You may be packing up equipment for your demo or perhaps a ski getaway, and you find out your suitcase will almost certainly tip the scales.
Do you need to put down the money airline companies charge you when luggage is too heavy, or mail your weighty bags instead?
Feelings are pretty powerful, whatever side you come down on.
"Whenever it is just 5 pounds overweight, you could get rid of five lbs and place it all inside of your bag," says George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com. "However in most instances, it will be more cost effective to mail it. There are hardly any (situations) in which it's more beneficial to pay the airlines, considering that the overweight charges are very onerous right now."
In accordance with an airline comparison carried out by Airfarewatchdog, over weight baggage costs on domestic flights are able to increase as much as $200 one way for a bag between 71 and 100 lbs.
United Airlines, for example, demanded $100 for a bag weighing anywhere between 51 to 70 pounds on domestic flights as of late March, $200 for bags weighing Seventy one to 99.9 pounds, and $400 on many worldwide routes.
Spokesman Rahsaan Johnson claims the costs are generally " competitive with what shipping companies charge you for items of similar size."
However Richard Yamarone, an economist who lives in Maplewood, N.J., says shipping is often less expensive, and it's what he usually favors.
"Ship away your head ache," says Yamarone, who travels on a regular basis for work, and also to pursue his past-time of flyfishing. "The comparatively affordable of sending weighty gear, equipment, clothes, boots and outerwear is well worth (it). All you must do is board the airliner along with your iPhone, understanding that everything is waiting for you inside the hotel room or lodge. That is definitely peace of mind, and worth just about any price.
UPS bases its rates on an item's weight, how far it is going along with the transport method the sender selects, which include ground vs. air service.
It's internet based price calculator will help travellers discover the best offer, which possibly involves planning to mail your baggage a long time before your journey, and deciding on ground delivery.
"Clearly, if you wish to over night something, that costs more than ground shipment," says Chelsea Lee, speaker for The United parcel service Store.
But, she claims, "assuming you can make plans, or perhaps recognize you normally have got a weighty bag, you will have a cost savings as an alternative to paying the oversize cost. 2 or 3 days before you go often times will be serious savings."
Travelers could have the luggage delivered to their destinations, Lee says. Or possibly, they are able to consider one of UPS's luggage boxes, which come in 2 sizes. Travelers can place their suitcase in the container, or alternatively store his or her's clothes and personal items directly inside, saving cash on weight, considering the fact that a clear suitcase, typically, weighs about Ten pounds. The baggage boxes, by comparison, weigh close to three or four lbs, says Lee.
Sending the small baggage box, which can withstand Fifty five pounds, by means of ground from L . A . to New York City, will be $79.55, Lee reveals, and it will cost $47.99 to send the same package from Chicago to Nyc.
A substantial baggage box, which can withstand 85 pounds, would cost the sender $102.75 for ground delivery from L . A . to New York, and $76.15 from Chicago to New York City.
Federal express is an additional delivery service option, with large puncture-resistant plastic bags to hold luggage, even a special box for golf clubs.
"If you know you've got your family vacation," says FedEx spokesman Scott Fiedler, and "you know everything that your family needs, especially if you have children, (FedEx) might be something to look into."
Tony Tillman, who travels the country training businesses on software and lives in Burbank, Calif., says that he makes a decision on whether to ship or check heavy luggage based on when he needs it and how much it'll cost him.
"Sometimes, shipping is cheaper than airline fees, and sometimes, it's not," Tillman says, adding that shipping becomes a personal expense, since his employer won't pick up the cost.
Still, if he's got some extra clothing or shoes that send his bags over the 50-pound mark, when overweight fees usually kick in, he'll often opt for UPS or FedEx ground.
"If I'm paying $90 at the airline to have this extra bag or extra weight," he says, "I'd rather just have it where I can write it off as a business expense," he says.
But Michael Gregurich, another frequent business traveler, says shipping bags isn't worth the hassle.
"Even though excess weight charges are extraordinary, the challenges with mailing bags still is greater," says Gregurich, a sales director who lives in Manitowoc, Wis.
Shipping, he says, becomes a problem if he wants to pack an extra item at the last minute or needs to retrieve something from his suitcase.
Clarissa Cervantes, a photographer and researcher who lives and works in Beverly Hills, says that her equipment has often made her luggage heavy, along with all the souvenirs she tends to buy when she travels overseas. Still, she'd rather deal with the airline fees than ship.
"I've looked at the price; it's just not worth it," she says. "It takes more work, and it's not as convenient as having the airline (transport the bags) for you."
As for those overweight baggage fees, Cervantes says she's found a solution - a luggage scale. If her bag goes over the 50-pound mark, she shifts items into her purse and carry-on to get the number down.
"Since I had that (scale), I've never had to pay any extra fees," Cervantes says. "It was a little investment ... but it saves you, in the long run, a lot of money."
Do you need to put down the money airline companies charge you when luggage is too heavy, or mail your weighty bags instead?
Feelings are pretty powerful, whatever side you come down on.
"Whenever it is just 5 pounds overweight, you could get rid of five lbs and place it all inside of your bag," says George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com. "However in most instances, it will be more cost effective to mail it. There are hardly any (situations) in which it's more beneficial to pay the airlines, considering that the overweight charges are very onerous right now."
In accordance with an airline comparison carried out by Airfarewatchdog, over weight baggage costs on domestic flights are able to increase as much as $200 one way for a bag between 71 and 100 lbs.
United Airlines, for example, demanded $100 for a bag weighing anywhere between 51 to 70 pounds on domestic flights as of late March, $200 for bags weighing Seventy one to 99.9 pounds, and $400 on many worldwide routes.
Spokesman Rahsaan Johnson claims the costs are generally " competitive with what shipping companies charge you for items of similar size."
However Richard Yamarone, an economist who lives in Maplewood, N.J., says shipping is often less expensive, and it's what he usually favors.
"Ship away your head ache," says Yamarone, who travels on a regular basis for work, and also to pursue his past-time of flyfishing. "The comparatively affordable of sending weighty gear, equipment, clothes, boots and outerwear is well worth (it). All you must do is board the airliner along with your iPhone, understanding that everything is waiting for you inside the hotel room or lodge. That is definitely peace of mind, and worth just about any price.
UPS bases its rates on an item's weight, how far it is going along with the transport method the sender selects, which include ground vs. air service.
It's internet based price calculator will help travellers discover the best offer, which possibly involves planning to mail your baggage a long time before your journey, and deciding on ground delivery.
"Clearly, if you wish to over night something, that costs more than ground shipment," says Chelsea Lee, speaker for The United parcel service Store.
But, she claims, "assuming you can make plans, or perhaps recognize you normally have got a weighty bag, you will have a cost savings as an alternative to paying the oversize cost. 2 or 3 days before you go often times will be serious savings."
Travelers could have the luggage delivered to their destinations, Lee says. Or possibly, they are able to consider one of UPS's luggage boxes, which come in 2 sizes. Travelers can place their suitcase in the container, or alternatively store his or her's clothes and personal items directly inside, saving cash on weight, considering the fact that a clear suitcase, typically, weighs about Ten pounds. The baggage boxes, by comparison, weigh close to three or four lbs, says Lee.
Sending the small baggage box, which can withstand Fifty five pounds, by means of ground from L . A . to New York City, will be $79.55, Lee reveals, and it will cost $47.99 to send the same package from Chicago to Nyc.
A substantial baggage box, which can withstand 85 pounds, would cost the sender $102.75 for ground delivery from L . A . to New York, and $76.15 from Chicago to New York City.
Federal express is an additional delivery service option, with large puncture-resistant plastic bags to hold luggage, even a special box for golf clubs.
"If you know you've got your family vacation," says FedEx spokesman Scott Fiedler, and "you know everything that your family needs, especially if you have children, (FedEx) might be something to look into."
Tony Tillman, who travels the country training businesses on software and lives in Burbank, Calif., says that he makes a decision on whether to ship or check heavy luggage based on when he needs it and how much it'll cost him.
"Sometimes, shipping is cheaper than airline fees, and sometimes, it's not," Tillman says, adding that shipping becomes a personal expense, since his employer won't pick up the cost.
Still, if he's got some extra clothing or shoes that send his bags over the 50-pound mark, when overweight fees usually kick in, he'll often opt for UPS or FedEx ground.
"If I'm paying $90 at the airline to have this extra bag or extra weight," he says, "I'd rather just have it where I can write it off as a business expense," he says.
But Michael Gregurich, another frequent business traveler, says shipping bags isn't worth the hassle.
"Even though excess weight charges are extraordinary, the challenges with mailing bags still is greater," says Gregurich, a sales director who lives in Manitowoc, Wis.
Shipping, he says, becomes a problem if he wants to pack an extra item at the last minute or needs to retrieve something from his suitcase.
Clarissa Cervantes, a photographer and researcher who lives and works in Beverly Hills, says that her equipment has often made her luggage heavy, along with all the souvenirs she tends to buy when she travels overseas. Still, she'd rather deal with the airline fees than ship.
"I've looked at the price; it's just not worth it," she says. "It takes more work, and it's not as convenient as having the airline (transport the bags) for you."
As for those overweight baggage fees, Cervantes says she's found a solution - a luggage scale. If her bag goes over the 50-pound mark, she shifts items into her purse and carry-on to get the number down.
"Since I had that (scale), I've never had to pay any extra fees," Cervantes says. "It was a little investment ... but it saves you, in the long run, a lot of money."