A home bag check-in and delivery service for passengers using Manchester airport is being introduced.
The service allows passengers to have luggage collected from home prior to the date of their departure.
They can then travel to the airport bag-free, head straight for security, and re-unite with their bags in baggage reclaim at their final destination.
Prices range from £20-£36 for one item of luggage, depending on location, with all additional bags costing £7 each.
Passengers can choose an allotted one to three-hour collection slot prior to their departure date, and as late as the morning of their flight.
A vetted driver will arrive at their home, collect their luggage and take it directly to the airport for check-in and processing.
Travel documents are scanned when the luggage is collected, and passengers can follow real-time driver and bag tracking via the use of digital bag tags.
Customers booking within the first month of the start of the service will get one free FastTrack security pass.
The service will be available to passengers travelling with partner airlines including Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Finnair.
Those travelling with other airlines can also make use of the service by having their bags picked up from home ready for collection when they arrive at the airport.
Manchester will be the first airport operator in the UK to use the Airportr bag collection and delivery service within its own infrastructure, with baggage processed in a dedicated facility away from the traditional terminal check-in areas.
It also claims to be the first one to digitise the service, meaning passengers can book and pay online via the airport’s website.
Airportr already works withairlines at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton.
Manchester Airports Group airport services CEO Andrew Harrison said the systemwill allow passengers to “streamline their airport experience, through an efficient and secure process, meaning they can arrive at the airport with one less thing to think about and get ready for their trip”.
He added: “MAG is working hard to find new and innovative ways to enhance every step of the passenger journey through our airports, and this new partnership, which is a market first here in the UK, is another crucial development in that process.”
Airportr founder and CEO Randel Darby added: “Our new airport-backed model raises the bar in terms of operational delivery and is designed to enable us to add more airlines to the future.
“This will open up home bag check-in to more passengers – key to our goal of transforming the passenger experience and airport operations.
“Manchester is the UK’s second technology hub and home to its biggest airport outside of London, making it the perfect place for us to realise our ambitions for growth.”