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Andy Warhol Grins In His Grave Over $2,500 Luggage Bearing His Name

Between this Globe Trotter Warhol-branded luggage set and the Flight 001 chichi rent-a-luggage we covered a few months ago, we're starting to think that manufacturers are just trying to bait us. Are people really dropping thousands of dollars for something they check through at the front of the airport, only to pick up hours later when they're bleary eyed and jet lagged? Here's the deal on these pricey, limited-edition bags:

In association with the week-long Andy Warhol x Hysteric Glamour pop-up shop at the ISETAN store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku precinct, a marquee item... with three different sizes, each feature an all-black exterior while the inside features a Warholian skull motif with signature. The Andy Warhol x Hysteric Glamour pop-up shop on the 4th floor of ISETAN runs from the 16th till the 23rd of September.

True story: we have a writer at Jaunted HQ whose very first non-airport experience in Japan was at the world's busiest train station in Shinjuku. During rush hour. Dragging all his international luggage. Because our writer is not very smart. That's a whole other story howeve, and this post is about Warholian skulls on the inside of overpriced luggage sets. Just how overpriced, you ask?

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Tags: Airline Hell / United / YouTube / Luggage / Travel Gripes / United Breaks Guitars / → All Tags

Put Your Hands Together For 'United Breaks Guitars' Part Two

The saga of the PR nightmare for United Airlines continues with the second installment of the 3-part music video series from a United passenger who had his guitar smashed by baggage handlers.

The music group, Sons of Maxwell, were headed on a week-long tour when they flew United through Chicago, and glimpsed their checked guitar cases being roughly handled on the tarmac. Sure enough, the lead singer's guitar was broken and required $1,200 in repairs. United refused to pony up any dough in retribution, and so Sons of Maxwell vowed revenge in the form of musical shame.

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Tags: Lost Luggage / Baggage Fees / Airline News / Airline Hell / Luggage / → All Tags

1.8 Million Bags Were Lost In 2008; Where Did They All Go?

Do you swear that the airlines have it out for you and so manage to lose your bags 9 times out of ten? Well, you aren't all that special since lost baggage is still very much an epidemic, and Andrew Price, the head of the International Air Transport Association's Baggage Improvement Program, can attest to this. He not only has his own bags lost or delayed much of the time, but it's actually his job to see that this doesn't happen.

Poor Mr. Price; he just admitted this embarrassing fact to the Wall Street Journal and they've used it as a jumping-off point to take a deeper look at the barely-turning cogs behind international airline luggage movement:

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Wide Load: Briggs & Riley Baseline Holds A Lot But At a Hefty Price

We didn't head home alone this 4th of July weekend; Briggs & Riley Travelware sent us a sample of their new 20" Carry-On Expandable Wide-Body Upright from the Baseline collection "for serious travelers," which we promptly abused for 1,800 miles. How did it come out? Not bad!

First impression: Straight out of the box we recognized it was slightly larger than our usual carry-on (a Delsey roller with laptop pocket) but smaller than the Samsonite we use for weeklong trips. In the check-in line, it looked about average height compared to other rolling carry-ons, but as promised, slightly wider.

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Tags: Airline Hell / United / YouTube / Luggage / Travel Gripes / United Breaks Guitars / → All Tags

All Together Now: 'United Breaks Guitars'

We were tipped off to this funny video by Chris Elliott's Twitter about a band called Sons of Maxwell who were headed to Nebraska on a week-long tour. But at the airport in Chicago they actually witnessed the baggage handlers at United Airlines tossing the lead singer's Taylor $3,500 guitar which sure enough, arrived broken.

Frustrated by United's crappy customer service and refusal to do anything about the damage, Sons of Maxwell created a YouTube music video slamming United for their indifference.

The video sort of reminds us of the FreeCreditReport.com videos and at four minutes long, it's a tad lengthy for us busy internet readers but it's nice to see someone putting United in their place in a different way than just writing off a nasty letter. Oh and Sons of Maxwell are promising two more videos about this incident as well. United: We're awaiting your answer. Make it a video one too!

Related Stories:
· United Breaks Guitars [YouTube]
· United Airlines coverage [Jaunted

Tags: Ryanair / Airline Fees / Checked Baggage Fees / Luggage / → All Tags

Ryanair Says No More Checked Bags Allowed

It never stops with the penny-pinching news from Euro low-cost carrier Ryanair, as they've now announced plans to completely eliminate checked baggage from flights beginning early next year.

This comes on the heels of their plans to both install pay-to-pee bathrooms onboard and eliminate airport check-in. They've already got us paying $60 if we don't print our boarding passes at home, so why not disallow us from traveling with our tuba just to drive the stake in further? Alright so we don't own a tuba, but other people do, and other people may be traveling with items that would be better checked.

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The Airlines Are Just Not That Into Us: New Baggage Fees Announced

Guess our griping last week about the insanity of checked baggage fees has not registered at all with the powers that be that run America's airlines. United has announced that it too will charge passengers $5 for checking your bag at the airport. That's in addition to the standard $15 fee that is charged to your first checked bag.

US Airways also announced a few weeks ago that they will start tacking on a $5 fee for bags checked at the airport (in addition to their $15 fee.)

What this means is that when you check-in online you better check-in your luggage as well. Otherwise it's fee city for you. And if you can't get to a computer to check-in online, like say you were white-water rafting or backpacking, then again: it's fee city for you.

Also, Budget Travel reminds us that Alaska Airlines will start to charge $15 checked baggage fee starting July 1 for the first bag checked. Flights to Europe on Delta and Northwest will also start to charge $50 for a second checked bag. Ugh.

Yes, we know this is a crappy economy and airlines are trying to stay profitable but c'mon these fees are getting out of control.

Related Stories:
· New $5 fee for paying $15 fee to check your bag at airport [Budget Travel]
· Checked Baggage Fees coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Airplane Etiquette / Overhead Compartments / Luggage / Travel Pet Peeves / → All Tags

Why Does Putting Luggage in the Overhead Compartments Turn Us Into Animals?

It's not the most sophisticated position, but it's an undeniable empirical fact that Americans are often more polite and docile than many other nationalities. Compare driving in Los Angeles to maneuvering through a Southern Mediterranean road. Or walking out of a Midwest basketball game to fleeing a South American soccer stadium. Or queuing up for the Metro in DC to jostling for the bus in the Middle East. Or doing anything to flying on RyanAir (ok, that may not be fair - but seriously, this is beginning to piss us off).

So why is it that the simple process of placing luggage in overhead bins is such a logistical and interpersonal disaster? It's not a matter of stress: passengers are just fine when they're lining up to get on the plane. They're rarely hostile. No one shoves anyone else for position, even on cattle calls with no assigned seating like Southwest. Just a quiet line and orderly movement.

But when it comes time to raise a suitcase or bag off the ground, it's suddenly a post-apocalyptic Mad Max battle for survival and supremacy. There's bumping. There's occasional yelling. And very often there are exaggerated, petulant displays of frustration where people will slam their luggage around loudly, as if to make a point.

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Tags: Checked Baggage Fees / Luggage / Airlines / → All Tags

Stop The Insanity: No More Checked Baggage Fees

According to this report from UPI, U.S. airlines have pulled in about $566.3 million in checked baggage fees for the first quarter of 2009. This is up from $498.6 million in the last quarter of 2008.

The airline making the most bucks from baggage fees is American Airlines who raked in $108.1 million in fees. Delta followed closely with $102.8 million. In last place was United Airlines who only pulled in about $59 million in fees. Perhaps that's why they are considering raising that first checked baggage fee to $20 and $25 for a second bag. But they got beat by US Airways who will start charging $20 for the first checked bag on July 9 if you check it at the airport. Ugh.

It's no surprise that we despise these fees. Airlines survived for years and years without these fees and then skyrocketing gas prices forced them to recoup fuel costs by charging passengers for essentially having a change of clothes when they travel. And there's no end in sight.

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Would You Rent Expensive Luggage Just to Impress Other Travelers?

We understand that people sometimes need to rent expensive clothing for a night. You're at an event with people that you want or need to impress so you enhance your plummage accordingly. Fine. We might bemoan our inegalitarian culture, where society's velvet rope is lowered only to those who can turn heads, but whatever. People have wanted to look good for other people since the dawn of time.

Which brings us to this afternoon's edition of But Really? Today's topic: Flight 001's new rent to rent chichi luggage program:

If a pricy set of name-brand luggage is beyond your budget but you still want to travel with the crème de la crème, check out "Baggage Claim for Hire," debuting this spring at New York travel outfitter Flight 001. By the day or week, the store will rent cool wheeled luggage made of lightweight polycarbonates by the German company Rimowa. Bear in mind that a medium-sized Rimowa suitcase — like topaz gold — retails for around $500. So you can turn heads at the airport without breaking the bank.

Is this a trend? Are people really trying to turn heads at airports? With their luggage?

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