United loves to let someone else fly your luggage, and it shows!

Remember that airlines used to carry luggage for free? Now, they don’t even want to carry it at all. United sent me an email today that said, “United is the first airline to offer baggage shipping via FedEx Express, helping you send bags overnight from your home or office directly to your final destination.”

In other words, they want you to pay FedEx to carry the bag. It’s unclear what United’s actual involvement in this is (if any), since the traveler works directly with FedEx on pickup and delivery. You can’t, for example, just leave the bags with United at the airport. The only connection that I can see is that lost/damaged bags are covered by United’s check-baggage liability policy, vs. FedEx’s normal liability policy.

Presumably, of course, United gets a commission anyway.

Here’s the details of the offer:

United Door-to-Door Baggage saves you time at the airport and makes travel more convenient by providing next-day baggage delivery via FedEx. You can schedule, track and manage shipments at united.com.

You have the option of dropping off baggage at a nearby FedEx location or scheduling a pick-up at a residence or place of business. There is no additional fee for scheduling a pick-up.

The Door-to-Door Baggage option is available for customers traveling on United Airlines flights within the 48 contiguous United States. This option becomes available 10 days prior to the associated flight departure date.

Door-to-Door Baggage scheduling is based on FedEx operating hours and the FedEx holiday schedule, which are subject to change without notice. Shipments cannot be picked up, dropped off or delivered on Sundays.

Baggage can be shipped to the U.S. address of your choice, or you may opt to have it held for pick-up at a FedEx location. A signature is required upon delivery for all Door-to-Door Baggage shipments.

For most addresses, baggage will be delivered by 4:30 p.m. (local time) the day after it is received by FedEx.

Shipping labels will be attached to baggage using specialized FedEx luggage tags. These tags will be provided by the FedEx driver who picks up your bags or by an employee at the FedEx location where you drop off your bags.

Shipments are covered according to United’s checked baggage liability policy, as outlined in our contract of carriage. The limit on liability is $3,000.

Prices start at $149.00 per bag.