Flying with skis Air Canada/Crystal

A snowHead

Hello

Off to Banff at Easter, hoping to take 2 sets of skis and boots. I have tried researching luggage allowance but seems a bit opaque with Air Canada, so just checking if anyone has recent experiences. Helpful thread here: [url= https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=119663&sid=a83fd3567fe61242f8c74f4a515244f3][/url]

So skis on Air Canada seem to be ok to take on the plane with a boot bag, but only if the ski bag replaces a regular bag from your luggage allowance?

Also, Air Canada seem to be stating no clothes can go with the skis, but think I am going to risk that anyway. I was hoping to pack out the Da Kine roller type ski bag with clothes to protect the skis inside. Has anyone got any tips?

For carry on : Mrs G has a soft boot bag that will fit carry on dimensions no problem, but I have a Snowkart Kabin boot bag - it is 1cm deeper than the Air Canada carry on allowance. I’m hoping to not overpack it and just shove it into the gauges if they check. But would really suck to go on a special ski trip and not get boots delivered as well, because they’d been lost by the airline.

A snowHead

Well, regularly fly with AC, last time a few days ago. I'll be doing so again in Feb/March, but their policy is unchanged from previous years.

My experience matches the policy, although I almost never have enough baggage to actually use the free ski/snowboard carriage thing.
Note that if you book internal flights separately... costs and rules differ. If you're coming from UK then if you book those internal flights "on the same voucher" you benefit from the trans Atlantic allowances.
Note that they typically have three or four types of ticket, and the cheapest has additional restrictions including no free additional ski bags.
The free skis/ snowboard thing, as per AC's text, is "in addition to your regular checked baggage allowance". They are saying that the additional free ski/snowboard and boot bags should be used for those things, it's not an additional general baggage allowance. If you check your snowboard as a regular bag (which I usually do), then you can put whatever you like in the bag with the board.
I do not know if they check if you're abusing the free allowance rules. If you are, you probably have too much stuff!
On internal flights where the equipment is a turboprop, oversize will definitely not fit in the overhead lockers or under the seat. They will probably test and make you check those, possibly at cost. That's definitely true at small airports where I've watched them do that. Sometimes you can "check" oversized bags "on the tarmac", for which they have a buzzword I forget. If your bag will squash down, you're fine.

If you use their free app you can track your baggage through that, so you know it's on the 'plane, and which carousel it'll come out on. Calgary is pretty easy and generally quiet; Vancouver not so much.

I just saw the "crystal" word - if it's not a regular ticket, you might need to ask Crystal.

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

Thankyou Phil. Really helpful. Have been through Vancouver, but never Calgary. And not had experience of flying with Air Canada either.

I am encouraging the family to pack light! Our previous family holidays skiing have always been with us driving in Europe (to keep costs down). I might just try and keep the ski bags free from additional clothing, just in case they check and tell me to remove the clothing from the ski bag (have read elsewhere this is sometimes enforced, sometimes not). I have in the past used bubble wrap to protect bike frames/wheels etc, so can pack those inside the ski bag to protect the two skis.

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Many thanks Allbob. I rang Crystal - they were just able to confirm I was travelling in ‘Cabin Class M’, but this doesn’t tell me whether it is economy basic or not. I think though, from reading the Crystal booking info we have 1 checked bag each (but their wording is not super clear).

I will know closer to travel/check in when I get some e-tickets through.

You'll need to Register first of course.

The thing with 'only skis or snowboards in the ski or snowboard bag' is much less about the 'stuff' and far more about the insurance.

I spoke with Air Canada about this last time I flew with them (albeit quite a while ago now...) and they basically said that if you put other stuff in the bag and it goes missing/gets left behind, then only your skis or snowboard are covered by the insurance, rather than your clothes etc. While the Montreal convention says you can submit claims back to the airline for essentials, if they specify what can and cannot be in the bag then they limit what you can claim for. Quite a few airlines do similar now.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks Richard. To be fair to the airlines, I can understand it. I’ll just pack out the skis with bubble wrap. I am taking two pairs of skis in one bag. So hope they don’t take any issue with that.

After all it is free

@Gribble69, I think the only issue you *may* get is on the off chance the bag goes astray you may only be able to claim for one pair of skis under their policy.

From a purely practical content point of view - other than at check in when do they even touch any of you bags? So as long as the bag is under weight, and don't have any restricted items in it (gas cannisters, firearms, combustibles etc etc) then the airline really isn't interested - its all airport handling and they don't care. Sure it will be absolutely fine.

Thanks Richard. I had thought that on the claiming front (worst case). I bought two pairs of skis via Glissop last year and they were bargain tastic, so happy to take that risk. We also have travel insurance as well. I don’t really want to buy a second ski bag, so happy for them to cosy up together in one.

Anyway, helpful feedback on the baggage handling. I guess they’d only open the bag if overweight or they thought I’d bulked it out with loads of clothes etc.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Richard_Sideways, I've had similar discussions and been told the same from Air Canada and other airlines, with regards to ski bag contents.

Gribble69, With regards to your travel insurance and claiming for lost damaged luggage via the air line. I would expct your insurance co. to refer you to the airline, as they know they would be liable. They may decline any other items if the airline has also declined them.

With regards to air lines chacking ski bag contents, apart from TSA checking them and leaving a note in Smile

The only time they've been opened was at checkin, SLC, when they were a little heavy Embarassed

but thats another story

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I fly regularly with Air Canada from the UK and can confirm the skis and boot bags are in addition to your normal baggage allowance. This is assuming you have a standard 23Kg allowance on your ticket (so not their "Basic" ticket with no checked bag allowed)
You are supposed to pre register your skis and bags with them beforehand, by calling their EU call centre - 08088126310 (make sure this is included in your call plan if you call it from a mobile, it can be a long wait, and I know someone who was charged £80+ by their mobile provider,!)it should be free if you call from a landline.
Its a bit confusing at the automated check in machines, as there is no actual option to register skis/ boot bags without paying for them as checked bags. You need to only list your standard checked bag at the machine, then go to the check in assistance for them to add the skis and boot bags manually.
If you get the Air Canada app, it will send you confirmations when the bags are loaded / unloaded
I have never been questioned about the contents of the ski / boot bags, they do weigh them, but I have put two pairs of skis, helmets, gloves etc into the bags without any issues.

Help!!

Flying with skis Air Canada/Crystal

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