Can you travel with carry-on luggage only? Do you fly solo? And can you fly last minute? Great! Now you can fly for drastically discounted rates, and sometimes even for free.
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All you have to do is become an air courier.
Courier agencies often find that it is less expensive to fly cargo on a passenger flight as checked luggage than it is to use standard freight cargo services. And if luggage is being checked, it means there is a passenger seat to go along with it. This is where you come in, dear flyer.
If you can fly with carry-on luggage only (since your allowance for checked baggage will be used for the cargo in question), and often close to the last minute, you may be able to book your next international flight as an air courier.
Your Responsibilities
As an air courier, your job is to deliver the goods being flown with you to the destination. This may involve picking up and dropping off the parcel (if you’re lucky there will be somebody at the airport to take it from you), and often there is associated paperwork to fill out.
You will also be required to join a courier organization. The oldest and longest standing courier organization is the International Association of Air Travel Couriers (IAATC).