Luggae and luggage allowance

A snowHead

Ok peeps, be gentle with me. I'm a newbie. I'm going on the MyashBash in Livigno. I know January is a long way off, but I'm looking to slowly buy all the gear I need (to spread the cost) and need some advice regarding luggage and luggage allowances.

I will be taking my own Skis, boots and helmet. I was thinking of taking my boot bag on as hand luggage. It has a handy compartment at the rear for a wash bag etc. Or is a boot bag too large and heavy to be allowed on as hand luggage?

My ski bag can take my skis (obviously) and my sticks and that's about it. The bag is for a single pair of 165 cm skis. Mine are 160cm (I'm a short ar*e); so there is little room for anything else. The bag is not padded, but if I use it, I intend to pad it out with bubble wrap. So I'll need a separate holdall/case for all my clothes and helmet etc. Will I incur an excess baggage charge for either the ski bag of the main case? And if so, typically how much?

I've been looking at the Dakine Fall Line; which will take my skis, boots and my outer clothes. These cost around £100. But I'll still need a separate holdall for the rest of my clothes and stuff; meaning I may still be charged for excess baggage regardless.

The other ski bag I've looked at is the "SnowKart The Cart 3" (https://www.snokart.com/products/kart-3). Does anyone know if the airlines consider a combined ski bag/holdall like this as being one piece of luggage, given they are strapped together? Or am I then likely to be hit with an excess weight charge for it?

This is the first skiing holiday I've been on and have no idea what the accepted way is of transporting all your gear over there. So how do all you experienced Snowheads out there transport your gear economically? Or is there simply no economical way of transporting skiing gear; even on low cost air lines?

Thanks in advance for any advice. Puzzled

A snowHead

Lufthansa count 1 skibag/boardbag + 1 boot bag + 1 helmet bag as 1 "ski luggage". then your bag with clothes etc. is your normal baggage allowance.
BUT you have to buy the baggage allowance when you book the flight to get the free ski carriage. don't buy the economy light (handbaggage only fare) and add on baggage as an additional extra.

Swiss might be similar, since they're owned by Lufthansa.

can't speak for other airlines. the cheapest possibly won't allow the boot bag on board if it doesn't fit in the luggage size and weight checking thing.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Lufthansa and Swiss carry skis free of charge with the full fat fare (not light, hand luggage only). With BA you can take a ski coffin bag as your hold luggage and stuff it up to 23kg with your other stuff. If you book Club on BA for 1 leg of the flight you get 2 bags each way, so 1 for your skis and 1 for your main bag.

Jet2 sometimes have a £1 skis offer, easyjet charge about £60 return for a ski bag.

They all allow boots in the cabin but lufthansa only have 8kg hand luggage allowance but can also take a "laptop" bag which could hold other stuff - mine has been weighed before now.

Hang your helmet off your hand luggage to save room in the bag

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Looking at posts for last years MyashBash, it would appear that the two airports people flew into were served by the three budget airlines (EasyJet, Flybe and Ryanair). I can't see that anyone used the more expensive airlines. I'm not even sure they fly into the two airports in question.

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@Awdbugga, Ryanair is very expensive for skis, don't know about flybe

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Get a Dakine Fall-Line *Double* and you'll have space for everything

After all it is free

Which airports are you able to fly from and to. Choice of flight options may influence the bag choice.

Also state flying dates and we can advise.

As mentioned above, a lot of Star Alliance airlines allow skis as your checked bag ie Lufthansa, Swiss, Scandinavian airlines. But you still need to read the rules. For example you have to pre-notify/book skis with Lufthansa.

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Unfortunately, as others have said, it depends on the airline. Whilst Lufthansa and Swiss are very reasonable and carry you ski bag for no extra charge, that's not that useful in this case as you're flying to Italy.
If you've got a choice of flights and airlines, make sure you include the cost of ski carriage when pricing them up. The price of ski carriage is usually listed on the airline website in the baggage section.
With BA you can carry your ski bag as your hold baggage, so having a bag that carries you skis and anything else that would go in your hold bag makes sense in that case. However, I think BA only fly to Milan from Heathrow so that may not be your best option.

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BA from Heathrow to Milan. Use Avios. Skis as baggage in wheelie bag, 23kgs as cabin!!!

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Careful with stuff like Fall Line double as you can fall foul of the EasyJet 20kg allowance on skis. I had mine with two sets of skis, ski trousers, jacket and a few base layers and it weighed in over 20kg. From memory the bag itself weighs 4kg.

You can get a huge amount in carry on though, I put boots and all my normal clothes into carry on, it's a squeeze but just about gets there.

You know it makes sense.

First skiing holiday and you are taking skiis!!

I have a Dakine Fall line and can just about get it all in for a week if I carry boots in carry on. It will be a struggle to keep under 20kg and depends how much clothes you take. The ABS bag no longer allows this if doing off-piste as cannot carry it on and has to go in main bag.

I prefer to pay for the ski baggage and use a double ski bag and wrap the jacket/trousers around the skis. Underwear/sock bag goes in there with down midlayer in waterproof bag too. A separate bag with boots/clothes/ABS back pack. Take on only a man bag with ipad/book/passport thus travel more comfortably. Business class with avios even easier. Life is too short for the stress.

I go a few times a year and seem to use different combinations depending on where/what I am doing. Sometimes two sets of skis.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

No thanks. I'm happy doing things the way I do it. I do not believe there is such thing as a single ski quiver, I firmly believe that it forces compromises.

Like I said, all very well having a nice all rounder at 100mm under foot but if it snows like the proverbial and my Ragnaroks are sat on a shelf at home I'm going to be disappointed

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@dp, thanks for all the advice. I reckon I'll go for the double Dakine Fall Line 190cm. As you say, because I've only got one pair of skis, I should be able to fill it with all my clothes, in particular as I'll also take your advice and take by boots on as hand luggage. They've been heat moulded to my feet and I've got custom insoles; so like you, I wouldn't want to loose them and have to use hire boots.

If I exceed the weight limit, I'll just take the hit and pay the extra. Sorted.

Thanks everyone for your help.

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Thanks to a discussion on another thread I've just taken delivery of one of these: https://www.ldmountaincentre.com/images/snokart-kabin-boot-bag-p14317-17872_image.jpg
Like you I most certainly don't fancy the idea of losing my boots in transit and having to rent.
Really pleased with this bag. Might be worth your while. Not cheap but good value.

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@esaw1, be careful if you go with Flybe as they've got slightly weird size restrictions. Apparently the industry agreed a standard but when it was implemented airlines realised it didn't really work and Flybe were the only ones to stick with it Laughing

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Going to see if I can get my boots in any of my existing carry ons. Son has a fall line, gets all his ski gear in that, I shall be getting one and would also imagine getting almost everything in that and sharing a suitcase with mrs endo for our Canada trip.

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@SnoodlesMcFlude, Flying with Monarch but thanks for the warning.

After all it is free

Edit. Found it

There's some wording on the BA website that seems contradictory:

"You can take ski and snowboarding equipment of up to 190cm (75in) in length in your checked baggage, provided it is packed correctly:

Only use a recognised ski or snowboard bag for your equipment.
Pack your ski poles with your skis.
Pack your boots separately from your skis or snowboard.

If you're travelling on a hand baggage only (Basic) fare or if your checked baggage allowance includes one bag only, you will need to pay extra to take your ski equipment."

It's the last sentence that's confusing. Economy Basic is hand luggage only, so it's clear you need to pay extra for skis. Economy Plus allows 1 x 23 kg checked bag. So you could interpret that you also need to pay extra for skis?

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@Themasterpiece, no. If you buy a hold bag as your one bag only you can put what you like in it.

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@Themasterpiece, I fly BA regularly and generally they're good for skiers.

With BA you're entitled to sports equipment free of charge, providing it fits inside your luggage allowance.

So if you get Economy Plus, you get one checked bag. That checked bag, if you so desire, can be 1 bag of sports equipment, up to 190cm in length*. Or you could go Economy Plus, with an extra checked bag (at a cost) and have 1 bag of sports equipment and 1 bag checked luggage.

If you get Economy Basic, you'd need to buy a checked bag which could, if you so desire, be 1 bag of sports equipment.

If you go Business (Club), you'd get two checked bags. Then (like I tend to do) you can use one of those as sports equipment and one as normal luggage.

Unlike many airlines, BA don't differentiate between sets of skis or types of sports equipment. Sports equipment is sports equipment and it's all good up to a set size. Whether it's a pair of skis or a mountain bike is irrelevant. It's just a piece of checked luggage that is permitted to be oversize because it's sports equipment. End of.

I also really like BA because the flight safety bloke you can actually ring up and speak to as a fellow human being, makes it really easy to take avalanche bags on the plane without worrying.

*it's 190cm officially but as yet I've never had trouble taking my 195cm bag on. I did decide to sharpie over the gigantic 195cm writing on the bag that points this out though. No point rubbing it in their faces is there? (EVOC - if you're watching - stop writing on your bags in massive letters that the bag is over the size limit!)

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@dp, very useful info

This might help some http://www.ski-i.com/baggage-policies and no I don't work for them but have booked with them, these are the airlines they cover, as useful source of information

Virgin Atlantic
Lufthansa
Air Canada
Air France & KLM
British Airways
Delta Airlines
Japan Airlines
SWISS
United Airlines
Norwegian
Icelandair

You know it makes sense.

@holidayloverxx, I thought that must be the case. No pun intended.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

And if you go club one way on BA they give you the club baggage allowance for both ways Happy

A snowHead

@GlasgowCyclops I was keeping that my secret Shocked

it's often cheaper to by business one way than to buy 2 ways of an extra bag

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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So here's a bizzare one for this winter.

BA

LHR into Zurich, return from Nice (don't ask...) total ticket price £117 Sweet. And includes 23kg of luggage too.

However, if you want to take an extra bag, say full of skis, it's £60 each way Gulp.

It is cheaper to buy an extra seat, put an 6 foot invisible rabbit called Harvey on it, and use his baggage allowance.

Or, as the person in question is doing, stuff all his gear into one skibag and hand luggage, and deal with it.

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@Arctic Roll, The way to use BA Baggage Allowance effectively is to have one large wheeled ski bag no longer than 190 cms, put in your (and a partners) skis with a few odds and ends. Keeping the weight under 23kgs so as to qualify for one persons included hold baggage allowance. Then keeping to BA cabin baggage dimensions, take as much as possible in that cabin bag as you can. The Cabin Baggage allowance weight is another 23kgs, so I would suggest boots and heavier items.

I regularly use BA for my ski hols and have found that this works.

Also using Avios points to part/full pay for BA flights helps substantially.

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After all it is free

@dp, I agree somewhat with you that many BA flyers do try to push the envelope of acceptability when it comes to Cabin Baggage.

However, the best way to ensure you keep hold of your cabin stuff is not to go over the dimensions rule (that goes for the Hold Baggage as well). As regards the weight of your cabin baggage, BA are exceedingly generous with a hefty 23kgs allowance. Combined total potential baggage allowance per person is 46kgs. That's more than enough for your average skier with all the ski kit.

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Luggae and luggage allowance

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