By Ricky Tyus
The Truth Travel Contributor
My colleague and his family embarked on a grand adventure from Norfolk, VA to Paris for the Paralympics. They flew non-stop from Norfolk to Newark, NJ, only to face a four-hour ground stop in Newark, courtesy of an Air Traffic Control radar outage. This delay almost made them late for their bargain-basement flight to Paris.
The frugal airline had a strict rule: baggage check-in no later than 90 minutes before departure, and guess what? The check-in desk was already locked up like Fort Knox when they arrived. So, a frantic call to the airline’s customer service revealed their delightful options: buy new one-way tickets to Paris for the next day and use their return tickets.
But wait, there’s more! Thinking outside the box (or suitcase), a party member dashed to the departure gate to plead her case about the luggage dilemma, plus she needed a wheelchair.
The gate staff heroically dispatched a wheelchair-wielder to the check-in area, and they navigated TSA with their giant suitcases as if they were contestants on a reality show. Fortune smiled upon them as TSA allowed them to process the suitcases, sans the typical forbidden goodies (large liquids & lotions, anyone?).
Surprise! The low-cost flight was an hour late leaving Newark. The airline gate-checked the big suitcases for a princely sum of $60 per bag. Vintage grand tour or obstacle course? You decide!
Imagine the ease if they had traveled LuggageFree.
Luggage Free is a specialty service offering travelers the ability to ship luggage ahead to any destination worldwide, allowing you the ability to avoid the inconvenience of carrying, checking and claiming luggage – even going through customs.
Tyus Tours & Travel is an authorized agent for LuggageFree. For more information visit https://bit.ly/3MTSzs7 or call 866-547-5362.