Baggage Allowance when taking skis

pjheystack wrote:first choice allow 6kg for ski bag and 5kg for boots,i,m sure all these posts do is notify the airlines .

I'm sure you are correct. So here's my notification.....

Dear First Choice, B.A, charter and no-frills airlines,
Head Monster's with Railflex2 (mine) 7kg...without the bag. Then there's my Stockli Stormriders to pack as well. Good job I'm not travelling with First Choice though eh :lol:

bearing in mind I'l be leaving the house at 0300 for an early morning flight all I can say is that any check in clerk that tries telling me I can't take my skis as they're too heavy may well be in for a rude awakening, I'm usually a morning person but not when travelling :lol:

that got me thinking so just weighed the ski bag 15kg, that's with mine and the Bosses skis and poles plus a little padding :roll: Bring it on First Choice :!:

BTW, I'm travelling under the name of Mr Sam Wiches :wink:

In my experience your skis are seperate to you baggage allowance, but you ski boots will be included in your baggage allowance . . . however this is based upon my experience flying to Canada either with Astaeus or Monach and Europe with Lufthansa . . . best to check with the indidvidial airline i guess . . .

freezywater wrote:BTW, I'm travelling under the name of Mr Sam Wiches :wink:

Best not to try that with Ryanair... Sam Wiches are an extra charge... :oops:

Ok, just back early hours of this morning from Mayrhofen. Here is what I can share with you:

Thomas Cook Airlines check in at Gatwick was the same as First Choice check in at Stansted, ie they expect people to turn up with suitcases and ski bags. I always pack my ski boots in my suitcase, as these are included in your 20 kilos luggage. Monarch were the same at Gatwick last year, as were BMI at Manchester.

Basically, no one checks to see that you have pre booked ski carriage. You simply check in your 20 kg bags and ask for another label to go on the ski bag and then drop the ski bag off at the outsize baggage area. No one even asked me there to see a boarding card. Therefore, with 2 sets of skis, I saved myself £30, or the equivelant of one nights dinner in resort. Had they asked me to pay there and then, I would have been more than happy to, but I see little point in volunteering to pay for ski carriage if they arent going to bother asking at check in.

As for the mystery surrounding weights, some airlines are slightly different, but the general rule is thus:

Ski boots are included in your luggage allowance, so I suggest pack them in your suitcase with clothes around them to avoid damage. Ski bags are not weighed. I had a large double padded one with me, and I was not asked howw many skis I had in them, or anything for that matter, and I found out that the airlines do not generally have a weight limit for ski bags.

However, I do know the rules are totally different for the not so low cost airlines, ie Ryanair and Easyjet, who seem to be penny pinching at every possible opportunity, and I have witnessed skiers being asked to open ski bags etc at check in of some of these airlines. If you want to travel with a budget airline, you can do it cheaply, but expect to be charged additional amounts for just about everything you take, which leads me to the conclusion that the cheapest way to go is on a last minute or special offer package from one of the main tour operators.

OK, got back from hols yesterday and this is what First Choice at Stansted do. On arrival at the check in desk the computer tells them if you have pre-booked or not, they then ask you to WEIGH your ski bag, I guess this is more to do with Health and Safety issues here in the UK with the bag chuckers, wouldn't want them lifting something too heavy to throw!! Once weighed they were tagged and you then had to deposit them at oversize baggage where your boarding card was checked. On arrival at Innsbruck they simply stack them all outside the ski claim area, beware people on our flight found theirs had been nicked so if at all possible I would let one member of the party collect the 'cases whilst the other waits for the skis. Depsite having lots of racks for each country/airport the Austrians seem to bypass this nowadays and dump wherever the choose!! On the return leg through Innsbruck you simply take your skis to the oversize baggage area and give them your name and flight number and bingo!! skis are tagged and loaded. I paid the £30 carriage for mine and the wife's skis, and to be honest as they were packed in the one bag(along with some clothes for 'padding') I could probably have only paid for one ski carriage and not worried, but hey ho!!

Generally budget airlines and tour operators will charge to carry sports equipment including skis & snowboards but scheduled airlines including British Airways give you an additional allowance for sports equipment.
I took a windsurf board, 3 sails, 2 masts, 1 boom, 2 boogie boards & 1 skim board to Crete with BA for no additional charge !