In an earlier posting, I alerted folks to the fact that United Airlines is going to begin to charge for a second checked suitcase and suggested that my way of shipping boxes filled with what would otherwise be in suitcases was a possible solution.

Daughter Valerie writes, "Be aware that hotels are onto the trend of people shipping stuff ahead." Seems a friend of hers was charged $10 per day per box when she shipped several boxes (books to be sold and food for in-room eats) in advance of a convention. "Because it was for a show, she made sure the boxes were there ahead of time and wound up getting soaked for a few hundred extra dollars."

I admit that the bulk of my air travel is for family and friends, rather than cons, and I was talking about two-suitcase problems, rather than larger shipments. In fact, my family travel is such that I'm pressuring folks there to maintain a "Maggie box" of clothes and such at each location: not something that'd help in solving convention problems.

Which may be what United is counting on. But I'm looking at other airlines now, after a couple of decades as a pretty faithful United traveler.