When you travel as a courier, plan to travel alone since most courier companies book only one seat on any given flight. And travel light, since you can't check any luggage. Most courier companies operate from major hub cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and New York. But several smaller hubs, including Boston, Washington, Detroit and Houston, have regular courier service. In all, there are about three dozen courier companies in U.S. gateway cities, some with multiple hubs.
Companies differ in ticket prices, destinations, schedules and number of flights per week.
Lengths of stay, set beforehand, can vary from a week to a month. Others charge nothing. Courier fares can be real bargains, but if you need a lot of luggage room or to travel on a specific date, skip the idea and buy an advance-fare ticket from the airline or a discounted ticket from a consolidator. The Intrepid Traveler, P.O. Box 438, New York, N.Y. 19934. The International Association of Air Travel Couriers, P.O. Box 1349, Lake Worth, Fla. 33460.