Do Those Courier Flights Still Save You Money? Or Is the Party Over?

Rio de Janeiro round-trip for $250, Hong Kong round-trip for an astonishing $100 (it actually happened). And you're not flying on Fred's Fabulous Airline and Hair Salon but on a prestigious carrier, and legally, too. You're flying as a suitcase-lacking (you get to check only a small overnight case) air courier.

That's right-reports of the death of bargain airfares available to freelance couriers have been greatly exaggerated. Despite the growth of consolidator tickets, "bucket shops," and discounted Internet fares, you can still save a bundle flying as an air courier, if you can do four things: get to a gateway city, fly on short notice (24 hours to four days generally yields the best fares), travel without checked luggage-and fly to cities in Asia and South America. Best Bets for Courier Destinations The landscape for courier travel has changed a lot ...