01/07/09, 23:29:59 UTC

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Southwest Airlines Offers Cruise-Goers a Hand With Their Bags

eTN

Airline Can Now Take Baggage Straight From the Seaport to the Airport

Florida's busy cruise season is approaching, and Southwest Airlines is launching a new service that will make getting cruise-goers' baggage from the seaport to the airport easier than ever.


Through a partnership with a company called Bags To Go Enterprises, and in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Southwest Airlines Customers can now check their bags and obtain their boarding pass at the port where their cruise ship docks.


The new service will allow Customers to explore and enjoy the city in which they disembark -- without having to lug their bags around -- until it's time to head to the airport. Once at the airport, Customers can head straight to their departure gate, allowing them to bypass lines at the Skycap and main ticket counter.


How does it work?

-- Upon disembarking from their cruise ship, Customers simply hand their
baggage over to the Bags To Go agent stationed at the cruise port.
-- The Bags To Go agent checks the Customer's luggage and issues the
Southwest Airlines boarding pass using AirIT's CHECKport(TM).
-- The luggage is then shipped to the airport in a secure vehicle,
screened by the TSA, and loaded onto the Customer's Southwest Airlines
flight.




"The Bags To Go service is all about convenience for our Customers," says Southwest Airlines Director of Central Baggage Services, Laura Adams. "The service has the added benefit of shortening airport lines and improving baggage operations behind-the-scenes."


Cruise-going Customers can arrange for the baggage service upon their arrival at the airport or when they disembark from their cruise ship. Bags must be presented three hours prior to departure and are only accepted on flights departing after 12:00 noon. The service costs $20 per person and allows up to three checked bags.


Southwest Airlines is launching the new service at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport for Customers disembarking at the Port of Miami and Port Everglades. The airline also offers the Bags To Go service at several locations in Las Vegas, including the Venetian and Luxor hotels, The Las Vegas Convention Center, and the Las Vegas McCarran Rent-A-Car Center.


"Off-site check-in is a growing trend in the airline industry," says Adams, "and we hope to expand this convenience to every Southwest destination where it will make sense for our Customers. "

 Printable Version  | published Oct 09, 2007