We have from time to time some guys on board how attend our freight, like expensive paintings or horses or so. I haven't really talked to them much, they are usually very quiet... but I bet it's a nice way to fly around the world in cargo airplanes, though I heard the conditions aren't the best...
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Sleeperseat From Germany, joined Apr 2008, 93 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (5 months 1 week 17 hours ago) and read 898 times:
Quoting WILCO737 (Reply 1): We have from time to time some guys on board how attend our freight, like expensive paintings or horses or so. I haven't really talked to them much, they are usually very quiet... but I bet it's a nice way to fly around the world in cargo airplanes, though I heard the conditions aren't the best...
Yeah, i guess you mean some special staff who's trained to take care of animals for example. But i mean not flying on cargo planes, but on commercial ones.
As for example GM in DTW gets some production problems, and there's a potential risc that the production goes down if they don't receive some special screws from Germany within the next 15 hours for example, as a matter of that a guy gets booked as passenger and fly over the pond just to deliver these urgent items.
Normal cargo would be to slow to get it over in time. A real expensive way to move freight, but as a matter of that a real save one for special items.
IntlDj From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2008, 21 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (5 months 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 819 times:
A friend of mine once booked a BA flight from LHR-NRT using a "courier" ticket. She paid 400 GBP rather than the average 700 GBP. All she had to do was pick up some "paperwork" at LHR and was met at the gate at NRT to deliver them. She didn't have to do anything for the return leg. Actually, now I think of it, another friend of mine did the same last year on the same route with BA. Ok, it's not a free ticket, but a 40% discount is good.
Sleeperseat From Germany, joined Apr 2008, 93 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (5 months 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 783 times:
Quoting IntlDj (Reply 3): A friend of mine once booked a BA flight from LHR-NRT using a "courier" ticket. She paid 400 GBP rather than the average 700 GBP. All she had to do was pick up some "paperwork" at LHR and was met at the gate at NRT to deliver them. She didn't have to do anything for the return leg. Actually, now I think of it, another friend of mine did the same last year on the same route with BA. Ok, it's not a free ticket, but a 40% discount is good.
Wow, this looks like a very good deal, though.
Is there an easy way to get to these tickets, or are they given away according to demand?
Normally, customers try to pay only coach. Does anyone have experience with courier jobs flying business or first class? I usually do fly J or F when our customers require this mode of transportation.
One time a Gulfstream was requested bound for Dubai, but wasn't confirmed in the end.Bummer... I know....
BAViscount From United Kingdom (England), joined Mar 2004, 1537 posts, RR: 2 Reply 5, posted (5 months 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 776 times:
Quoting IntlDj (Reply 3): A friend of mine once booked a BA flight from LHR-NRT using a "courier" ticket. She paid 400 GBP rather than the average 700 GBP. All she had to do was pick up some "paperwork" at LHR and was met at the gate at NRT to deliver them.
A friend of mine once did the same on VS, LHR-NRT-LHR. Quite why he bothered I will never know because he's probably the highest paid person I know/will ever know, but for some reason he seemed to prefer suffering the reduced baggage allowance and the hassle of collecting his "cargo" at LHR to paying the standard fare! And he moaned like hell about his baggage allowance on his return journey as he couldn't take all of his souvenirs with him (yes, I was with him in Tokyo but had personally flown BA on a RTW ticket). But hey, who am I to question?!
I'm sure that courier flights suit some people though, I know I'd do it if it meant getting a discounted ticket!
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DABZF From Finland, joined Mar 2004, 1142 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (5 months 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 763 times:
I have done this few times. For a while I worked for a small courier company at LHR and I did 2 trips to MAD, 1 to BCN, 3 to ZRH (time when SR was flying MD-11 to LHR) and 1 to JNB. All flights were always in Business class.
As I was employee of the courier company I didn't had to pay anything for the ticket.
I did get an extra payment for my "troubles".
There are some courier companies who are somewhat specialised (will not advertise any names here) in on-board courier services. Very often they use students etc. to do the flights... great way for them to earn little extra money.
Some airlines also offer courier service where they accept cargo as baggage (without a passenger) with very short drop-off deadlines compared to freight deadlines.
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IntlDj From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2008, 21 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (5 months 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 739 times:
Quoting Sleeperseat (Thread starter): And he moaned like hell about his baggage allowance on his return journey as he couldn't take all of his souvenirs with him
I didn't know there was a reduced baggage allowance, but I can sympathise as I fly that route a lot and NRT tends to be VERY strict on that issue. I'm a musician so I travel heavy and even with my +20kg extra, they still give me a hard time sometimes if I'm 42 or 43 kg.
Sleeperseat From Germany, joined Apr 2008, 93 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (5 months 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 723 times:
Quoting DABZF (Reply 6): have done this few times. For a while I worked for a small courier company at LHR and I did 2 trips to MAD, 1 to BCN, 3 to ZRH (time when SR was flying MD-11 to LHR) and 1 to JNB. All flights were always in Business class.
Did u collect the frequent flyer miles for these flights?
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