This is not for the faint of pocketbook, at least not yet. But shipping your suitcase is growing in popularity with business and luxury travelers who want to avoid airport hassles and want a personalized guarantee that their luggage will be waiting for them.

When investment executive larry burke has to fly for business, he ships his luggage ahead of time.

When Anne and Robert Hort fly down to Florida for fun and family, they send their suitcases ahead too, even when robert doesn't have a foot injury.

Robert Hort says "I ruptured my achilles tendon and so I'm on crutches and we thought we weren't gonna go and then we said, 'Oh, we don't have to carry anything.'"

Larry Burke says "pick up is there a day before. It's at my hotel when I arrive and this is what I need."

Burke uses Luggage Express.

The Horts use Luggage Concierge.

And there are others in this new growth business that results in part from increased airline security measures, fewer carry ons, more checked baggage.

Daniel Dellicarpini of Luggage Concierge says "sInce the liquid ban our company's business has doubled, um, because of that and the restriction on weight with the airlines."

Airlines charge for overweight bags, extra bags, and on some carriers, free checked baggage is becoming a thing of the past.

Florida-based Spirit Airlines will levy a $10 a bag fee beginning this month, $5 if you book online.

Also, the reported number of bags mishandled by the airlines has gone up to roughly six in every one thousand. 'Mishandled' means broken into, damaged, delayed, or lost.

More mishandled bags also sends travelers looking for alternatives that fly to the same places and boast a higher success rate.

Richard Altomare of Luggage Express says "our rate is a 100% accuracy as compared to the present system."

Aaron Kirley of Luggage Forward says "we service over 200 countries and every zip code in the US."

But you'll pay handsomely for such service. Two bags one way New York to LA with luggage concierge about $143. Luggage forward $234. And luggage express, $99 the least expensive of the three.

The traditional package services have a greater range of prices and plans. Shipping one 50 pound bag from New York to Los Angeles with second day air is about $182 one way. Federal Express is considerably less, around $48 one way, second day air. DHL is offering a new customer discount of $128, second day air, one way.

Luggage forwarding is nothing new. It has been around for at least 10 years, but air travel has become a lot more complex since then and a growing number of passengers appear willing to pay for the convenience.