How to create a media pass for travel with equipment

As a photo booth company, you're always on the move - traveling to events, setting up equipment, and capturing unforgettable moments for your clients. But with all the gear you need to bring along, it can be tough to keep track of everything and ensure that it all arrives at your destination safely.

That's where a media pass can come in handy, not only for keeping your equipment organized, but also for saving you money on airline checked luggage fees. One of the biggest benefits of having a media pass is that it can help you bypass the typical checked luggage fees that airlines charge.

As a media professional, you may be eligible for exemptions or discounts on these fees, which can add up quickly when you're traveling with a lot of equipment. By simply presenting your media pass to the airline staff, you can often save hundreds of dollars on checked luggage fees, which can be a huge relief for your event budgets.

creating your media pass

Printing your media pass is quick and easy, and can often be designed in tools like Canva or Illustrator and can be customized to match your company’s brand. Head over to FedEx office or any printshop (if your business has a printer, you can print out your media pass and laminate it if you’re in a pinch!) And have your teams’ media passes printed in no time.

Typically, you’ll find a metallic material or a hard plastic works best for these passes. It gives your team a professional look while ensuring durability from all of the travel.

Simply create a media pass with your name, company, phone number, and photo. Any Size is fine! We print ours on a 4x6, holographic card, with a lanyard to make it extra special!

Here are some link to printers:
ID CREATOR
EZ ID CARD
INSTANT CARD

Dealing with airlines

nothing can throw a wrench in your travel plans like getting slapped with extra baggage fees. most of the time you will have very KNOWLEDGEABLE gate agents that are used to the drill. larger cities like los angeles, las vegas, new york, are very easy to deal with. however, you may get stuck with a less knowledgable ticketing agent and run into a snag. not to worry, you just have to be prepared and know more than they do. i have been at the airport plenty of times with a gate agent that doesn’t know the policy. all you have to do is ask for a manager point out the policy on the website. it may take some time, but this usually gets resolved. southwest airlines is almost always our exclusive airline purely for their media baggage policy.

airline policies

Here’s some of the current standard airline policies on the topic:

American Airlines - Fees for overweight and oversized bags are waived, up to either 70lbs/32kg or 100lbs/45kg, depending on your origin and destination, and maximum linear size. $100/bag (roundtrip). flights within US & Canada; $180 roundtrip on international flights.

Delta Airlines - If you check your media bag as your 1st checked bag and it runs under 50lbs/23kgs, you can check it for free as their general baggage allowance allows on domestic flights. Your second checked bag will cost you $50 if under 50lbs/23kgs, and your 3rd to 25th checked bags will cost you $50/each but your weight limit increases to 100lbs/45kgs. International flights run the same policy, with bags costing $70 for under 50lbs/23kgs and $70/each bag after that under 100lbs/45kgs. at the moment, the current policy states you need to email for a waived baggage fee approval.

Southwest Airlines - Southwest has the best media-friendly baggage policy, allowing up to two oversized media bags to be checked for free. After that, each bag is $75 per item.

Frontier Airlines - Media bags are accepted, not to exceed 100lbs/45kgs for $75/each checked bag. Something to note; however, is that Frontier does not claim liability for the items if you pack them and they are damaged or your luggage is lost.

Alaskan Airlines - Alaskan Airlines treats all luggage as checked and oversized bags based on their policy and there are no special rates for media baggage. Rates for checked bags are $30/1st bag, $40/2nd bag and any additional bags past that are $100 each. Any bags that are over the 50lb/23kgs weight limit will cost $100/bag.

Jet Blue - Jet Blue has special rates for any media bags up to 99lbs/44.9kgs at $50/bag. Keep in mind that Jet Blue basic fares do not allow a carry-on bag. however you must email prior to your flight for the media rate. If you need a carry on bag, ensure you book the correct fare. The media bag rates must be booked ahead of your travel, they cannot be reimbursed. Media bag rates must be booked through Jet Blue, not a third party booking service. ***Jet Blue does not offer media bag rates on westbound flights from the East Coast on some aircrafts and routes.

a media pass can be a valuable tool for any photo booth company that travels frequently for events. By saving you money on checked luggage fees, keeping your equipment organized, and enhancing your professional image, it can help you improve your bottom line and build your business in a competitive and challenging industry.

So if you haven't already, consider getting a media pass for your photo booth company and start reaping the benefits today!