from lightweight materials and luggage, and extended warranties, what other luggage trends do you expect in 2010?

In addition to travel bags made from lightweight materials remaining popular this year, we expect to see new styles, colors and patterns in 2010. As far as style is concerned, we do foresee consumers sticking to the more neutral colors with the goal of keeping their luggage for a longer period of time, instead of fashionable and trendy luggage, as they had in the past.

Travelers still, however, will purchase brightly colored luggage and distinguishable bag tags to stand out from other luggage at the baggage claim.

I also predict that the checkpoint‐friendly briefcases and laptop cases will be a hot item in response to last year’s change in TSA regulations allowing passengers to keep laptops in bags during security checkpoints. Particularly for business travelers, this type of luggage will help alleviate any stress and delays during trips or leaving the computer behind, as well as protect the laptop. Some brands we recommend consumers to look for include Victorinox Swiss Army’s Security Fast Pass and Briggs and Riley’s SpeedThru Sleeve.

3. Are there any new materials that are popular in luggage now?

Many hard‐side luggage pieces are now made with a blend of polycarbonate and ABS plastic material (PC‐ABS), which is as strong as polycarbonate, while remaining flexible with the ABS material. This allows the luggage to be durable, but still flexible enough to fit in carry‐on spaces and remain lightweight. Polycarbonate is the same material used in bullet‐proof glass!

4. What’s going to be the next big thing in suitcases and luggage, and when will we see it?

I predict motorized luggage will become a popular “futuristic” piece because manufacturers are now releasing lightweight options with many technical, but user‐friendly features. An example is the Live Luggage electrically powered suitcase, Hybrid PA Bag, available this April. This type of luggage has a rechargeable battery similar to the size of a laptop’s battery, to allow easy mobility and flexibility for the traveler. I can see some frequent travelers using this type of luggage because it’s lighter weight than other motorized luggage and has enough space and features to pack many items, such as a laptop case and an overnight travel bag.

5. How quickly do travelers change their luggage behavior based on airline and security restrictions?

We did not specifically gather this information from the report, but I know based on our experience that it typically takes a traveler one to two trips to change their luggage purchasing behavior.

6. Describe your perfect piece of luggage.

My perfect piece of luggage must be lightweight, durable and have an “everything goes” warranty, similar to the manufacturer, Titan, which has a lifetime warranty on all its products, and will repair or replace your luggage for free!

Get your copy of the Suitcase.com Consumer Luggage Report 2010.

Tags: airline security, airport security, business travel, luggage, travel, tsa

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 6:43 am and is filed under business travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.