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Crystal Ski Carriage

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Just got back from a Crystal holiday flying Birmingham to Toulouse, their T&C's state that ski carriage is skis and poles only with nothing else in the bag and boot bags are not part of the ski carriage. We put a few things in with the skis but nothing excessive due to their terms. When we got to the airport there were all sorts of board and ski bags packed to the rafters with gear, the bloke in front of me had a 2m board bag packed full, could have been 2 bodies in it! None of the ski or board bags were weighed or checked and boot bags were also allowed with a ski bag and a suitcase. We were gutted as we stuck pretty much to the terms and conditions which meant we took hardly any clothes with us.
It all just adds to the confusion of where you stand with ski carriage!! Puzzled Puzzled
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Kaiser846, I'm with you on this completely. I tend to be over cautious and imagine being stopped and forced to unpack my ski bag and then deal with the debris in some public display, like a smuggler.

How can skis be included but not boots? You're pretty unlikely to be taking the skis and hiring boots.

It is starting to be not worth the cost to take your own equipment on the plane. I would guess for the cost of ski/boot carriage you can hire some skis in the resort.

On the positive side, I hate carrying ski bags full of clothes - they're hard enough to lug around without any extra weight added.
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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?
Boots are included as part of your hold baggage allowance whether in a separate bag or in your hold bag. That way people that only take boots and not skis don't have to pay for ski carriage. However, the interpretation of a 'ski/board bag' does seem to vary wildly from airport to airport. It's not generally down to the TO whether the bags are weighed/checked, it's down to the airport ground staff.
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Queen Bodecia
I agree with you but this was just not the case, 20kg case plus boot bag plus fully packed ski/board bags were accepted, or no ski bag but still fully loaded case and boot bag. I wonder what would have happened if the stated terms and conditions were enforced, methinks it would have been chaos at the check-in. It did cross my mind that people just don't read the rukes and do what they want. My case weighed 18kg with ski boots, helmet and toiletries and no clothes in it at all, it's a lottery I tell you.
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Quote:

My case weighed 18kg with ski boots, helmet and toiletries and no clothes in it at all


By my reckoning that's over 10 kilos of toiletries! Shocked (Over a stone and a half in old money....)
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I think you have to look at it like parking fines, you can keep taking chances and not buy parking tickets, but at some point you are bound to be busted and face a hefty bill.
Agreed it's a bit annoying when people get away with it and you have paid up, but you know you'll kick yourself when you get checked and the T's and C's are enforced.

Last week we went all hold bags, ski bags and even hand luggage was checked and weighed. And if you didn't have proof you had paid for ski carriage you were busted.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Kaiser846 wrote:
My case weighed 18kg with ski boots, helmet and toiletries and no clothes in it at all, it's a lottery I tell you.


Was that including skis and poles or the 'other bag'... can't see the issue in getting under 20kb myself even with ski boots...

Having flow with xytal a couple of weekends ago, people we're getting seriously 'busted' for going over the 23kg 'ultimate limit' or the 20k per person. One couple ahead of us in the queue had 27kg in one bag and 21kg in the other, how they sorted that much out I have no idea...
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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!
Last week we got charged £40 at the airport by crystal as you are only allowed 1 set of skis per person now, we have always carried two sets of skis in a bag, crystal won't budge regarding my complaint...said it's in the terms etc. so for Wengan next week we have had to pay another £30 before departing rather than 40 at the airport.
tehy say it covers for insurance in case they don't get your skis to resort !! Turin last week 20 pairs of ski from gatwick did'nt make it to resort till Tuesday !! but that was only 2 days ski hire cost, which i'm sure is no more than £25 !!
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How much stuff do people take on holiday? A 20kg case, plus a stuffed boot bag, plus a stuffed ski bag...
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Padding out the ski bag is SOP, this year we were laughing at one ski bag obviously packed out to the maximum the stitching strength would allow. Board bags are, I think, treated differently because they're are used as the main suitcase containing board, boots, binding and kit more often than not. I've started using a sportstube. It's surprising the amount of stuff that can be stuffed in between the skis, it helped me keep under 20kg, and no-one can tell without opening it that it's got kit other than skis and poles in it.
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what we also need is clarification on if i can have my blades & skis in the same bag or not ? for one set of ski carr1age
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Hello all

Just to let you know we at Crystal have been listening closely to what Snowheads and others have been telling us regarding Ski Carriage.

The situation is slightly more complex than some make out as the issues differ between airline (note: Crystal does not have its own airline!) plus we have to factor in health and safety requirements from the baggage handlers. However for most of our holidays, the flights are operated by Thomson Airways which although in effect a separate company, is also part of the TUI Travel group.

It's pretty clear that what would make most sense to customers is to use overall weight as the guiding factor for ski carriage. This is the proposal we are taking up with Thomson Airways at the moment.

The additional complications come from how the larger ski/coffin bags are actually handled in the airport and the associated challenges this provides with regards to loading the baggage onto the plane, the weight of the aircraft, and landing the plane in mountainous Alpine resorts. It's the old cliché but when you're responsible for 300 odd people flying then safety has to be top priority. Some of the cost of ski carriage is your assurance from us that should your skis not make it onto the 'plane for safety reasons enforced by technical staff at the airport, then we will arrange ski/board hire in resort so that you don't lose out.

The other aspect we're aware of is how the policy is enforced when people get to the airport. Crystal do not manage the staff in the airport and of course there will be "off days". I like the analogy from a poster above who says that if you continue to not pay for parking tickets, don't be disappointed when you get fined...

Due to the above links in the chain that we don't control, our policies can't be changed at the drop of a hat but as I say we are taking the matter up with Thomson Airways (who operate the bulk of our flights) to see if we can get a more reliable system in place for Winter 11/12.

For those of you who are going on holiday with us soon and have questions can I encourage you to use our customer Q&A forum here: http://help.crystalski.co.uk Our aviation manager is on hand to answer any flight related issues and we also have people on hand in each of our resorts to ask more detailed local questions.

Thanks
David Jarvis
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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
It is now 2019 and Crystal have still not sorted it so it is obviously just about making more money NOT customer experience and the feeling of being ripped off at every turn.


David Jarvis wrote:
Hello all

Just to let you know we at Crystal have been listening closely to what Snowheads and others have been telling us regarding Ski Carriage.

The situation is slightly more complex than some make out as the issues differ between airline (note: Crystal does not have its own airline!) plus we have to factor in health and safety requirements from the baggage handlers. However for most of our holidays, the flights are operated by Thomson Airways which although in effect a separate company, is also part of the TUI Travel group.

It's pretty clear that what would make most sense to customers is to use overall weight as the guiding factor for ski carriage. This is the proposal we are taking up with Thomson Airways at the moment.

The additional complications come from how the larger ski/coffin bags are actually handled in the airport and the associated challenges this provides with regards to loading the baggage onto the plane, the weight of the aircraft, and landing the plane in mountainous Alpine resorts. It's the old cliché but when you're responsible for 300 odd people flying then safety has to be top priority. Some of the cost of ski carriage is your assurance from us that should your skis not make it onto the 'plane for safety reasons enforced by technical staff at the airport, then we will arrange ski/board hire in resort so that you don't lose out.

The other aspect we're aware of is how the policy is enforced when people get to the airport. Crystal do not manage the staff in the airport and of course there will be "off days". I like the analogy from a poster above who says that if you continue to not pay for parking tickets, don't be disappointed when you get fined...

Due to the above links in the chain that we don't control, our policies can't be changed at the drop of a hat but as I say we are taking the matter up with Thomson Airways (who operate the bulk of our flights) to see if we can get a more reliable system in place for Winter 11/12.

For those of you who are going on holiday with us soon and have questions can I encourage you to use our customer Q&A forum here: http://help.crystalski.co.uk Our aviation manager is on hand to answer any flight related issues and we also have people on hand in each of our resorts to ask more detailed local questions.

Thanks
David Jarvis
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
OBVIOUS MESSAGE ………………………………… DON'T FLY/BOOK CRYSTAL Toofy Grin
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Yeah you're so right, normally drive when going this side of the pond but thought to go package this year for a change. Never again - well certainly not Crystal


skimastaaah wrote:
OBVIOUS MESSAGE ………………………………… DON'T FLY/BOOK CRYSTAL Toofy Grin
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
skimastaaah wrote:
OBVIOUS MESSAGE ………………………………… DON'T FLY/BOOK CRYSTAL Toofy Grin


We don't for 3 of our 4 trips each season but often end up using them for the 'cheapo' Jan/Feb trip. Usually they manage to royally wee wee me off by not bringing my skis home or making me sit on a bus for 3 hours at an airport but I'm just back from Niederau on Saturday and have to say they didn't cock up at all this time. Everything just worked for once.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Posted earlier this year about ongoing and new annoyances with Crystal, still waiting an answer to a complaint I put in, still see exactly the same problems being offered to customers (or not).
Fundamentally, if you can use 'em as the cheapest way to do it, and put up with some of the hopefully minor annoyances and rather restrictive and rip-off carriage prices and policies (which make David Jarvis's statement of 8 years ago, as above, an utter joke... quel surprise), they can be useful. If not, put up with the hassles (or not) of diy and other airlines.
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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've had a couple of Crystal trips over the last few seasons, most times we've had 2 sets of skis and poles in a single bag that was supposedly meant to only contain just one.. plus I usually wrap my skis with base layers tied up with bungees etc. just to protect edges/bindings etc.. never had any issues yet...
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I get skis, boots and everything else in a 23 kg double ski bag and have never had a problem with Crystal or anyone else.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I get everything bar skis in the 20kg allowance, plus backpack (including the Avi gear and transciver). I Don't mind paying the £45 ski carriage with Crystal.
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@welshskier, technically, you can't take a 23kg double ski bag any more. Maybe. You can't even take a double (over 15kg) bag at all. Sometimes. Depends which version you read... rolling eyes I don't mind paying £45 for 15kg either: but I do mind £90 for a limited total of 20kg (the "double bag").
Also, presume that you and @Bob are only taking 1 set of skis or 1 board, and boots for one activity, not 2 sets of either, or 1 of each.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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usually one set of skis, thathough in the past I have demounted the bindings and put two pairs 'flat' in the ski bag.
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