Alistair Callender
Calculating the time-related costs and money saved from those that choose to travel with hand luggage only is relatively new at a strategic corporate level. However it is one that can increase the bottom line.
There are intangible benefits of taking the stress out of any overnight travel by avoiding baggage drop-off and collection. Flying hand luggage-only can also increase the environmentally-friendly aspect of a business.
The low-cost carrier industry is aggressively pursuing the business traveller with new commercial city routes, flexible ticketing options, priority boarding and seat allocation. Legacy airlines are also making their own moves to keep their share of the short-haul market, with some offering flexible fares that charge more to have a bag in hold. The challenge for the business traveller to own the 'perfect' piece of hand luggage compliant across all the airlines is increasingly more difficult. Even aircraft manufacturers are looking at ways to store more hand luggage.
I have studied the costs associated with baggage check-in through personal experiences and conversations with large corporates and environmental agencies. From these calculations it was found an average return trip per employee can cost a minimum of £60 in baggage fees. In addition the average hand luggage-only journey saves approximately 30 minutes in comparison to a journey with baggage check-in, not to mention reducing the stress as you have your belongings with you ready to race to the taxi queue.
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Travellers can waste time waiting for luggage. Photo credit: ©iStock.com/michaeljungThere are environmental benefits too. An air passenger using only hand luggage uses approximately 2.5% fewer Co2 emissions than a comparable journey of entirely heavier checked-in luggage.
Selecting the correct tools such as a bag or an alert within your self-booking tool for travelling staff offers companies an exceptional way of showing their teams that both the small and the big things contribute towards overall success. Efficiency and effectiveness count and companies that demonstrate attention to detail will make more profit.