Holiday Essentials TTG Features Smooth pick-up deals


First Luggage is celebrating 10 years of business with a new VIP service. Abigail Challenor talks to Ray Collett of Colletts Travel,who refers the service to his clients


possessions going awol and the inconvenience of lugging bags to and from airports has led to a flurry of companies offering to transport luggage independently. With luggage collected from travellers’ homes prior to departure and delivered to the destination before they arrive, it’s an easy way to take the stress and occasionally cost out of clients’ journeys. First Luggage, one such provider,


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is an old hand on the scene, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The company’s standard service starts from £49 for a pair of ski boots delivered within Europe or £85 for a 30kg suitcase. It can also transport sports equipment such as kayaks, canoes, surfboards, windsurfers, hang gliders, pole vaults and javelins. The company plans to expand with


the First Luggage VIP service this April. The new service will offer clients additional “White Glove” options such as evening and weekend pick-ups, currently unavailable with the standard service, and a greater luggage allowance on all bookings. Roy Collett, managing director of


Colletts Travel, has been selling First Luggage for five years. He attributes


Luggage services can be very useful on multi-centre trips


the popularity of such services to low-cost airlines with their


PACKING TIPS The following items are not


permitted to be packed in unaccompanied luggage:


hairsprays 1 perfumes and aftershaves


2 3


4 5


Money (coins, currency and cash)


Tobacco products


Alkaline batteries


Any item containing alcohol, including


Pressurised containers including deodorants and


decreasing baggage allowances and increasing charges. Collett explains that the service is not just about delivering bags. “We have clients who might


be heading out to New York or off skiing for Christmas and then travelling on to the Caribbean. They enjoy their time in the city or in the mountains and then send a bag home before heading to the warmer destination. It means that on a multi-centre trip you don’t have to take all your luggage the whole way.” The service does rely on a


certain amount of organisation on behalf of the customer as they


ising costs of baggage carriage on flights coupled with baggage- handler strikes,


need to have their baggage ready for collection a few days before they depart on holiday. But Collett says that as long as clients are made aware of everything they need to do, it all runs very successfully. He adds that it’s not just a UK-to- destination service: “We had clients who were going on a tour of India at Christmas followed by some relaxation time in Phuket. They were flying business class out to India so they took their baggage with them on that leg but then arranged for it to be collected in India and delivered to Phuket for their arrival there.” According to Collett the service is


most appealing for long-haul leisure customers. “It’s not cheap but when customers have a lot of luggage it really takes the strain off. It uses Fedex and DHL to transport items, which makes it very reliable. You can track your bags as they travel and First Luggage will text you when they arrive at the destination.” First Luggage has an affiliate


partner scheme that offers agents 10% commission on the product and Collett says he finds it works particularly well on a referral basis. “We have cards to give out


which advise clients to quote us when they book the service and we earn commission for the recommendation.” First Luggage also offers a number


of other ways to help agents market the service to their customers. It can provide an exclusive link to its website which can be used on agency websites or marketing emails and offers commission on the referral basis. It can also create an exclusive luggage delivery booking website which can be co-branded with agency branding. Finally it has showcards for agency windows or exhibitions and can conduct training sessions to increase product knowledge.





firstluggage.com/agents.aspx 13.03.2014


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