 Poster: A snowHead
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It's been a while since we last travelled on BA and I am trying to find out if skis are part of the baggage allowance or separate. If separate is there a charge? In 2010 if it was in a ski bag it was classed as sports equipment and free. Boots I know can be in separate bags but will come off the normal baggage allowance.
We booked with Club Med, they say that we must book another 23kg allowance as they do not do ski carriage? but having checked on BA website it seems a bit vague.
From the website
We will accept ski and snowboard equipment up to 190cm (75in) in length provided it is packed correctly.
Please ensure that you:
pack your skis and snowboards in a recognised ski or snowboard bag
pack your ski poles with your skis
pack your boots separately from your skis or snowboard - either within your free allowance or in another bag (any bags over your free allowance are subject to additional charges)
Any one got recent experience?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Rocki, i went with BA at easter Five of us,
Checked in bags consisted of three bags normal suitcase, two large sports tubes with four skis one snowboard and as much gear to take each tube to the 23Kg limit.
I phoned prior to paying and was assured the ski tubes would be treated as normal checked in bags(must be within BA dimensions)
On the flights there and back no issues.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Rocki, they are treated as normal baggage. This means that if your ticket allows you to check in one bag, then it can be a ski bag no problem, but you will be charged if you take another bag in addition. i.e. it's distinctly different from Swiss where you can take one bag + ski bag as part of basic allowance. I speak from bitter experience as I misunderstood this in December and was charged for the extra bag.
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Thanks.
Just checked the small print and we are allowed one bag up to 23kg each. So either pack 1 large case and ski tube or pay for more and be under weight. I'll guess I'll contact BA to make sure. I'm sure it's just me having a grey moment.....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Rocki,
you get 23kg each cabin baggage allowance as well. It just has to be the correct dimensions.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| musher wrote: |
@Rocki,
you get 23kg each cabin baggage allowance as well. It just has to be the correct dimensions. |
Those dimensions being :
| Quote: |
A checked bag can be up to 90cm x 75cm x 43cm (35.5in x 29.5in x 16in) – including any bits that stick out, like the handle, pockets and wheels.
Larger items of up to 190cm x 75cm x 65cm (75in x 29.5in x 25.5in) can be carried for an additional over-sized bag charge. (Currently, we waive this charge so you do not pay it.) |
The highlighting is mine. This presumably means that they can change this at any time and that will mean at time of check-in, not necessarily at time of booking, so I'd be very careful. Whether they would notify people when of if this policy changes is highly unlikely IMHO
Further details here
http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/baggage-essentials/checked-baggage-allowances
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Reply from BA.
Thank you for your email about carrying skis on your flight with British Airways.
There is no additional allowance for sporting equipment, but they can be carried as part of your free checked baggage allowance. If the total number of bags is more than your free checked allowance, you will need to pay extra bag charges. A heavy bag charge may apply to bags over 23kg (51lb).
You will find information about your checked baggage allowance as well as the cost for checking in an additional bag, if you click on the link below:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_
We will accept skis only if it is packed appropriately (to avoid damage) and meets the dimension and weight restrictions:
Maximum dimensions: 190cm x 75cm x 65cm (75ins x 29.5ins x 25.5ins).
Maximum weight: 23kgs (51lbs). Heavy weight charges for bags over 23kgs but below 32kgs.
You should pack your skis and ski boots in one of the following ways:
- Pack your skis and ski boots separately
- Pack your ski boots within your checked baggage
I hope this information is useful to you.
After a bit more digging, Extra bag through Club Med £80...... through BA £130. All booked and ready to go.
Looking forward to going back to Pragelato, it was fantastic before Club Med so expectations are high.
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BA are still staggeringly generous with what they will let you take . . . I take a bike box as normally carriage. Skis always go as your hold allowance.
Just watch the Geneva route as there is a hand baggage only fare to match the Swiss one.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I don't think so - lots of other airlines offer precisely the same thing.
What BA will do though, if they lose your gear, is to direct you to their offshore helpdesk. This is the worst customer experience you could possibly imagine. When they lost my gear, after a couple of weeks talking to useless people in India, I worked out that their call centre "follows the sun", so if you call in the middle of the night UK time you get North America instead of India. A nice American lady understood my problem immediately, something over a dozen calls to India had failed to achieve. She immediately gave me a number in the baggage hall at LHR, and shortly after we located my gear.
I think you only find out how good an airline is when something goes wrong. I've never had that appalling customer service from a North American airline - I don't think "being fobbed off" would be acceptable in the US. Forget the advertising, ask them how they treat their customers when they screw up. They must have a different help service for none-cattle-class customers.
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@clavboy, did you pay for an additional bag?
I'm booking flights head from Glasgow>London>Lyon for a ski season and it seems a little confusing... I'll have a TNF duffel packed to roughly the 23KG and a Dakine roller bag with 2 pairs of skis, boots and anything else I can't fit into the duffel..
From looking at their website it should be standard fare for flights & 1 checked luggage + £36 for sports equipment.
They seem to suggest to keeping boots packed separately but they'll easily fit into the roller...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
What BA will do though, if they lose your gear, is to direct you to their offshore helpdesk. This is the worst customer experience you could possibly imagine
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I do feel that one can be taking a risk in not specifically booking your sports kit as the plane might not have room if they don't know how many bulky items they will have to load. Twice my sports items which were travelling as my 23kg allowance, once a bike and once ski kit, have failed to show up on the carousel from a BA flight. Both times they were couriered to my home within 48 hours so no real problem apart from the aggravation of filling out the missing luggage report at the airport and all the hanging around. I wouldn't have minded so much if I had been informed in advance that my luggage would follow on later and thus avoid all the hassle. However, I doubt I would be so phlegmatic if it had happened on the outward leg.........
Is this wishful thinking but would Easyjet , Ryanair etc, who will only carry sports items as paid for specifically, only take as many bookings as they can carry?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@haigie, No each of the five travelers were allocated a check in bag.
Two of them ski tubes checked in Three ordinary bags checked in. BA did not differentiate.
Also everyone had a cabin bag and a hand/laptop bag
You are allowed 1 check in bag , 1 cabin bag, and 1 hand/laptop bag. Anything extra you have to pay for each flight. In your case that is 4 flights.
To avoid charges you will have to check in one bag the Dakine roller bag.
Then get everything else into a cabin bag Up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm/22in x 18in x 10in and also a handbag/laptop bag Up to 45cm x 36cm x 20cm/18in x 14in x 8in .
I had all the gear spread over all the bags, to come in on weight, it was a bit like the krypton factor( if you are too young to remember the krypton factor your on your own) 
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@inspark, not sure pre booked or not makes any difference. My bike got 'forgotten' on the way over to GVA this year for the Etape but that was down to too many bikes and wouldn't have made a difference if I'd booked or not. BA weren't great in the way they handled it but bike was delivered next afternoon haing been told it would be that day at first and then by 10 am next morning . . . . !
Basic message is that you can check in your ski bag/bike as one item of hold luggage was long as it's below the weight limit. Then extra they charge.
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You know it makes sense.
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@clavboy, the weight for your cabin bag is in addition to your checked in bag as I read it . No Krypton factor necessary. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Scrumpy, Not what I meant. Krypton factor re distributing all the gear -skis, boots, helmets, clothes etc all with different weights and volume into each bag to get each bag to just under the weight limit.BA will no longer weigh all your baggage then see if the total is under the allowance. It is strictly each bag, if one bag is 2Kg over and one 2Kg under-you will get charged for the overweight bag.
So between five people it takes a bit of working out especially when one of the party thinks the weights don't apply to them, and everyone should sacrifice their allowance, she knows who she is.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| clavboy wrote: |
| @Scrumpy, she knows who she is. |
I have got one of those too. Turned up with 32Kgs in a suitcase but smiled nicely and they did not charge more. Mind she does weight 40kgs less than me so I guess she is still lighter on the plane than I am. When will they start weighing us all too
Just managed to get the BA site to let me add 2nd bag - tried all day yesterday
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Jake43,
To be fair, 32Kg, it is very similar to 23Kg.
When we discuss getting fit for the ski holiday, it does not include dead lift training for luggage duties.
I've seen some serious overweight bags, then the husband/partner competition to lift them.
Followed by the comment "he managed her bag no problem"
Next time I will request WADA. I am sure some of the lifters are taking supplements.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Rocki, When you book, check out how much extra it'll cost for Club class on one of the legs. If you book club class you get 2 x 32kg for baggage, which covers your skis. If booked club class on one leg, you get the same allowance on the other leg. For instance I would've been charged £50 on a trip and Club class was £53, so for £3 extra I got the benefit of Club class travel.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@geepee, Sweet!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@geepee, That may have been a good weez just booked the extra bag for Manchester-heathrow-Vancouver and it was £60 each way so maybe the club class down to London would have been cheaper if it existed. I know the big hop was silly money. Next time
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think we've cleared all this up but just to give some more detail after talking to a BA pilot...
BA don't class their checked luggage like EJ etc do. So if you're taking a bag and a ski's separately, you'd just pay for an extra bag. The 40-60 quid seem steep however each bag will give you an additional 23KG.
Hand luggage is going to become much stricter (finally - some of the things I've seen on domestic flights!) so you get 23Kg as long as the dimensions are correct AND a handbag/laptop/briefcase
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| geepee wrote: |
| @Rocki, When you book, check out how much extra it'll cost for Club class on one of the legs. If you book club class you get 2 x 32kg for baggage, which covers your skis. If booked club class on one leg, you get the same allowance on the other leg. For instance I would've been charged £50 on a trip and Club class was £53, so for £3 extra I got the benefit of Club class travel. |
Our flights for SOPB in March were cheaper doing business out than paying for an extra bag 
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FAQ
