It's official. Delta Airlines has joined American Airlines in what will likely become a new, industry-wide policy of charging $25 to check your second bag (and your third bag and so on, ad nauseum) on all flights.
This past February 5th we reported in this weblog that United Airlines (later joined by American Airlines) was the first airline to charge a $25 fee for checking more than one bag and speculated (correctly) that other airlines were going to wait just long enough to see how things went before they followed suit. Less than 2 months later the writing comes off the wall and onto your credit card statement if you happen to travel heavy.
Which brings me to the same advice that we gave everyone in our February 5th blog entry: If you travel by air, why not use one of our WT-22 Deluxe Expandable Wheeled Travel Bags? Available in your choice of four colors (Solid Black, red with black trim, sapphire blue with black trim and emerald green with black trim), these bags are strong, lightweight, ergonomically-designed and approved for carry-on with all domestic U.S. airlines. They look great with your college logo on the front, and they are Swiss-engineered to hold more stuff in more places than any other comparable bag. Dimensions: 14" W x 22" H x 10.5" D (expands to 13" D).
Each bag comes with the Swiss Army Brand "Carry With Confidence" lifetime manufacturer's guarantee. Though moderately costly, you will realize significant savings traveling with this bag. By our calculations, after six round trips the bag will have more than paid for itself in full (12 trips @ $25.00 that you didn't pay for a second checked bag = $300 savings. The bag costs $275.00). Do the math - you'll see what we mean.
As for the new fee to check a second bag, my prediction, based upon nothing more than my luggage-seller's intuition, is that more airlines will join American and Delta in their quest to increase revenues. Now is the time to face the music and get out ahead of the inevitable increase: Order a Swiss Army WT-22 and laugh all the way to the checkout counter.
Our Swiss Army collegiate luggage program is just over 2 years old as of my writing this blog entry. The first three schools to join our program in February of 2006 were Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida. In a wonderful get-acquainted gesture, we were invited by Florida's Alumni Association to join them in Atlanta in March of that year for the SEC Tournament Game Day "Gator Gathering" to display all of our blue Gator-logo Swiss Army luggage products for the fans to see.
With headquarters in Sandy Springs (a northern suburb of Atlanta) most of my prior experiences with the Gator Nation before adding them to our program were limited. But the invitation was irresistible and we went. And it was at this pre-game celebration that their fans introduced me to "The Chomp".
HOW TO CHOMP For those not familiar with "The Gator Chomp", it is a sign of support and recognition shown by Gator fans everywhere to encourage their teams. No special equipment is required. First, extend both arms directly in front of you, at shoulder height with palms facing. Then, open both arms wide and quickly bring them back together so the palms clap. You have successfully "chomped".
I was quite taken with this gesture. And from that day forward, when I would complete an e-mail message to any of the Florida Alumni office folks or their Gator Clubs or to my Gator friends (including but not limited to my company's bookkeeper Peggy) I would sign off with: "Chompingly Yours". Apparently, nobody could remember an instance when the word "chomp" had been used as an adverb because it immediately generated lots of keen interest and positive feedback.
Being the generous fellow that I am, I released the newly-coined expression for general use to my Gator friends and business associates and bade them good fortune. Now that you've read this article, you too are hereby granted full, free and complete permission to use "chompingly" as an adverb any old time it suits you. Who am I to deny the Gator Nation their chompness?
One day a housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to his wife, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"
"It depends," she replied, "What does it say on your shirt?"
For me, the YouTube phenomenon is still new. It is a real treat when someone sends me a link to an interesting or amusing YouTube video because I never know what to expect and sometimes the results are delightful.
Take the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It started out as a song on their album, then became a rock classic hit, then it started showing up on anything to do with Alabama including a dance scene in the film "Forrest Gump". It even became the title of a romantic comedy film with Reese Witherspoon and Patrick Dempsey.
And now, we have it performed live by the Finnish rock band called The Leningrad Cowboys, with vocal and musical accompaniment by the Red Army Choir. Notice that the song is performed in English! - you can't make this stuff up.
If you have a worthy YouTube nominee, send us the link and we'll credit you on the luggage website for discovering it. Just remember to visit BamaLuggage.com and our College Travel Gear blog to see what interesting things we've located for your and other schools.
For fans of collegiate basketball the next 17 days will be a slice of heaven. There will be a total of 63 contests, involving 64 of the best teams in the Nation, played out at nine venues, culminating with four teams battling in the final playoffs in San Antonio, TX.
At least three basketball records were set this past weekend by the University of Georgia's Men's Basketball Team on their way to the 2008 SEC Tournament Victory:
1. They were the first Division 1 team in 56 years to win two games in one day. 2. They were the 12th seed at the outset of the SEC Tournament, going from "worst to first". 3. They had their second game postponed due to an F2 tornado.
Yes, much of the additional SEC Tournament excitement was provided by the first tornado in recorded history to strike downtown Atlanta during the early evening Friday, damaging the Georgia Dome's roof and requiring the remainder of the contests to be played at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum (home of Georgia's in-state rival, Georgia Tech). The announcers took note of the Yellowjacket mascot logo that decorated the court floor on more than one occasion. As for Georgia's fans - they couldn't BEE any happier with the outcome.
Georgia has one of the thinnest rosters in the country with only nine available players. But this did not seem to be a factor as the team defeated Mississippi, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas in order. You'll be able to spot the folks who took the long odds at the beginning of the Tournament - they'll be the ones driving up to the NCAA venues in their new Hummers and Lexi.
The SEC Basketball victory gives Georgia's Bulldogs an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament which begins this Thursday. Georgia is seeded 14th in the West Division, playing their first game against 4th seed Xavier in Washington, DC. on March 20th. Notice that I used the expression "first"?
We have all been encouraged to "plan ahead" since we were old enough to understand the words "plan" and "ahead". My favorite plan ahead slogan is the "Five-P Rule: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance."
If you want Swiss Army luggage for Graduation Gifts remember that our firm requires 10 working days from the day you order until the day we ship your luggage out our door. Planning ahead and ordering from us at least three weeks before graduation will assure that everything goes smoothly and you have a memorable gift to give.
As of my posting this new blog entry, there are seven full weeks to go before the 1st of May. If you start planning your purchases now, you'll be ready when the big day arrives and your intended recipients will be delighted with your thoughtfulness.
Remember, at CollegiateLuggage.com we don't charge a single extra penny for early ordering!
You pack carefully for a trip, making sure everything fits comfortably into your luggage. Then, when it's time to re-pack and return home you find that you are utterly and completely out of room. The airlines, ever-sensitive to the plight of the traveler, have responded by limiting the number of carry-on items each passenger can bring aboard the aircraft and have now decided to start charging $25 per bag when you check more than one piece of luggage. This is certainly something nobody wants to deal with at the end of a nice trip.
Well, fret no more intrepid traveler, because the folks at Swiss Army Brands have built a clever "expansion feature" into all of their wheeled luggage items. You just run the special "other" zipper around your bag and "presto" it expands outwards a further 2.5" giving you 20% more interior space for your stuff. This feature comes standard on all of our Mobilizer wheeled bags, all of our Werks Traveler wheeled bags and our new line of Tourbach wheeled bags. It's kind of like discovering another room in your home filled with empty shelves and closets!
Our expanding wheeled luggage is:
A must for the frequent traveler.
A good idea for the person who tends to acquire lots of items while on vacation.
A great feature for the college student who is coming back to school loaded down with gifts, clean laundry and chocolate chip cookies from home.
And a welcome option for anyone who appreciates having a bit more space for their stuff when they travel.
This "expansion" feature is just one of the useful, person-friendly surprises we have in store (online) for you when you purchase items from our collegiate logo luggage program. Plus every item in our program comes with the Victorinox® "Travel With Confidence"TM Guarantee for the lifetime of your luggage.
Now when you say "Go Team" you can really go in comfort and style!
Collegiate Luggage CollegiateLuggage.com is proud to offer Officially Licensed college-logoed luggage and travel gear that features the legendary durability and ingenious design that is synonymous with the Swiss Army Brand.
Swiss Army Heritage In 1897 the Original Swiss Army Knife was created in the small village of Ibach, Switzerland. Since that time Victorinox® has become well-known in more than 100 countries for precision, quality, functionality and versatility. This century old heritage has been extended to our travel gear, which reflects the ingenious design and outstanding durability Victorinox® has come to stand for over the years.
Uncompromising craftsmanship makes these products worthy to carry the "cross and shield" emblem that symbolizes the legend of Victorinox® and the Swiss Army Brand.
The cross and shield logo is a registered trademark of Swiss Army Brands.
CollegiateLuggage.com and its parent corporation, Seville Marketing, Inc. hold a national license with the Collegiate Licensing Company to sell collegiate logo luggage, travel gear and business gear manufactured by Victorinox® Swiss Army Brands. We are proud to offer this top-quality product line, complete with our "Carry With Confidence" lifetime guarantee, decorated with your school's logo. Accept no substitutes!
In 1897 the Original Swiss Army Knife was created in the small village of Ibach, Switzerland. Since that time Victorinox® has become well-known in more than 100 countries for precision, quality, functionality and versatility. This century old heritage has been extended to our travel gear, which reflects the ingenious design and outstanding durability Victorinox® has come to stand for over the years.
