Thomson Airways ski carriage

Ok, I am going with Crystal for the very first time in Feb, flying STN to Innsbruck. I have been in and out of Innsbruck plenty of times, but I understand Thomson have some restrictions on the ski bags.
Reading the small print, it suggests a limit of 8kg, but thats outrageous and my skis and bindings weigh more than that I reckon. I usually pack my ski bag with lightweight clothing, and no one has ever batted an eyelid at check in or weighed the bag, but I have heard from some people that Thomson are quite anal about this.
Has anyone recent experience of taking skis with this airline, and if so, what kind of policy do they operate? I dont really want to change the way I pack for my ski trips.

Looks like from the website it is 20kg and 5kg for hand luggage.

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/legal/baggage-allowance.html

We went with Thompson/Crystal to Sauze in 2009 and took a double ski bag packed with clothes. If I remember correctly it weighted about 18 kilos and no-one batted an eyelid or checked what we had paid for. We had paid for two sets of ski carriage but it was half the price then compared to what it is now.
We are going to risk them same bag with two sets of skis + clothes in January and have only paid for one set of carriage. I'll let you know how I get on.....

Depends on the folk on the desk and how full the flight tends to be in my experience.
Should be £30.00 per set of ski's, that said
bOOked a last min crystal holiday to france last year with a 3rd party and they included it for free.

Copied from Thompson T&C's:


"Carriage of skis/snowboards and boots by air: With a growing number of skiers and snowboarders taking their own equipment on holiday, charter airlines are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the extra weight and handling of these items. This has increased the risk of luggage being off-loaded from aircraft. In common with all other major winter sports operators, we have therefore introduced a system to improve the reliability of ski/snowboard carriage, at a cost of £30 per pair of skis/snowboard carried (max one set off skis/board per £30 charge made).The ski & snowboard bag must contain the pair of skis or snowboard only.

If you wish to have skis or snowboards added to your booking, these must be registered at the time of booking and if they should fail to arrive on your flight, the charge will be refunded and skis forwarded to you in resort free of charge. We will also provide superior skis for your use until your skis arrive. If you do not pre-book your skis/board carriage, there is no guarantee that they will be carried, but if accepted, a minimum £40charge will be levied at the check-in desk by an appointed rep. This charge does not apply to scheduled airlines, unless operating as a charter, where ski equipment may be included in the total baggage allowance and additional charges may be levied if this is exceeded. Please note ski/snowboard boots contribute to the overall luggage allowance."


It says exactly the same in the Crystal T&C's and doesn't mention weight. Just one set of skis. I've never had anyone at checkin ask to look in my ski bag and have got away with two pairs on several occasions.

I hav had my ski bag checked by security, but they are not in the slightest bit bothered about how many skis there are, they have a different agenda.

" In common with all other major winter sports operators, we have therefore introduced a system to improve the reliability of ski/snowboard carriage, at a cost of £30 per pair of skis/snowboard carried (max one set off skis/board per £30 charge made).The ski & snowboard bag must contain the pair of skis or snowboard only. "

This makes me laugh - to improve the reliability, or to increase revenue?????

Interesting they say only 1 pair of skis per bag. I always take a double bag, and have had 2 pairs of skis in before, so are Thomson actually getting tough and going to enforce this in a Ryanair styleee? I hope not.

And are they going to check by making everyone open their bags at check in, which will result in 6 hour check ins and people missing flights, as well as lots of excess charges being applied.

What about boarders.....experience tells me that boarders have bigger bags than skiers generally, which are often packed with other things. How do they make a difference between a ski bag and a snowboard bag, as mine looks more like a board bag than a ski bag?

Methinks this is an attempt at putting people off taking their gear, or just a simple way of profiteering?

Blimey, i was shocked and stunned to read this thread. Thats outrageous and i'm struggling to get my head round it.
Tony is going with Crystal.

Snapzzz wrote:Blimey, i was shocked and stunned to read this thread. Thats outrageous and i'm struggling to get my head round it.
Tony is going with Crystal.

First time for everything. Plus we didnt get much choice for where we planned to go, as they have the only catered chalet available on the UK market.