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Ski carriage. British Airways

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Royal, not at Denver, in fact you'll be in the anorexic section...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
lol, gives me a good excuse to eat all I can then....
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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?
Came back from GVA by British Airways on Saturday. All skis boots etc were accepted in 23Kg allowance. Might be different for long haul I suppose.
snowHead
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lets hope not...
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Royal, you should be able to take your boots as carry-on, as long as they aren't in a massive bag. (That way if your skis go to Europe, at least you have your own boots to ski in. Rental skis aren't as bad as rental boots...)
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sounds like a plan.

i weighed them at 4kg which is under the alloted 6kg. Cool
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Royal, when we went last year skis and boots were counted as one piece of luggage.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
rRoyal, only if your 3ft 6" wink
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think next year im just taking my boots !
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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Ski Carriage is an absolute con. It's just a way of sponging cash out of you through a flimsy excuse about weight allowance. After all a 747 weighs 180 tonnes do you really think some skis weighing, what, 10 kilos tops? are going to affect a monster like that?

Pull the other one it's got bells on.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Civilserpent, sure, if it's just 1 pair of skis, but if you have 300 passengers who all bring skis, you're talking about a 2% increase in weight on the plane.

If you were to look at the standard planes used on Euro routes, the 767 is under 80 tonnes, and the Airbus 320 is under 45 tonnes. Sticking an extra tonne of weight on them does make a difference.
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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.
Civilserpent, the argument that easyjet gave me last week (didn't have skis with me, but I will have a board in April) was that it was a "handling charge" for awkward sized luggage. I offered to carry the board to the plane myself, but they didn't seem interested for some reason!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
carled, I think part of the problem is that the different airlines all seem to come up with different reasons as to why they're charging. If they stuck to a single line, be it "it's the weight", "it's a handling charge", "no sir, 2 sets of skis in 1 bag counts double" then it would be better understood and more readily accepted.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
in my mind the reason of "handling charge" would better because the extra weight charge does not wash, See my other lardy boy post.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
just back and flew BA. No charge for my snowboard bag or my mates absolutely massive wheelie bag that he had a couple of boards/bindings in. I think his bag was 28kg but that was the only bag he had.

I even noticed in one of their on board flight mags that they said that they would keep the no charge for ski/board bags and compared what other carriers were now charging. Very Happy
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Poster: A snowHead
Dan, they would've used the combined weight averaged between you I should think. If you bleet enough they'll accept it. The other thing is to just say "no" when they ask if you have any luggage to check in. Getting it on the plane might be a pain but you won't have to pay excess Very Happy
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Sharkymark, we checked in seperately via online and at the airport so no idication that we were travelling together.
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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?
I'm flying to San Francisco with BA in April so after reading this thread thought I'd better check with them re skis. They confirmed that a single pair of skis and a boot bag would be treated as one piece of luggage and would be subject to the max 32Kg limit for the two together. So each adult can check in a bag, a ski bag and a boot bag, total weight up to 64Kg with no penalty. This is on Transatlantic flights. European flights may be different.
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On a recent BA, Manchester - Heathrow shuttle, where it's one piece of hold luggage only, they didn't count the ski bag as an extra bit of luggage. Didn't weigh it either and combined with my suicase I would have been well over the weight limit.

Top marks chaps at BA Cool
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
AxsMan, I think the rules are different, lower weight allowance as well. I also checked this out when we flew to Vancouver, via a BA employee, and that was what I was told. I'll try and post the link from the website if I can find it. http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagsport/public/en_gb , the links on the page show you what allowance applies to which destinations. I was also told that the domestic leg of my journey had the same baggage allowance as the international leg, as my final destination was Canada (or wherever).
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Also info here, http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_gb . I was also told the baggage dimensions didn't apply to the sports/ski equipment.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Helen Beaumont, You're right ... on all counts , but we can not stop people believing otherwise ...
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Helen Beaumont, Absolutely right, I forgot to add that they specifically told me that the size limits don't apply to skis (only the overall weight).
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Just confirming, when we flew ba (man - LHR - YVR and back), there were no problem with skis at all (one we had explained to the chckin in girl that skis+boots in separate bags were ok) even though one bag contained two pairs of skis. all well within wieght limits and everything, no extra charges. great.
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Resurrecting a 14 year old thread without spam!

Does anyone have experience of BA this year and ski carriage? Unlikely I know.

But their old policy was that ski bag of under 190cm could be taken as part of the checked baggage allowance.

Now their website says
"You can take skiing or snowboarding equipment as part of your checked baggage so long as the bag is within the maximum bag dimensions."
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/baggage-essentials/sports-equipment

With their max bag allowance dimensions being Max. 23kg / 51lbs - Up to 90 x 75 x 43cm (Up to 90 x 75 x 43cm)

So it would seem that unless you are a midget or are taking childrens skis, you can forget about taking skis as part of the baggage allowance under your ticket.

This was confirmed by an agent I just spoke to.

So if you want to take skis, this is how it goes:
Under 190cm - take as second paid for bag (seems to be £60 one way on a Euro route on line price)
Over 190cm then goes as cargo

Sneaky sods, a nice earner which may go unnoticed until you turn up at the airport with your ski bag in tow.
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@ster, Fly with Swiss if you can. I believe that they still carry skis/board for free.
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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.
Lufthansa carry skis free (in addition to usual allowance) - but not to North America.

https://www.lufthansa.com/gb/en/sports-baggage-conditions
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Looks like they have clarified the boots situation and muddied the waters for skis.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I think it will be the same as ever. 90x75x43 is the 'standard checked bag size' but that doesn't mean you can't check it if it's over that, it just means it will fall under 'oversized checked bag size' (which they don't seem to publish dimensions for), so will have to be taken to the oversized bag drop after check-in. you can take a (boxed) push bike as checked baggage for example, and even a toddler's bike it likely to go over 90x75x43! And you'll need some REALLY long skis to hit the "Heavy or big equipment" that has to go as cargo, think more car engines/pianos/big artworks.

The changes that stands out for me are:
1. They now state "Skis and snowboards must be packed in a protective bag and can be in the same bag as your boots or clothes.", so you now explicitly CAN pack your clothes in your ski/board bag. None of the "...should just contain skis/boards...".
2. They now state "If you pack your boots separately from your skis or snowboard, your boot bag can be carried as hand baggage if it's within the correct dimensions. If it doesn't, it must be checked in and will count as an extra checked bag.", so you explicitly CAN take boots as carry on (SH repeat question #4).
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Funnily enough the website says you can take surfboards/kayaks of up to 190cm in length “as part of your checked baggage” - why kayaks but not skis but I imagine they carry a lot more skis than kayaks.
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Poster: A snowHead
ster wrote:
Funnily enough the website says you can take surfboards/kayaks of up to 190cm in length “as part of your checked baggage” - why kayaks but not skis but I imagine they carry a lot more skis than kayaks.

Can you get a kayak that's less than 190cm?

As MJIT says, have taken a roll along ski bag with them this year no problem - just need to take it to oversized baggage drop after check in. Counts as a second bag but that comes for free with business class or Exec club silver & above
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
[quote="DCG"]
ster wrote:
As MJIT says, have taken a roll along ski bag with them this year no problem - just need to take it to oversized baggage drop after check in. Counts as a second bag but that comes for free with business class or Exec club silver & above


Yes you get 2 bags on Business etc status (for you privileged few ) but wont the same limitation on size for that second checked bag still mean ski bags wont be allowed per the current rules.

When did you last take a the roller and under which rule regime was it , the old 190cm being ok or these new ones?
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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?
@ster, It is fine. I use BA all the time. All it means is you can take a ski bag because they know it is always a certain size so no need to explicitly mention the dimensions.

As for Boots. I take them on board all the time. In a Rab 50l kit bag. Slightly oversize (Girth) but never a problem.
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[quote="DCG"]
ster wrote:
As MJIT says, have taken a roll along ski bag with them this year no problem - just need to take it to oversized baggage drop after check in. Counts as a second bag but that comes for free with business class or Exec club silver & above


Yes you get 2 bags on Business etc status (for you privileged few ) but wont the same limitation on size for that second checked bag still mean ski bags wont be allowed per the current rules.

When did you last take a the roller and under which rule regime was it , the old 190cm being ok or these new ones?
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ster wrote:


When did you last take a the roller and under which rule regime was it , the old 190cm being ok or these new ones?


Did this in Jan & Feb this year
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ster wrote:

Yes you get 2 bags on Business etc status (for you privileged few )


Sometimes the premium for business over economy is only marginally more than the cost of an extra bag. Always worth checking
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Checked my 190cm roller bag in two pairs of skis when flying BA to Sweden just before lockdown in March. It was counted as first piece of checked baggage within the allowance. Second bag contained our boots and kit etc for the week. No problems.

Another vote for the free ski/boot carriage on SWISS, too!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
The BA Ski holidays page says:

"British Airways accepts ski and snowboard equipment up to 190cm (75 inches) long, packed correctly in a specified ski/snowboard bag. All equipment must be packed together, i.e. skis and poles or snowboard and bindings together in one bag. Boots must be packed separately in either your free allowance or another bag, but any additional bags over the allowance will incur a charge."
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/destinations/holiday-types/ski-holidays/ski-extras

Strikes me as pretty unequivocal. In my experience they don't check the 190cm limit either; my ski bag is usually around 2m due to the 5 pairs of skis...
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The problem is with the examples of ski bags being checked in under the checked allowance (and I checked one in without extras last Jan/Dec as well) is the we don't yet know when the rule was changed the examples above may be under the old 190cm rule meant ski bags were ok but not now per the website and the agent today.

We need a brave guinea pig to rest the reaction at the airport ( before Xmas if possible please as thats when we plan to go. wink)
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ster wrote:


We need a brave guinea pig to rest the reaction at the airport ( before Xmas if possible please as thats when we plan to go. wink)


I'm not sure that would work as almost certainly a guinea pig's skis would fit in a normal sized bag
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