US Airways now offers the ability to bypass baggage claim and have your bags delivered directly at your destination hotel, office, or home. This is a service that other airlines have been offering, and I guess there is some demand for it. I rarely travel with more than one carry-on, but I could envision a scenario where I might use a service like this. Perhaps traveling to a very important meeting day of, and not wanting to drag your luggage in with you? You can get more details at maketraveleasier.com/usairways. Fees start at $29.95, and that’s in addition to any other airline baggage charges you might incur.

The airline has also introduced online tools to track baggage status in real time including “checked in, on the plane, and off a plane” according to the airline’s press release. Still undetermined, but rumored to be coming soon, smartphone apps. I had thought that the upcoming merger of US Airways and American might lead the airline to wait and simply adopt the larger airline’s pretty capable smartphone app suite, but apparently….something is coming before then.