eft.com

This is reminiscent of the now defunct Universal Express and its CEO-turned-jailbird Richard Altomare, whose belief that passengers should be separated from their luggage – for both passenger convenience and airline security reasons – inspired a similar service a few years ago. Following the London bombings in 2006, the hastily imposed restrictions on what airline passengers were allowed to take with them into the cabin effectively turned what was previously hand luggage into cargo. This was particularly troublesome for airline passengers in South Africa, where individual items often disappear from checked baggage. As long as passengers were able to keep their valuables with them in the cabin, most of the pilferage was limited to items of clothing, books, etc. The newly imposed hand luggage restrictions meant that laptops, cellphones, iPods, cameras and other expensive items also became fair game. Furthermore, airlines have a habit of separating passengers from their luggage. Between 0.4% and 0.6% of airline passengers in the US suffer from the “breakfast in Boston, lunch in London, suitcase in Singapore” syndrome. When these percentages are applied to the total number of flyers every day, this translates to around 57 suitcases being lost every minute – in the US alone. Sending your suitcase via a dedicated luggage service became a very nice option. But the option wasn’t available for long. Universal Express went into receivership in August 2007; Altomare was investigated by the SEC for share fraud, and was subsequently imprisoned for three months in 2008.