Windsurfing Magazine

kristin
2007-09-13 14:00:00 | 246 views | 1 Comments

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1) Know the rules – Dig deep into your airline's website and you'll find oversize baggage rules that specify windsurfers. You can also check out www.oceansource.net which offers every airline's baggage policies on one site. Print this page, read the rules carefully, and have the printed page in-hand at check-in. Chances are, you won't need it, but pulling it out is often just enough to make a persnickety agent back down. Also, make sure you're flying on planes big enough to carry your gear. 737 planes and larger are fine. MD 80's can be a snag, and anything with a propeller engine is highly suspect.

 

2) Keep things light – Weight limits for oversize bags are typically 50-75 lbs. Any hard goods that can fit in your duffel bag (ie. mast base, universal, spreader bar, screwdriver, fins) can go there to save weight. Exceed an airlines oversize weight limits, and some agents may try to charge you for each pound you're over.

 

3) Minimize additional checked bags – You're allowed two checked bags at no charge. Your goal is to have one checked bag be full of your normal stuff like clothes, toiletries etc., and the other checked bag to be your windsurfer. If you check two bags, and then try to check your windsurfer, you can be charged for the windsurfer AND an additional fee for checking 3 bags total.

 

4) Pack smart – Wetsuits make great board padding. So do booties, harnesses (sans spreader bar), bubble wrap (duh), packing foam, sweatshirts, a jacket. Duct taping these types of things to the board's nose and tail for protection is a good idea. I'll also leave the foot straps on, as they protect the board's deck from top loading. Oh, and open the vent plug, then put a piece of tape over it as a reminder to close it after you've reached your destination. You don't want to forget to tighten your vent plug. Tighten your vent plug. Tighten your vent plug.

 

5) Announce your traveling with a windsurfer. Say it plainly as you begin checking-in, like it is no big deal. As you say it, point to your windsurfer bag(s) that you've placed alongside the turnstiles – out of the way, but close enough for ticket agent to see and tag with ease.

 

6) Know what you'll pay — $75-150 per-windsurfer for a one-way trip is typical. Occasionally, an agent may give you a wink and let the gear on for free. In my experience, agents don't have to charge you. The rates they do charge often changes with no rhyme or reason even when traveling on the same airline to and from a single destination. Smiles go a long ways, so does being organized, polite. You get what you give.

 

7) Pay for both ways – This rule applies when a ticket agent charges you an attractive fee for your windsurfer for your flight to somewhere. When this happens, immediately ask if you can pay the oversize charge for your windsurfer's return flight right then and there. After you pay, the agent will give you a baggage receipt that you'll present to the ticket agent as you check in for your return flight. With this in hand, it's a non-negotiable, stress-free check-in for the flight home.

 

8) Be ready for “The battle” – If you can pack everything into one coffin bag, without exceeding the weight limit, do so — a smooth check-in is all but guaranteed. But if a board and quiver bag are a must, ticket agents may try to charge you for two windsurfers. Often, a polite reminder that one bag is for your board (note the use of singular on board), and the other is for your sail (again: singular) is all that's needed to defuse the situation.  If they persist, tell them that had you packed everything in one bag, you'd exceed their airlines' stated weight limits. Say this as you pull out the airline's regulations for windsurfers that you printed up. If necessary, I'll also mention that I've traveled with windsurf gear for years on their airline and others, and that I've never been charge for two windsurfers just because one board and one sail required two bags. I've had better luck saying all this calmly. Getting upset has never gotten me anywhere – though that's just me.