MasseyBrown From United States of America, joined Dec 2002, 4725 posts, RR: 7 Posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4382 times:
According to the Irish Surfing Association, British Airways has banned surfboards as of Nov 6th. Will they carry them as freight on the passenger's flight?
RIXrat From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 773 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4307 times:
You mean, like dude, they can't even check in those skins as luggage? Have to pay straight freight fees? Absolutely correct, in my opinion. Some of them can be more than seven feet long and need to be wrapped and protected. Not your usual suitcase down in the hold.
Mir From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 19714 posts, RR: 56 Reply 2, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4277 times:
Quoting RIXrat (Reply 1): Absolutely correct, in my opinion. Some of them can be more than seven feet long and need to be wrapped and protected. Not your usual suitcase down in the hold.
So if the passenger pays for the wrapping and protecting (which they should), why can't they take a surfboard as luggage?
-Mir
7 billion, one nation, imagination...it's a beautiful day
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 3, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4284 times:
Quoting Mir (Reply 2): So if the passenger pays for the wrapping and protecting (which they should),
Think it will be really expensive for the pax to pay for this. Therefore that ban the surfboards.
Mir From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 19714 posts, RR: 56 Reply 4, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4279 times:
Quoting B747forever (Reply 3): Think it will be really expensive for the pax to pay for this. Therefore that ban the surfboards.
That makes no sense. If the pax can pay, why shouldn't they be able to? All they have to do is mention on their website that the charges for a surfboard are "x", and then the pax can decide whether they want to pay "x" or not take the surfboard.
-Mir
7 billion, one nation, imagination...it's a beautiful day
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 5, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4266 times:
Just a thought that pooped up in my mind.
VS allow surfboards right??? And if they do, we can see that they have a advantage here, now when BA has banned the surfboards.
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 6, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4257 times:
Quoting Mir (Reply 4): All they have to do is mention on their website that the charges for a surfboard are "x", and then the pax can decide whether they want to pay "x" or not take the surfboard.
Yeah, that is true. But I think that it is easier for BA to ban all the surfboards. Maybe the X is really expensive, and just a few pax per year can afford that X. It is much easier to just ban the surfboards and dont think about them.
Bicoastal From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 4221 times:
As a lifelong surfer, I can't say I've ever flown BA on a surfing trip. Now that they discriminate against people like me, I never will. Though I don't think surfers even register on their radar. Singapore Airlines adopting such a policy might kill my trips to the Mentwai Islands, United would kill my Hawaiian trips, if they adopted such a ban. All airlines on which I've checked boards, charge me a fee for them....either oversize or excess luggage. They don't weigh much. And I pack/wrap them myself before heading to the airport....would never trust an airline employee to do it. Don't know why BA has an issue, but there are other choices to fly......
EXTspotter From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 992 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 4174 times:
That is going to further kill BA LGW - NQY flight for the winter surf season (best waves). They had only 20 - 30 people on average before, now even less (we know its slotwarming, but it must be so expensive to operate NQY rather than somewhere higher yielding). EXT would be better than NQY as it has a bigger catchment area, plus would cover the NQY catchment area too. The alternative is WOW from Gatwick, they could always slap them on the roof and put a big VW badge on the front...
[Edited 2007-11-02 15:18:35]
AF BE BY FR MV PD SZ U2 VZ DHC6, 8-3/4Q, 732/8, 763ER, A319, A380
Bongodog1964 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2006, 3018 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 4156 times:
The BA website has an updated list of sports equipment which can no longer be carried; this includes surf boards, javelins, pole vault poles & kayaks.
Does this have anything to do with preparing for the move to T5 ?. Are they ensuring that any accepted baggage can be processed through the automated system ?
TymnBalewne From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 912 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 4092 times:
The ban on surfboards, (and canoes, kayaks, windsurfing, pole vaults, javelins, hang glinding and a couple others) is due to the fact that they all require some measure of manual handling and BA want to keep the amount of "out of gauge" baggage to a minimum.
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 14, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 3986 times:
MasseyBrown From United States of America, joined Dec 2002, 4725 posts, RR: 7 Reply 16, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 3757 times:
There are provisions for skis and golf clubs. Why not surfboards? Not enough demand, perhaps, to make it worthwhile.
Stylo777 From Turkey, joined Feb 2006, 2870 posts, RR: 12 Reply 17, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 3639 times:
I think it has something to do with the holds of the aircrafts. I don't think that such a long board fits into the belly of a smaller jet. maybe they want to avoid the circumstances and ban them from all flights.
Yyz717 From Canada, joined Sep 2001, 15989 posts, RR: 59 Reply 18, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 3621 times:
Today's 20yo surfer is a future 50yo CEO flying first class in 2037.
BA needs to be mindful not to piss off 20-somethings today (who will likely be flying another 50-60 years of their lives) so as not to forego future revenue.
Panam, TWA, Ansett, Eastern.......AC next? Might be good for Canada.
AY104 From Canada, joined Nov 2005, 503 posts, RR: 7 Reply 19, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 3569 times:
Quoting RIXrat (Reply 1): Some of them can be more than seven feet long and need to be wrapped and protected. Not your usual suitcase down in the hold.
Absolutely correct. All the airlines are trying to cut down on anything on passenger aircraft that requires special handling. I would be neither surprised nor disappointed to find other airlines following the BA example.
The only thing a customer should expect for his/her loyalty is good service
EA CO AS From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 12561 posts, RR: 64 Reply 20, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 3537 times:
Quoting Bicoastal (Reply 8): As a lifelong surfer, I can't say I've ever flown BA on a surfing trip. Now that they discriminate against people like me, I never will.
I'm not sure I agree with BA's policy on surfboards, but claiming discrimination? Spare me.
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
Bongodog1964 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2006, 3018 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 3488 times:
Quoting Yyz717 (Reply 18): Today's 20yo surfer is a future 50yo CEO flying first class in 2037.
That may be so in Canada; here in the UK it might be said that todays 20 yo surfer, is a middle class dropout, who is looking to drift through life on a long term basis; and if he does become a CEO he will have long forgotten BA not carrying his surfboard.
I have always thought this general airline policy of carrying one item of "sporting equipment" free of charge, in addition to the normal baggage allowance unfair.
My wife's hobby is dressing up, and travelling with far too much luggage; thus shouldn't she be entitled to an extra piece of luggage too ?
Mir From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 19714 posts, RR: 56 Reply 22, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 3446 times:
Quoting Bongodog1964 (Reply 21): I have always thought this general airline policy of carrying one item of "sporting equipment" free of charge, in addition to the normal baggage allowance unfair.
It would be unfair, yes. If you take a surfboard along, it counts as a piece of luggage. But as long as you pay the excess charges for it, why shouldn't you be allowed to take it along?
BA's baggage policy continues to mystify.
-Mir
7 billion, one nation, imagination...it's a beautiful day
AlanUK From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 3375 times:
Quoting EA CO AS (Reply 20): Quoting Bicoastal (Reply 8):
As a lifelong surfer, I can't say I've ever flown BA on a surfing trip. Now that they discriminate against people like me, I never will.
I'm not sure I agree with BA's policy on surfboards, but claiming discrimination? Spare me
No, I can see his point: I love to eat Lime jelly and BA refuses to serve that onboard, I'm going to file a lawsuit for discrimination too... What a load of rubbish.
Whilst I'm not sure why BA have decided to refuse to take pax's surfboards, I'm sure they have their reasons, and at the end of the day, as several people have mentionned here, we all have a choice on who we fly, so the day flocks of surfers leave BA and dent their profit badly, BA may revert their decision... Until then, tough luck...
Quoting Yyz717 (Reply 18): Today's 20yo surfer is a future 50yo CEO flying first class in 2037.
That's just funny. I think a 20yo surfer may end up a future 50yo CEO perhaps, but a 20yo surfer IS a future CEO?!
SandroZRH From Switzerland, joined Feb 2007, 3382 posts, RR: 51 Reply 24, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 3287 times:
Quoting Bongodog1964 (Reply 21): My wife's hobby is dressing up, and travelling with far too much luggage; thus shouldn't she be entitled to an extra piece of luggage too ?
Dude, not just your wife. ALL girls! Take the girlfriend on a four days trip to Paris and at the airport people will think that you're going to Fiji for a month.
25 Sam1987: I reckon the LGW to NQY slots will be used for ex GT routes next summer. Maybe ALC or PMI?
26 Hiflyer: May I suggest that the ratio of surfboards checked to those arriving without damage is different than on standard luggage? And more than few have lear
27 744rules: I think it has more to do with possibilty to load them in the hold (undamaged). On the older 737-200 the standard procedure to load vaulting poles was
28 Geo772: A surfboard is very large in relation to most other sporting equipment and is not as durable. Ski's and snowboards by comparison can withstand enormou
29 UK_Dispatcher: There is more of an issue with surfboards on widebodied aircraft than bulk loaded B737s or A320s. Bearing in mind that most carriers use AKE (LD3) con
30 Ei2ksea: Not from experience. They demand that the board be flown by air cargo. Lets remember that anyone can do the same thing with any bag. Additionally, th
31 Theginge: Out Of Gauge items (Pushchairs, wheelchairs, surfboards etc) comprise about 5% of BA's total luggage carried. Of that 5% surfboards is a small amount.
32 ManchesterMAN: Well I hope they are not going to become the official carrier of London 2012!!
33 RobertNL070: No. Just those north of the border.
34 N353SK: Most Golf bags can safely fit onto a baggage carousel and are much easier to handle than a surfboard. I'm still not sure if they could fit into an au
35 Theginge: Rightly said, Skis and Golf clubs are a much higher percentage and also more likely they will be traveling premium classes. Add to the fact that they
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Dec 2002, 4725 posts, 
From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 1136 posts, 
From UK - Scotland, joined Jun 2000, 24621 posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 992 posts, 
From Indonesia, joined Jun 2005, 1102 posts, 
From Turkey, joined Feb 2006, 2870 posts, 
From Canada, joined Sep 2001, 15989 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From Switzerland, joined Feb 2007, 3382 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
