Airlines increase fees for surfboards
November 10th, 2010, 5:44 am · · posted by Kevin Sablan
With the holidays fast approaching, some of us might be planning surf trips where you’re going to be flying to faraway places. We all know that airfares definitely aren’t cheap these days and it’s even more expensive to take your surfboards with you.
A couple of years ago many of the major airlines started charging these ridiculous fees for your boards and the majority of those air carriers are charging surfers even more today.
Here is a list of the airline fee increases for your quivers.
Delta- $200 each way per surfboard bag
United- Domestic $100 each way per surfboard, International $200 each way per surfboard
American- $150 each way (charge is per surfboard bag if neatly packed and under 50lbs)
Continental, $100 each way for 2 surfboards , $400 each way for 3 surfboards, $700 each way for 4 surfboards)
Taca- $125 each way per surfboard bag (max. 2 surfboards), $175 extra for additional surfboards
Copa- $75 each way per surfboard bag
Jet Blue- $75 per bag (max. length 80 inches and accepted on space available basis only)
Southwest- $50 each way per surfboard bag
Air Paciifc- $50 each way per surfboard bag
Interjet (Mexico)- No Charge
Singapore Airlines- No Charge for first 2 surfboards
Qantas – No charge
South African Airways- No charge
Air Emirates- No Charge
More Orange County beach news:
Reader Comments
Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our User Agreement.- Keep it civil and stay on topic.
- No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks.
- People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
Comments Closed
-
-
BEACHAPEDIA – your guide to the coast
Local surfers recognized
Good info. Airlines have been raping surfers….not cool.
What about Alaska Airlines?
I think $50 each way but once they screwed up and charged me $20 one of the ways. That was ok I guess.
haha but people do glacier surf
actually they have some of the cheapest flights to mexico and hawaii as well as covering the west coast. i fly alot and it is definitely my airline of choice.
Property owners should start charging a leasing fee on the airlines for flying over their airspace. As it stands now, they are free to trespass and engage in ultrahazardous activity free of charge. Capitalism is not just for a few.
These fees are ridiculous….I’ve found flights from Cali to Hawaii for $550 on Delta..surfboard along would be $400 RT. That is outrageous! I asked an airline once their reason for this and they said it was liability on damaged boards – saying sometimes they are damaged and the airline is forced to pay for them. This does not make sense because they make you sign an agreement anyways saying they are not responsible.
Well they have damaged my boards many times and never once paid for anything.
Can anything be done about this injustice? How can they justify charging somebody around 80% of the actual far for a person, fpr a surfboard?
Most “world surfers” that I know don’t bother taking their own boards when they go to exotic surf spots. When they get there, they buy a board from someone who’s about to leave, use it for a few weeks, then sell it to the next guy who shows up when they’re getting ready to leave.
I was on a budget traveling to hawaii on continental…. I had to leave my board behind because the fees were so expensive.
I guess if I fly to Australia I can fly Qantas if they are cheaper than V-Australia.
With some of these rates you can buy a new board and sell in half price when you’re done.
Mike, there is a huge choice of boards in Australia.
Why would you bring any?
Boards are bulky items that can be top loaded with the cargo but when they have a significant number of surfers on a plane then they have a problem.
I hate how the airlines charge so much for all the stuff that used to be included. But I had NO CLUE that they charge you guys these insane fees for your boards. As for their excuse, they’ve damaged my expensive suitcases before and did not offer any reparation. Too bad it’s not feasible to boycott the airlines until they start treating us better!
With about 2/3 of American adults either overweight or obese they continue to limit MY bag weight allowance! I’m 5’6″ and weigh 114 pounds! Not only do I not get my whole seat most of the time as other passengers spill into my space, I have to kick down even more for my bags and gear? AAAHHH!!!!
Thats why I like living in Asia, several airlines let you take them for free and the others charge low fees.
I love that Quantas out of Australia still does not charge for any surfboards! Good on ya.
Take a terrorist attitude and start damaging the interior of the plane … leave hundreds of little pieces of napkin paper throughout the plane, throw all of your trash under the seats, tie knots in the seat belts,etc, etc … they will get the message and eventually reverse their decision if we all do it. Let it be known, in some kind of way, that we are NOT to be discriminated against!!
If you want to help petition the airlines to stop these high fees, visit – http://www.surfers-against-airline-fees.com/
I have been going to Costa Rica for YEARS and been happy to pay the reasonable $50/$75 each way. And they DO NOT FIX BOARDS! They destroyed one of mine and REFUSED TO FIX IT OR EVEN REFUND MY EXTRA FEE”S. On top of that Delta left 25 surfers stranded in Atlanta Airport going from RDU to LIR due to staff not showing up and we ALL MISSED out connection and were left to sit there for 12 hours – leaving friends stranded in LIR alone!
Airlines just stink now a days…not to mention you get felt up and pretty much groped when going through security!
i just recently traveled to el salvador on american airlines with three boards in one bag. they tried charging me 100 per board inside the bag each way. in other words $600 just in baggage fees for the trip. airlines must be punished.
YOU NON-surfers are idiots!!!!!. “Most of my friends who surf blah blah” An elite or even good surfer needs his own custom boards made by a craftsman surf shaper for each surfers size and style and danger of waves they surf. Just like a violin or a horseshoe. Try surfing in front of a cliff, rocks, or section of dry reef, or neck breaking shallow sand bar with a piece of crap surfboard, or climbing mountains on barrowed climping gear on Everest with the wrong size climbing shoes. Are you people idiots or just stupid? You could be surfing the waves of a lifetime you saved thousands of dollars to surf on a set of custom surfboards which allow you to enjoy your surfing using your power and experience to challange powereful and perfect shallow breaking waves vs. putting your life in danger on crappy boards. I am a mellow guy. But this is stupid. Your “friends who surf” are not pushing dangerous surfing using fitness, training, guts, fear, respect and knowledge of CUSTOM EQUIPMENT. They are hacks at a conference renting a LONGBOARD/beginner board to surf knee high waves at a resort. Granted a great surfer can still surf a crappy board. A great chef can cook with a plastic fork too. IDIOTS!!!! Golf clubs? Tell Tiger to use old golf clubs in the Tournament some beginner golfer left who is a foot shorter than Tiger. And if he misses a putt, he slams into a cliff face and drowns.
HAHAHA Rich Elkin you hit it on the head. I am a committed surfer and there is no way I would go to Indonesia/New Zealand/ El Salvador or wherever and “buy a board from someone leaving”. You might score the waves of your life you need the board you are comfortable on and can surf well.
Does anyone know if they differentiate between surfboards and snowboards? (Ie would the charges be the same?
I’ll be flying with some snowboards for the first time in awhile…
thanks,
Surfboards are way more expensive… If you keep your snow bag under the oversize weight, (I think its 50 or 70 lbs these days) they won’t charge you at all. Unless that particular airline charges per bag anyway, then you have to pay the normal baggage fee. The airlines are much nicer to skiers, golfers and snowboarders… They probably wouldn’t be as nice if skiers weren’t checking bags.