 Poster: A snowHead
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If you are taking skis on a British Airways flight the website does not explain what to do.
Firstly, make your booking and pay, then go to "Manage my bookings" on the BR website and request an extra hold bag (and pay at least £65 for it per flight).
Next, phone 0344 493 0787 and choose option 1. Give your booking reference and change one of your bags to skis.
(If the assistant is like the one I encountered you will be asked the height, width and depth of your ski bag and its weight!!!!! He waited on the phone while I went to my storage, brought them down to my bathroom and weighed and measured them. This is ridiculous and you should just be able to say you had looked at the maximum dimensions and weight on the website and will comply.)
It took me a large chunk of the morning to discover this (You cannot request a second hold bag when you book. The website does not make it clear you have to phone afterwards and the phone number is very hard to find on the website and it is not obvious to choose option 1. Clearly they are trying every way they can to discourage skiers booking with them, since it must cost them a lot to use a person over the phone taking your details and card details rather than simply click on "skis" online when doing your booking.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 17-08-24 18:45; edited 3 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The website explains what to do here https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/baggage-essentials/sports-equipment which you get to from the Discover main menu.
I think this only appeared last year for the first time. It doesn't appear to be an actual requirement but I can see how it can help them manage their flights, even though I can't see how it helps your own skis to travel with you unless they are referring to the general odds of success for any individual on a plane.
I expect you can choose either option 1 or option 3 when you call and I had to do the same as you, leaving them hanging while I measured the bag, though in future I'll just give them some approximate numbers within the stated limits.
The phone numbers already exist for other enquiries so this is virtually a cost-free change for them, unlike messing with the website booking pages.
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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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If every skier has to go through a live individual each time (it will be 5 times just for me this year) then surely that is extra cost in wages, compared to pressing an automated button. I notice now that it says you can do it through online chat, but chat was not functioning when I tried it for information. Unless you had read the blurb on there very carefully before trying to book you would be floundering for ages, as I did. Every other airline I have booked on in the past has had a button to press for sporting equipment, so you are not expecting there to be nothing about it on the booking form. The second bag is specified as a standard dimension suitcase, with no indication it might also be something oversize. I did do it once last year but it was marginally less difficult to work out (I had to phone to ask them how to do it and they explained you had to phone). When I came to the check-in they had no record of my bringing skis and it caused problems - they had to send me to business-class check-in though I wasn't business class, It was as though they had never seen skis before. And the email receipt for my second bag just now didn't mention it was skis, as it did last year.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@snowball, Many thanks for the info above. I have 2 flights booked with BA next season so looking forward the phone call!
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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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Sorry, I just made another booking and found I made a mistake above (now rectified). You have to add the second bag separately when you have completed your booking and paid.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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From previous research, I think British airways allow luggage with a maximum length of 180 cm.
So my hold luggage would be a 23kg 180cm ski bag (oversized luggage).
Ski boots in the cabin luggage (or in the hold if they give you the option of putting it there (for nothing)) plus the small rucksack size luggage to think about juggling the helmet.
I researched these things a lot, and British Airways won with their flight packages/deals.
My idea was to use exactly the above dimensions and weights and allowances, and that's a ski holiday happening.
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Yes, that is what you are allowed for skis (and you can make it your only hold bag if you wish). Or at least you could last year. Have you done it this year? What I say above seems the way to make it happen.
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I rarely use British Airways, but seem to recall they allowed two hold bags and a carry on. We paid no extras for luggage including skis going to Japan.
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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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@johnE, only 2 bags in business class or with status.
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No, we flew ecconomy. It was two years ago. The ski bags had to be less than 180cm. As I mentioned it is very rare we fly BA (they don't operate from the Midlands). For our next trip to Japan we are using JAL and I think they have the same kuggage allowance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Comparing with one flight I just booked on easyJet, of the two, BA now charge more to carry skis.
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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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This isn’t directly relevant to the thread so ignore if you want to stay on track.
However, thought appropriate to share something I discovered last season. You can ship your skis from one Swiss train station to another for the measly cost of 12CHF … and it’s only 44CHF to have them delivered to your hotel/chalet.
To do it you need to have either a ticket to travel yourself (not at the same time though) OR you have signed up for one of the discount/other cards and therefore have an SBB login and id in which case you can just send skis without travelling yourself.
I used this extensively last season and saved myself a fortune, and a huge amount of hassle with ski transportation.
SBB Station to Station
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My lad had a real pain trying to book his skis on a BA flight to Barcelona which was then connecting for flights to Argentina. He booked the whole journey with Iberia but they couldn’t book his skis onto the first leg. He ended up paying £80 x 2 (one with Iberia, one with BA) but then BA refunded him one lot because they had a problem with their payment system. The ski bag got to BCN fine but then Iberia left it off the next leg - on purpose it seems as other skiers making the same journey didn’t get their skis either. They sent the bag on to him a couple of days later. He was glad he’d bought some AirTags.
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You know it makes sense.
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| snowball wrote: |
If you are taking skis on a British Airways flight the website does not explain what to do.
Firstly, make your booking and pay, then go to "Manage my bookings" on the BR website and request an extra hold bag (and pay at least £65 for it per flight).
Next, phone 0344 493 0787 and choose option 1. Give your booking reference and change one of your bags to skis.
(If the assistant is like the one I encountered you will be asked the height, width and depth of your ski bag and its weight!!!!! He waited on the phone while I went to my storage, brought them down to my bathroom and weighed and measured them. This is ridiculous and you should just be able to say you had looked at the maximum dimensions and weight on the website and will comply.)
It took me a large chunk of the morning to discover this (You cannot request a second hold bag when you book. The website does not make it clear you have to phone afterwards and the phone number is very hard to find on the website and it is not obvious to choose option 1. Clearly they are trying every way they can to discourage skiers booking with them, since it must cost them a lot to use a person over the phone taking your details and card details rather than simply click on "skis" online when doing your booking. |
It's not actually necessary to inform them about the ski bag or phone them, despite what it says on the website. If they really needed this info, they could implement a check-box for people when booking. You'll be checked in at the airport as normal regardless or whether you've told them in advance about the skis or not.
If you want to take a hold bag plus a ski bag (2 bags in the hold), you need to pay for an extra bag. But if you just want to take the ski bag with other stuff inside it too then you don't need to pay for anything extra.
It's the same story with taking a bike on the plane which I do regularly, and is more bulky and awkward than skis - you don't need to tell them.
@johnE, I believe BA have an allowance of 2x 23kg hold bags for Japan in economy, but for most routes including all short-haul routes they only allow 1x 23kg bag, which can be a ski (or bike etc) bag if you want. You can see here by putting in LHR-HND:
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/baggage-essentials
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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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| musehead wrote: |
| snowball wrote: |
If you are taking skis on a British Airways flight the website does not explain what to do.
Firstly, make your booking and pay, then go to "Manage my bookings" on the BR website and request an extra hold bag (and pay at least £65 for it per flight).
Next, phone 0344 493 0787 and choose option 1. Give your booking reference and change one of your bags to skis.
(If the assistant is like the one I encountered you will be asked the height, width and depth of your ski bag and its weight!!!!! He waited on the phone while I went to my storage, brought them down to my bathroom and weighed and measured them. This is ridiculous and you should just be able to say you had looked at the maximum dimensions and weight on the website and will comply.)
It took me a large chunk of the morning to discover this (You cannot request a second hold bag when you book. The website does not make it clear you have to phone afterwards and the phone number is very hard to find on the website and it is not obvious to choose option 1. Clearly they are trying every way they can to discourage skiers booking with them, since it must cost them a lot to use a person over the phone taking your details and card details rather than simply click on "skis" online when doing your booking. |
It's not actually necessary to inform them about the ski bag or phone them, despite what it says on the website. If they really needed this info, they could implement a check-box for people when booking. You'll be checked in at the airport as normal regardless or whether you've told them in advance about the skis or not.
If you want to take a hold bag plus a ski bag (2 bags in the hold), you need to pay for an extra bag. But if you just want to take the ski bag with other stuff inside it too then you don't need to pay for anything extra.
It's the same story with taking a bike on the plane which I do regularly, and is more bulky and awkward than skis - you don't need to tell them.
@johnE, I believe BA have an allowance of 2x 23kg hold bags for Japan in economy, but for most routes including all short-haul routes they only allow 1x 23kg bag, which can be a ski (or bike etc) bag if you want. You can see here by putting in LHR-HND:
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/baggage-essentials |
^ this.
I always carry skis as part of my tickets baggage allowance and have never informed BA of my intention to bring a ski bag.
As long as the ski bag meets dimensions and weights, as per their website, absolutely no issue.
..Nick
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Poster: A snowHead
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+1
I used BA a few times last season, with skis in a coffin bag each time as my only hold luggage plus a small carry on with my boots in it. No extra payments, no pre-booking and no challenges, it was just treated as oversize luggage. Of course they may have changed their approach, but it was fine last December, January and March '24. Pretty sure that coming home via Turin they didn't even weight it!
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Joint01
Joint01
Guest
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Replying to the OP.
Sometimes I wonder if they are making stuff harder, tidious and frustrating just out of spite, like what valid reason would you have to make your customers satisfied, not happy, just satisfied
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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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Been using BA for ski flights for years with my skis as my only hold bag/everything else in a carry on bag. Not only has nobody ever asked me "What's in the big long bag?", just checked it in and said "You'll need to take it down to oversized baggage at desk X." but every time I've said "And can I check my carry on bag too, I've got to wait for the skis anyway?" it's always been "Of cource, no problem." and never asked to pay extra, as it's one less volunteers they need to find to check they carry on bags at the gate.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There must be decades of data showing baggage patterns by flight - e.g. Geneva at Feb half term.
I can see why it's useful info for BA if the baggage pattern deviates massively from "normal" - e.g. the entire GB cycling team heading out to a training camp. But apart from that, the info (or at least the process of gathering it) seems to cost more than its worth.
I did a few flights with bikes and skis last year, didn't notify BA of any, and no check-in person mentioned anything at all to me.
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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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Some more data points here backing up that a ski, bike or board bag can be part of your ticketed hold luggage with no phone calls or extra booking. I generally only fly BA for this reason! It's cheaper than a low-cost carrier as their extra charges are horrendous. My board and bike bags can also contain my clothes and so I'm happy with my backpack as a carry-on and sometimes a helmet bag as my "handbag/laptop case". I have just turned up to check-in multiple times over the last few years, most recently this March Gatwick-Turin and there's never an issue.
Swiss/Lufthansa are actually better for skis and boards- if you buy a non-HBO ticket, you can check in a ski bag in additional to your hold allowance! Again, I've never pre-booked.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@leggyblonde, I frequently fly BA for just the reasons you mention. It's all very straightforward and cost effective.
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| esaw1 wrote: |
| @leggyblonde, I frequently fly BA for just the reasons you mention. It's all very straightforward and cost effective. |
Me too
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Swiss carry a ski bag for free. Great attitude imo!
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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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Swiss carry a ski bag for free. Great attitude imo!
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BA do say you’re supposed to tell the if you are taking skis. There’s no easy way todo this or though I did send a message to customer services for a recent trip and got a reply back a week or so later.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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So the wording there isn't that you HAVE to tell them, just they would LIKE you to if it's a flight likely to have lots of skis on it. But it still only makes it "more likely" your skis will make the flight, not like it guarantees it - and given BA are unlikely to go "Oh, we've been notified if more skis than we have space for on an A320, let's put a bigger aircraft on that flight" and all oversized bags will likely be in one pile, no 'notified'/'not notified' split the chances of a 'notified' bag making the flight are exactly the same as those of a 'not notified' one.
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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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| Mjit wrote: |
| given BA are unlikely to go "Oh, we've been notified if more skis than we have space for on an A320, let's put a bigger aircraft on that flight" . |
When this topic was discussed on flyertalk, one of the BA staff indicated that it was indeed taken into account in planning which airframes to use. Personally I’m slightly skeptical because in the main, changing aircraft type means changing seat capacity, which can in turn mean over/under booking. Within the a320 family there’s a lot of different capacities though.
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I've never had any bother at Heathrow with BA when taking my coffin (with two pairs of skis), a large holdall and very neat/secure boot and helmet bag in the hold. Just one extra bag booked for the two of us. Never notified them in advance about skis, no dramas with the check-in staff. Just had one long wait early one morning last season for the outsize luggage belt to open!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Well, you say that, but on EasyJet the hold luggage guide says this…
Hold luggage
Each customer including children and infants can buy up to three hold bags. A standard hold bag is 23kg. You can buy extra weight in 3kgs units, up to a maximum of 32kg per bag.
(…)
This means that the total weight allowance can be split among the total number of bags booked, as long as no single item weighs more than 32kg. Maximum total size (length + width + height) = under 275cm.
Soooo, does that mean that since my roller skibag tots up to 235cm, then perhaps EJ will treat it as just an oversized bag? It reads much that way, and is then similar to the BA rules. Anyone tried this?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@inkyspider, I haven't been brave enough to try this, but would be good to know!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have argued at the check-in desk the last two times I've flown skis with BA - the wording on the baggage page says:
| Quote: |
| You can take skiing or snowboarding equipment as part of your checked baggage so long as the bag is within 190 x 75 x 65cm. |
If it's part of my checked baggage, then I don't have to do anything extra, do I? Perfectly clear. After some resistance, they allow it.
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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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| aberdeenski wrote: |
| Surely it;'s not beyond the wit of an airline to add a tickbox or something in MMB to state that your checked bag will be a ski bag. Hey ho, pass the wine... |
A tick box would be too easy!
That the Arabba flights booked then?
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| inkyspider wrote: |
+1
I used BA a few times last season, with skis in a coffin bag each time as my only hold luggage plus a small carry on with my boots in it. No extra payments, no pre-booking and no challenges, it was just treated as oversize luggage. Of course they may have changed their approach, but it was fine last December, January and March '24. Pretty sure that coming home via Turin they didn't even weight it! |
This. I have done it many times because a "more expensive" BA ticket has regularly ended up cheaper than a Ryanair or EasyJet one after adding all the bags fees. Never called/emailed BA to tell them I was taking ski equipment. Their website clearly states that you just need to stick to some maximum sizes and weight.
I usually travel with a mate and our MO with BA is to buy 2 tickets with hold bags, one bag is a coffin bag with 2 snowboards & 2 pairs of boots, one bag is clothes/other equipment. And cabin bags are also included so whatever cannot be fitted inside those 2 hold bags go into cabin ones... Unless you're the type to take xxx outfits, then that's plenty enough for a week's skiing.
TBH , BA is my go to way to travel unless they don't fly where I need to go. Even when they are more expensive it's ususally not by much and I can tell you that many times it was worth the difference (e.g. avoid the stupidly long Easyjet queues at Geneva on a Sunday or Staurday night).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Booked some flights yesterday with BA. I had to do it over the phone so I mentioned the carriage of skis. The assistant informed me I just needed to turn up with them so long as they are within my weight allowance. I explained the point on their webpage ref informing them to which she said she had never heard of this, put me on hold to find out more. She then came back to me asking what dimensions they were and weight, and then added them to the booking.
| Kruisler wrote: |
| Their website clearly states that you just need to stick to some maximum sizes and weight. |
Fair point. But it also says you need to let them know you're bringing a snow sports bag as per the screen shot I added above taken from the drop down on this link:
https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/baggage-essentials/sports-equipment
I agree, as you've alluded, with BA you should get a better service than with EJ etc, so likely it's not going to be an issue. Nevertheless, knowing airlines and jobsworths they employ, how long before someone starts challenging because you've not informed them?
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The other advantage of using a 'full price' airline like BA is that when bags go missing there's usually very little quibble over valid "essential costs" while I imagine things become more of a fight the lower down the 'budget' tree you go.
As an example one of my friends was a big guy and also a 'book boarder', the type who put everything in the hold bar the clothes they are stood up in/wallet/phone/passport/a book - and BA missed his bag from a ski flight. Queue buying everything from toothbrush and socks up to salopettes and ski jacket in resort, in Ischgl where most of the shopping was aimed at the rich Russians trying to show how much money they had by spending it. All fully reimburst within a week of getting home without a single item being questioned.
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Added one today to a BA booking. Seems rather pointless to need to call to do it, they just confirm it will be within specs, and then tell you what the specs are. Surely all could be done when booking on line or in the "Manage your booking" page. A least it didnt take long to get through when I called, the guy knew what I talking about, and he didnt take long to do it.
Still, at least BA let you take one as part of your luggage allowance.
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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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| snowball wrote: |
If you are taking skis on a British Airways flight the website does not explain what to do.
Firstly, make your booking and pay, then go to "Manage my bookings" on the BR website and request an extra hold bag (and pay at least £65 for it per flight).
Next, phone 0344 493 0787 and choose option 1. Give your booking reference and change one of your bags to skis.
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The website has the instructions (click through from the Sports equipment page in Baggage to the contacts page), and its Option 3 to begin with, then a few others after that too.
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FAQ
for the 1715 home to ABZ.