On-Demand Baggage Service AirPortr Launches at Heathrow

Formerly available only at London’s Gatwick and City airports, AirPortr, the on-demand baggage collection and delivery service, has now launched at Heathrow.

Luggage is often a self-inflicted burden, but thanks to the efforts of London-based travel tech company Portr, passengers at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) can, at last, seek relief from their loads. AirPortr, the company’s on-demand baggage delivery service, made its debut at LHR on Monday, December 14.

The service first launched at London’s City (LCY) and Gatwick (LGW) airports in May 2014 and July 2015, respectively.

Travelers within London can book the service from any mobile device and within hours, AirPortr will collect or deliver their bags to their chosen London location, be it a residence, hotel, office or a participating airport. For departing passengers, luggage will be delivered to the passenger before their flight and once collected, the traveler will then follow the usual check-in and security procedures.

Alternatively, arriving passengers at LHR can simply drop their bags off with AirPortr and arrange for delivery at their preferred location within the city.

Fees for this service are tiered, with deliveries to the local airport area costing £15 ($23). Deliveries for central London and outer London cost £25 ($38) and £35 ($53), respectively.

All luggage is checked by security and stored under CCTV surveillance prior to collection and delivery. The company’s staff are also heavily vetted for security purposes and all of AirPortr’s vans are tracked by GPS.

Passengers can also track the progress of their luggage via GPS and will receive real-time texts from the service.

Portr believes that its service allows passengers to travel totally unencumbered through London.

In a statement, Portr’s Director & Head of Customer Experience Chris Walsh said, “Our vision is to fundamentally change how people travel, putting them back in control of their own agenda rather than burdensome baggage dictating their itinerary. AirPortr is all about increasing the efficiency of your time.”

Chris Annetts, Heathrow’s Commercial Passenger Services Director, commented on the debut of AirPortr at LHR, saying, “Heathrow’s goal is to provide the world’s best airport service and we are delighted to be working with AirPortr to offer our passengers this quick, easy and convenient way to travel.”

[Photo: AirPortr]