A new Atlanta startup is using the gig worker model for baggage claim pickups.
Emory Reignz, founder of Grab My Bag, is launching the startup’s service at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Reignz is a first-time entrepreneur who works in film production in Los Angeles. The idea for Grab My Bag came when she was traveling out of the country last year. After getting off the plane, she was racing to the rental car company before the doors closed and barely had time to pick up her luggage.
When she started putting her bags in the rental car, she realized it was too small to hold all the suitcases, so she had to leave a few bags and come back.
"We’re so busy in our everyday lives,” Reignz said. “I wanted to give people an extra moment for themselves when they’re traveling.”
Now, she’s gearing up to launch Grab My Bag. She built a website for the service, where customers can book a “grabber” to pick up their luggage at baggage claim and drop it off at their destination, within 120 miles.
Her startup is another example of Uber’s gig-worker business model permeating through more industries. Atlanta startup Wripple has an on-demand marketplace for independent professionals. SnapNurse, the fastest-growing company in Atlanta, uses a similar platform for hospitals to find nurses on short notice. OTHRSource uses gig workers to help brands stock items at grocery stores.
It also demonstrates how the airport’s connectivity attracts technology companies to Atlanta. Startups with international ties prefer the East Coast because time zone scheduling is easier to manage. Other entrepreneurs say Atlanta’s direct flight connections allow them to get to most of the U.S. in a two-hour flight.
For Reignz, the number of people moving through the airport each day piqued her interest. She is testing the model at the Atlanta airport and plans to officially launch on June 19 to honor Juneteenth.
"I feel you just don't see diversity enough in the travel, hospitality and tech industries,” said Reignz. “You need people of different backgrounds, ethnicities and races to have new ideas and shake things up.”
Reignz plans to build a diverse leadership team. Right now, she has 20 contracted workers and five interns.
In the next couple months, she plans to release a Grab My Bag app, which will allow users to track their bags and book the service on the go, like the Uber app for rideshare services.
The prices are determined by the number of bags a person has. Two or fewer bags cost $32 to move, according to the website. The contracted worker delivering the bag is paid $20 per bag, Reignz said.
A Grab My Bag employee will retrieve the bags and seal them, so the customer knows nothing has been taken. Then the contracted worker, or “grabber,” will take bags to their preferred delivery points.
