Using Courier Flying for Discount Travel
Unless you happen to be wealthy and have a lot of free time,
chances are you wish you could fly more often than you currently
can. Airfare is, of course, the most cost prohibitive element of
long distance travel. Many people find themselves in situations
where they know someone they could stay with in another city -
so accommodations would be free - but there's simply no way of
being able to get there affordably. In terms of discount travel,
there are some solutions to expensive airfares that are worth
looking into if you are flexible and interested on a short visit
rather than a long trip.
One of the cheapest ways you can fly is called courier flying.
How this works is: courier companies exist that specialize in
delivering relatively small packages quickly - things like
important business documents etc. ... and what these companies
want is your baggage allotment on a flight. So they will offer
extremely discounted fares in order to get your baggage
allotment.
If you sign up for a courier flight, your job will be to show up
at the airport with carry on luggage only, meet someone with a
package who will check it onto the plane in your space (you
won't normally have to handle the package), and take the flight.
In most cases you are required to take a return flight as well
in a relatively short time (usually a few days, and rarely more
than a month), which is why courier travel is more suitable to
quick cross-country visits than long term travel.
Here are some samples of the approximate discounts on return
fares, obtained through a simple internet search: New York to
Paris, $250; Los Angeles to Sydney, $400. In some cases, if you
are on their call list, the courier may become desperate with a
last minute flight and offer it for free.
Now, with such extreme discounts, there must be a catch, right?
Of course: courier flying would be simply too good to be true it
didn't come with an extreme lack of flexibility. Courier flying
works by placing yourself on a list to be contacted by the
companies. You're not likely to receive much notice, and until
you board the plane, your fate is entirely in the hands of the
courier company: if there is a change or a problem with the
package, for example, you're out of luck.
More so than other types of discount travel, courier flying is
dependant on you being able to establish a repoire with the
company. If you have been flexible and completed flights for a
company in the past, you may be able to establish a relationship
where they call you first to offer a flight, in which case
you'll have some more options.
Regardless, to engage in courier flying you have to be very
flexible, and although it is one of the most extreme forms of
discount travel available, it remains fairly restrictive. If
you're interested your best bet is to try one or two courier
flights and hope that you can establish a good relationship with
the company.