Is United’s new door-to-door baggage service a good deal?

United Airlines is the first US airline to offer a luggage shipping service via an overnight courier. Passengers can use it to avoid lugging suitcases through airports, eliminate luggage missing connections, and reduce the odds of luggage becoming lost or stolen. While this may seem to be a great deal, as they say, the “devil’s in the details.”

United has partnered with FedEx to provide “United Door-to-Door Baggage” (DTDB) for its domestic passengers traveling within the 48 contiguous US states. Under United’s DTDB, passengers have the opportunity to ship their luggage directly from home or office to their destination. United is looking to expand the service to Alaska and Hawaii in the future.

The service, purchased directly through United.com, starts at $149 per bag, each way.

FedEx Express will pick up your baggage from your home or office and ship it directly to your destination. Or if you prefer, you can drop off your baggage at a FedEx Office location or any other FedEx authorized shipping center.” It’s important to note, that there is no additional fee to have your bag picked up at home or office, or at your destination to return home.

Here are some caveats you need to know about the service:

1. Pickup and delivery for passenger baggage is not available on Sundays or holidays. Holidays are based on the FedEx holiday schedule. Baggage drop-off will not be available at most locations on holidays, and no shipments will take place on holidays even if baggage is able to be dropped off.

2. For most addresses, baggage will be delivered by 4:30 p.m. (local time) the day after it is received by FedEx.

3. Shipments are covered according to United’s checked baggage liability policy, as outlined in United’s Contract of Carriage. The limit on liability is $3,000. In other words, don’t ship any valuables in your United “Door-to-Door Baggage” as they will not be covered for theft, or damage. All the same rules apply to these shipments as if you checked-in your bag at United’s counter at the airport. United will not be liable for damage to fragile items, spoilage of perishables, or loss, damage or delay of money, jewelry, electronic/video/photographic equipment, computer equipment, and other such equipment. FedEx’s liability rules and regulations don’t apply in this shipping program.

4. United’s DTDB considers your suitcase like a FedEx box, designed to protect its contents. United does not assume liability for normal wear and tear to baggage, which includes scratches, nicks, or minor dents, or damage to or loss of protruding baggage parts such as straps, pockets, pull handles, hanger hooks, wheels and feet, or other items attached to the baggage, as well as damage to oversized or overstuffed bags. United couldn’t tell me if they would cover damage to luggage if it was packed in a box under their DTDB program, or even if that was permissible. I guess the program is too new to know all the details.

5. The maximum allowable weight is 50 pounds per bag. Each bag being shipped must be less than 119 inches in length or less than 165 inches in both length and girth.

United is charging $149 one way for flights less than 1,000 miles, and $179 for longer flights. That’s actually significantly less expense than if you shipped by FedEx directly. That being said, let’s do some calculations on a trip from Philadelphia to Denver, which is more than a 1,000 miles, under the United/FedEx service.

Check-in two bags (suitcase and bag with skis) at the airport. The charge will be $160 for the luggage ($30 for the 1st bag and $50 for the 2nd bag each way). When shipping both bags via United’s “Door-to-Door Baggage” service the cost is $716 (2 x $179 each way). That’s a difference of $556.

I don’t know about you, but that difference wouldn’t be worth it to me.