Airport News
Tech start-up Portr and London Gatwick Airport have launched a new concierge luggage delivery service, allowing passengers to travel luggage free between their home or hotel and the airport.
The new AirPortr service means that business travelers flying later that same day can arrange to have their luggage collected from a central London hotel in the morning, and can then attend a meeting without their luggage while en route to the airport. They then simply collect their bags from the AirPortr desk at the terminal. The service is also available for passengers arriving at the airport who wish to have their luggage delivered to their destination.
Toby Tait, product manager for Premium and Business Services, London Gatwick, said, “Gatwick is always striving to make our passengers’ travel through our airport quick, convenient and hassle-free.
“The arrival of AirPortr now means that the convenience our passengers experience at the airport extends to their travel to and from Gatwick. Carrying heavy bags on the journey to and from the airport can now be a thing of the past for our passengers.”
Chris Walsh, head of customer experience at Portr, said, “Since launching the AirPortr experience we have overwhelmingly seen how the service literally changes the way people now plan and make their journeys.
“Of course we are in the business of same-day luggage delivery and ensuring your bags travel when and where you want them, but really AirPortr is all about the time and convenience aspect of the service that we in reality aspire to deliver.
“More time to do what you want and need to do versus having your luggage inconveniently dictating your itinerary – that is what we like to think is truly traveling with ‘luggage freedom’.”
The AirPortr service is currently available in London Gatwick’s South Terminal and will open in the North Terminal later this year. The service by AirPortr costs £15 (US$23) for a delivery to/from the local Gatwick area, £25 (US$40) to/from central London, and £35 (US$55) to/from outer London. Each additional bag costs £5 (US$8) with no size or weight restrictions. All luggage can be booked and delivered within hours and is GPS tracked in real-time from a user’s smartphone. Each booking is covered for £10,000 (US$15,580) and customers receive delivery updates by text or email. The service is also available at London City Airport.
