[traceroute66]

My favourite modern intermodal baggage transport is in Japan.

They have a small number of specialist baggage couriers called Takuhaibin (宅配便). These couriers will take your bags between any two destinations of your choice (Hotel-Hotel,Hotel-Airport etc.) for a reasonable fee. The pick-up and destination can (basically) be anything in Japan with a postal address.

Its not true check-through as you still have to pick up your bags from the counter landside at the airport and take them to the check-in counter but the distance is minimal since you'll already be in the right terminal and on the right floor.

(Technically for the pedants out there, Takuhaibin are also a general parcel company too. But unlike, say UPS or FedEx, a Takuhaibin will take your baggage, your furniture, your clothes or pretty much anything else as long as its safe and legal)

[reaperducer]

These couriers will take your bags between any two destinations of your choice (Hotel-Hotel,Hotel-Airport etc.) for a reasonable fee

We have these in America, too. They're call couriers. They'll even pick up your luggage that went to the wrong airport in a different city and bring it to you at your hotel in the right city. (Happened to me with a bicycle.)

unlike, say UPS or FedEx, a Takuhaibin will take your baggage, your furniture, your clothes or pretty much anything else as long as its safe and legal

This sounds exactly like UPS and FedEx. I shipped baggage, furniture, and clothing via UPS as recently as last year. I even had a service come over and pack it up for me.

UPS and FedEx will ship anything. How do you think elephants and whales get from zoo to zoo?

[bombcar]

I think the key is that you can skip the "pack it up" step - UPS won't ship many things that would survive shipment just fine unless they're wrapped in a box.

UPS and FedEx freight or LTL (less than truckload) is another story entirely.

[traceroute66]

> I think the key is that you can skip the "pack it up" step - UPS won't ship many things that would survive shipment just fine unless they're wrapped in a box.

Indeed.

With a Takuhabin I can go pick up a freshly pressed wedding dress from a dry cleaners and hand it over just like that. It will arrive in exactly the same state it left the dry cleaners.

With UPS it would barely make it into the back of the collection driver's van before it looked like a second hand rag.

[lmm]

You can do true check-through with the Japanese carriers (JAL and ANA) AIUI.