Traveling with ski gear

[Severine]

Not sure if this is the right part of the forum so please move if it isn't.

With the checked baggage allowances changing in early May to only 1 bag allowed with an extra fee for extra bags, has this influenced anyone in her decision to travel with her own gear? And how is it you manage to bring everything with you, if you decide to?

I'm planning ahead a bit... and still waiting for an answer from Northwest as to whether my skis in the sportube will count as a checked bag ($25 each way for each bag in excess of the 1 freebie allowed) or if the oversized luggage fee of $80 each way will be assessed. Planning on using a Transpack XTW to bring my boots, helmet, and ski base layers/socks/gloves on as carry on. But I can't find any way to not have a checked bag for clothes, too, even with packing lightly. :( If I end up having to pay $80 each way to bring my skis, it may not even be worth it. Rentals would be a lot cheaper.

Anyway, this is what it states on nwa.com:

Free Checked Luggage Allowance

* Domestic Travel (within the U.S./Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean)
o Coach Class for tickets issued prior to March 29, 2008 for travel any time: Each ticketed passenger is allowed two (2) pieces of checked luggage.
1. Each piece: 50 pounds (23 kg) with linear dimensions not to exceed 62 inches (158 cm)

Skiing and Snowboarding Equipment
Northwest accepts one item of skiing/snowboarding equipment in lieu of one piece of luggage included in the free luggage allowance. Skiing/snowboarding equipment is accepted as checked luggage only. An item of ski equipment is defined as one of the following:

* One (1) ski bag containing up to two (2) pairs of skis and one (1) boot bag
* One (1) snowboard
* One (1) snowboard bag containing up to two (2) snowboards

Additional ski and boot bags will be subject to normal excess charges. Northwest recommends hard-shell cases when checking your ski equipment.

International Travel:

* Additional ski and boot bags or equipment that does not fit within the free luggage allowance guidelines will be subject to a rate of $50.00 per bag.
* NOTE: Does not apply to travel within Asia, within Europe, or between Asia and Europe where the piece concept of luggage does not apply, contact Northwest for charges.

Domestic Travel:

* If combined weight of ski bag and boot bag exceed 50 pounds (23 kg) an overweight fee of $50.00 applies.
* If equipment is an additional piece of luggage not include in free allowance, a fee of $80.00 applies.

Northwest does not accept liability for loss, damage, or delay of skiing/snowboarding equipment. Excess valuation insurance may not be purchased for transport of skiing/snowboarding equipment.

And then to confuse matters:

Domestic: The following charges apply to luggage exceeding the domestic free luggage allowance size limitation:

The following charges apply to luggage exceeding the domestic free luggage allowance size limitation:

DOMESTIC TRAVEL

Size of Luggage ~ Fee (USD) per Piece each-way

62 inches or less ~ Free

63 - 160 inches ~ $80.00

Over 160 inches ~ Not accepted

Oversized luggage charges apply in addition to any applicable excess or overweight charges.

 

[Native Vail Gal]

Have you thought about maybe shipping one of your "bags." You can use my address if you need to. I'm not sure of the price, but if it gets outrageous, shipping may be an option....and then there is also renting if you need to....like you said.

 

[SnowHot]

If I read this correctly, you should be able to take your ski bag, and a smallish duffle bag as your boot bag, even if it has clothes in it, as one bag.

In the past, I took my skis and a largish rolling duffle bag, with my boots as my carry on. Then I'd check my boots on the return flight, being allowed a total of three bags(boots and skis being considered one bag)
Since this is the first time I'll be flying since the new regulations, I've been looking at this also.
The place where the new regulations confuse me is the length of the ski bag.
I'll do some more digging on this.
At any rate, 25.00 extra for a bag is cheaper than shipping.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Since this is the first time I'll be flying since the new regulations

No way----they have instituted even MORE restrictions??? This is based on length? The 62" deal? And this is as of 3/28/08?

 

[Severine]

I think my confusion comes in when they state whether the skis are considered part of the allowance or extra (extra being $80). I emailed NWA on Friday but haven't heard anything back yet.

Good eye on the boot bag part. I was planning on bringing the Transpack XTW as my carry on (with boots and essential ski gear inside). Brian's been in the market for a new boot bag anyway. Maybe I can locate one to use for my clothes and have it count as part of the checked luggage. Hmmm....

 

[Severine]

No way----they have instituted even MORE restrictions??? This is based on length? The 62" deal? And this is as of 3/28/08?

Yup, crazy, huh? Though if you fly first class, you can still check 3 bags.

The 62" is a linear measurement (length+width+depth). A sportube with skis inside would definitely be larger than this. But if they specify that you can substitute a pair of skis for checked luggage allotment, I would hope the skis would be exempt from this linear measurement restriction.

Who knows?

 

[SnowHot]

No way----they have instituted even MORE restrictions??? This is based on length? The 62" deal? And this is as of 3/28/08?

The new regulations are those that you have posted.
They used to allow three checked bags plus two carry on's
(purse and briefcase/back pack)
I'm on hold with NWA right now to verify what they REALLY mean.

 

[ski now work later]

I've flown NWA three times with ski gear. The ski and boot bag are considered together to be one item, but as such, need to weigh (together) less than 50 lbs. if you check both. The two times that I flew with a single ski bag and a boot bag with my helmet in it, they weighed together just under 50 lbs. so I had no overcharges. You can also check a second bag under 50 lbs., which for me was a suitcase.

Now that I have such good ski boots, I carried them on the plane on my last trip to MT as my boot bag met the checked luggage dimensions and just barely fit in the overhead compartment. I then checked my double ski bag (I would have exceeded weight limits if I'd checked both the ski and boot bag) and suitcase. However, it was really, really hard for me to lug those boots around the Minneapolis airport when we changed planes though because I also had my helmet and most of my ski clothes in that boot bag in case everything checked was lost for a day or two.

The way home was wonderful. We upgraded to first class with FF points and were allowed to check 3 pieces of luggage with higher weights. The luggage was also prioritized so it came off the plane right away. I hope I have a chance to fly first class again!

 

[SnowHot]

Okay, here it is!
I just got off the phone with NWA.
She said............
You/we are allowed one bag as a checked bag, and will have to pay $25.00 for the additional bag with skis/bindings/poles.
The only reason to pay more than 25.00 for the Sports equipment specialty bag, is if it weighs more than 50lbs.
Just as an example. I traveled with three pair of skis in my double bag last year, and it still didn't go over the weight limit. This trip, I'll be bringing two pair.

 

[vanhoskier]

That is just so freakin' unbelievable. I understand that fuel prices are up and it's making travel more expensive, but geez....

What's the logic of allowing first class travelers 3 pieces of luggage and poor regular saps like me just one? I'm beginning more and more to feel like cattle......:(

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I'm beginning more and more to feel like cattle......:(

Or, as was so eloquently said in "The Right Stuff:" "Spam in a can."

Ugh. The fun days of air travel are history...cannot think of a single pleasant aspect of it, except the hopeful destination....

 

[Ski Spirit]

A guy from United was telling me about the changes in fees for luggage handling that were coming up as he was looking at my boot bag and saying "You know you're only supposed to have boots in there, nothing else is allowed. I said there was a helmet and gloves and other small items all required for skiing and he was saying you couldn't use your boot bag for anything other than boots, which seemed insane to me........so I said that seemed ridiculous as everything in there was only for skiing.....he didn't force the issue thankfully.

 

[Severine]

$25 each way I can live with. It's not great, but such is life sometimes. Still cheaper than renting and at least I can use my own skis that I know and love.

They really are doing everything in their power to make air travel unpleasant, eh? No wonder why I never fly anywhere.

 

[SnowHot]

I'm still wondering how flexible they will be for the first few months.
I'm guessing that the ticket counter people may be a tad flexible if I/we are 'really blonde'

Sincerely, I see the huge amounts of luggage people take. Just a year ago I was one of those people. I've learned to condense and travel more lightly because I always found so much I never used.
The trick is the helmet. That takes up space!!!

 

[cyn]

We flew United recently. We each had a ski bag and a large duffel for our clothes. We carried our boot bags on the plane.

I had confusing information from the airline. When I made the reservation, I looked at the "fine print" and saw that they would charge $25 for the extra checked bag (the skis). So I called to clarify this and was told that yes, we could have to pay an additional $25 each for the ski bags.

When we checked in, there were NO extra charges. Also, I had my gloves and stuff in my boot bag and no one said a thing.

It seems to me that the airline people are as confused about this as we are.

 

[SueNJ]

I agree that it's all confusing and seems unfair. But I guess the cost of fuel is the issue, and with the airlines in such a tenuous state as it is, part of me understands their need to restrict and to try to recoup their costs. Coach passengers get the first hit, because, well, they're coach passengers and have less "perks" than first-class passengers. I'd much rather they change these kinds of things instead of cutting costs with equipment safety inspections.

It doesn't make it any easier to take, though.

 

[Severine]

Don't forget that these new regulations are supposed to be instituted on May 5th. So if you travel between now and then, you're not supposed to get charged the extra. Maybe that's why you didn't have a problem, cyn?

I'm not one to offer any information when I'm "there." I just want to be knowledgable about it ahead of time so that I can be sure I'm not getting screwed. I always pack lightly and probably could be fine with just a carry on bag - if it weren't for having to bring all the ski gear. That stuff (especially the helmet and boots) takes up a lot of space. And mid-May around here can be quite warm, so I'm not so sure how well it will work to try wearing my jacket to save on packed space. (Though I'm probably only bringing my softshell anyway so it's not very thick.)

 

[SnowHot]

In all sincerity, when I flew to Stowe this past December. The plane was too heavy so they Off loaded some luggage.
One of the pieces the off loaded was my Ski Bag.

That's alright........Whiteroom(skiershop) to the rescue!!! He hooked me up with some awesome demos!!!

 

[SueNJ]

In all sincerity, when I flew to Stowe this past December. The plane was too heavy so they Off loaded some luggage.
One of the pieces the off loaded was my Ski Bag.

Yikes! How the heck did they determine that?? Hopefully it wasn't by trying to get the plane off the ground!

 

[pinto]

That is just so freakin' unbelievable. I understand that fuel prices are up and it's making travel more expensive, but geez....

What's the logic of allowing first class travelers 3 pieces of luggage and poor regular saps like me just one? I'm beginning more and more to feel like cattle......:(

What's the logic? Uh, first-class from Denver to LAX= $2,071. Economy = $227. I would hope they are allowed to check more bags ...

And the whole baggage thing doesn't really get to me. Reportedly, only 25% of fliers check more than one bag. It isn't fair to raise everyone's airfare for that. I just pretend that my ticket cost $300 instead of $275.

(Now, I realize that they are probably raising everyone's airfare PLUS adding the bag fee...)

Okay, that's my contrarian view for the day. To me, this is a fairly logical thing to do, but it's CHANGE and we always (well, usually) react poorly to change. Soon enough we'll adjust and it will be no big deal.