I'd be worried about the lack of stiffness. The freight baggage has hard plastic side inserts that make it very stiff, and then thick, dense padding on the inside. I'm sure my frame would be fine if someone kicked or rolled the case down a staircase. There's also the quesiton of whether the GroundEffect case would fit within the checked baggage allowance, since it's close to 80 linear inches, whereas the freight baggage is only 68 (just over the standard 62). There's little point in flying with it if you have to pay $50-80 each way.