# Air Courier: Cheap Flights. Is there a catch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2001, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103 "2001-11-30T11:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kaje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f04885/32.png) [@Kaje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaje)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/1 "2001-11-30T11:35:17Z")
so, I was browsing an air courier site ([http://www.aircourier.org/desti.html](http://www.aircourier.org/desti.html)) and was completely amazed by the prices available. If you aren’t familiar, the theory behind this service is that somebody needs to send a package to the same place you want to fly, so you take their package and thereby get reimbursed for part of the plane ticket. It’s set up by various agencies. My friend flew to thailand last summer for $1300 (student fee). [airhitch.com](http://airhitch.com) reports a price range for a courier trip to bangkok as $295 - $559. !!! Paris = $143-458. etc… Obviously very cheap. So, what’s the catch? Doesn’t seem like much of a hassle to carry a package with you. Is there more to it than that? I realize the timing may be difficult and you would have to be somewhat flexible on your departure date, but that’s not so bad. Anybody have experience with this? Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/2 "2001-11-30T11:43:47Z")
AFIK the “package” can be just about the whole of your luggage allowance, so if you are prepared/able to travel light and are flexible with your flying dates, then this may be worth considering. Also, I have heard that this is not as common as it used to be, but that’s not gospel… Gp ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/3 "2001-11-30T12:17:44Z")
**grimpixie** is spot on the money. There are two disadvantages to being a courier 1. basically you will have bugger-all luggage (usually) 2. you have to be flexible. And they don’t mean flexible the way the rest of society means flexible… check it out as they all differ slightly, but some can give you a day or two notice only, and also have strict return conditions i.e. must return within one week. 3. Hi Opal 🙂 Basically, you don’t get nothin’ for nothin’. They are fabulously cheap for a reason, and that reason is that they are fabulously restrictive. Still, if you can up and leave with a days notice, you are an incredibly lucky person, and you should go for it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/4 "2001-11-30T12:34:55Z")
I’ve taken a flight using this site (you need to register to get into the daily specials section). It is a useful site, but all it really does is to collate information which is freely available elsewhere, although not necessarily easy to find. My last trip was London-Chicago and it cost me about $350 including taxes and insurance, which was damn cheap for the last week of august. [ul] [li]The only restriction was that I check in _three_ hours before departure, but that was no big deal.[/li][li]I had to carry nothing.[/li][li]I booked approximately six weeks in advance IIRC.[/li][li]My baggage allowance was not (and is rarely) affected.[/li][li]My dates of travel were not affected (I chose both return and departure dates, maybe I was lucky).[/li][li]The price on my ticket was over 1000 GBP, equivalent to approximately $1400 :eek:[/ul][/li] I will most definitely be taking courier flights again for unaccompanied travel. Apparently there are never more than one courier assigned seat on any one flight. Having used this site, and having realised that there is really nothing to subscribe to, I would like to share some of the information I’ve gleaned with others, but this would involve apparent promotion of commercial enterprises. I wonder if a Mod could help me out? I’d like to offer to give out phone numbers by email, but I’m not sure if this might violate board rules too. Anybody? ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/5 "2001-11-30T13:29:51Z")
IANAM: Since the OP is asking, it should be OK to email commercial information. You just don’t post commercial information since that would be using the SDMB for free advertizing. ---
**Author:** ![Kaje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f04885/32.png) [@Kaje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaje)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/6 "2001-11-30T14:31:00Z")
i’ve no problem with such an email. What do you mean you didn’t have to carry anything? Isn’t that the point of a courier? ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-courier-cheap-flights-is-there-a-catch/96103/7 "2001-11-30T14:42:32Z")
Hundreds (thousands?) of courier seats are booked on busy major inter-city routes by airlines. Reservations are not made in order to fulfil a particular courier service, but rather in _anticipation_ of the need arising.