Taking off Travel blog

Let’s shake it up a bit with a guest post from a British travel writer, who takes a humorous look at the issue of luggage tags. Enjoy!

Curious things, luggage tags. In many ways their original purpose has been superseded by airlines embracing bar-coded baggage labels a few years back.

Back in the Golden Age Of Travel between 1890 and the outbreak of World War II, suitcases were a different bag altogether. The privileged would have had their details inscribed onto plates that were part of the luggage, while labels were placed on by railroads, steamships or hotels and today it’s those labels that evoke memories of the halcyon days of travel. The battered, overlaid labels, randomly placed on long lasting luggage, became a history of the owner’s travels (check out the Louis Vuitton home page and see what I mean). What do we have today?   Just gummy stains from peeled off airline bar codes – what a come down.  Not so long ago things used to be a lot worse when all holiday makers were given those tacky little card labels (often attached with rubber bands).

Well, these days the luggage tag is a thing just screaming out to be designerified (best bit about writing is making up the words as you go along!).  So if you’re looking to stand out from the crowd at the luggage carousel in Majorca or Gran Canaria what’s the best way of doing it and what do your choices say about you?

First off get the right luggage first.  It’s got to be Louis Vuitton simply because it’s the only one that screams designer from a distance even if it’s the best copy from your local market.  Now you need to accessorize the bag so that you stand out from hundreds of other travelers and luggage tags are the way to do it.  Not too expensive and easily identifiable - that’ll do the job perfectly. Read more »

Briggs & Riley 20-inch Carry-on Expandable Wide-body Upright

The 2011 Consumer Luggage Report from Suitcase.com is out. As we did last year, we’re pleased to publish an interview with CEO John Ebb about the findings.

1. John, what’s changed in luggage trends for business travel since last year?

TSA-friendly business briefcases and laptop bags continue to rise in popularity (ex. http://www.suitcase.com/style/computer-bags-laptop-cases/tsa-security-approved.html). These are the pieces that can accommodate a laptop into the briefcase, and you can open the briefcase flat to scan through security, without having to remove the laptop. Customers continue to ask about these options, and vendors have been offering quality pieces with this function.

Another feature is the addition of a sleeve or strap onto the back of business bags that can slide onto the trolley handle of their suitcase. This helps for easy navigation through airports and travel destinations.

Customers are also starting to shy away more from leather, and leaning toward ballistic nylon options.

2. Last year, you predicted an increase in lightweight luggage, the use of neutral colors and an increase in TSA friendly luggage. Did this happen? If not, why not?

As highlighted in the 2011 report, lightweight remains as king due to weight restrictions, fees and overall ease of use. Customers are looking for the lightest bags available. While light, you do sacrifice in areas of durability, wheels and overall longevity of piece. We try to educate customers about packing lighter as well, because the internal contents can significantly offset the benefit of using a lightweight piece.

Neutral colors and black are still popular options, but consumers are being drawn in a different direction, toward patterns and unique designs. They are looking for something that matches their style, and also is highly recognizable coming off the turnstile and navigating through airports.

3. What are your major predictions for luggage for business travel in the coming year?

Business travelers continue to rely on carry ons, and checking less luggage as in the past. With typical travel over 2-3 business days, with the right luggage and proper packing, they can avoid the surcharges involved. Corporations overall are affected by the changes in fees, and directing employees to find things like the cheapest airfare, and reducing luggage costs.

Bumper to bumper lifetime warranties for spinners (bags with four multi-dimensional wheels), are coming down the pike. In spinners today, the wheels are not typically covered in warranties, except for a choice few brands.

4.  Apart from weight, what are the key piece of functionality consumers are looking for in their luggage now?

Durability and products with bumper to bumper lifetime warranties. They are also interested in products that lend themselves to easier packing. For example, the Briggs and Riley trolley system is outside the bag, which means consumers can enjoy wrinkle-free flat packing, instead of not packing around the pipes found inside of luggage.

5. Last year, you said that motorized luggage would be the next big thing in luggage? Has that happened? If not, why not? And what’s your prediction for 2011?

Motorized luggage is still around but hasn’t taken hold in the US yet, with mostly European distribution. Another challenge is that of the weight of power-assisted options. Integration of technology will continue to rise, such as mentioned in the report like the fingerprint-accessible luggage options, which add James Bond-like features to luggage security.

6. What’s a great, versatile piece of luggage for a business traveler?

An extremely versatile option is the Briggs & Riley 20-inch Carry-on Expandable Wide-body Upright, that has the capacity of a 22-inch carry on piece. This makes it an international friendly bag, since the standard international carry on is 20 inches. This was a hit at the Boston Globe Travel Show in February of this year, and I’m sure we’ll see more of it.

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.

What are the latest luggage trends?

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. Read more »

We’ve all seen it in the movies: luggage is moving round a carousel and the bad guys step in and take the bag belonging to the good guy (or vice versa) and walk straight out of the airport to examine the contents at their leisure. But as the luggage thefts at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport show, that doesn’t just happen in the movies.

On my recent trips, I’ve often thought about the security of my luggage. Years ago, my bags were so nondescript that it would have been easy for another traveler to walk off with them without being noticed. That was something I considered, particularly back in 2001/2002 when your bags had to be left for scanning without a secure area to leave them in. But a travel accident gave me the solution – and yes, it should have been obvious. Read more »