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Grenoble: Helmets in hand luggage? (seriously)

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We seem to have done boots to death, so I thought we should try something new Toofy Grin

Seriously, though, this previous thread about Grenoble talks about the airport refusing to allow helmets on as hand luggage. Can anyone confirm if they're actually enforcing the helmet ban?

I can kind of understand them saying "non" to ski boots (frustating though it is), but I can't see the rationale for stopping you carrying your helmet in your bag. Not sure whether mine will actually fit in my hold luggage...

Maybe I should wear it covered in bandages and claim I've had an accident Twisted Evil
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Haha, that'd be brilliant! people would be amazed at how swollen your head was and you'd have to embellish some kind of heroic story about how you came a cropper.

i'm taking a helmet skiing for the first time but was planning on just sticking it in my case because i wasn't sure they'd let it through security. i'm interested to see how people have got on with getting helmets through as hand luggage though as i would prefer to do that.
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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 taken mine through as hand luggage for years, but last weekend I had to check it into the hold at Chambrey.
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Eyes down. Look in. rolling eyes
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The last couple of times I've flown at every stage I have been told I can't take my helmet in hand luggage - I smile and say thank you and carry on. I've taken it to Chambery & back twice like this and also to Innsbruck. Although I am told at least 4 times on my way to each flight no one has actually taken the helmet away from me.
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When there at New Year the sign said they would destroy any helmets, boots taken to security. Not worth the risk?
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DrE, like Mosha Marc I've taken mine on loads of flights before without a problem, although Monarch (I think) did stop a friend from attaching his to the outside of his hand luggage - claimed it was a safety hazard and made him put it inside a bag.

Anyway, I'll see how brave I'm feeling...getting it confiscated by security might give me an excuse to buy a shiny new one Madeye-Smiley

rayscoops, just wait till I ask about Ryanair's policy, or whether the helmet counts towards my 20Kg Razz
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Was in grenoble about 5 weeks ago and they were not letting helmets through then. You have to put them through the luggage as far as im aware.
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skim, they spot 'em in the xray machine and make you go back to the desk now.
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Everyone should take their helmets in hand luggage to check in, ask what the score is with doing that, then unpack the main bag before handing it over and ensure that the helmet is safely packed with clothing arranged as padding. If every single queue is constantly held up by an additional 5 minutes per person and the airport plunged into chaos they may change their minds over this bloody senseless and highly annoying policy.
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Chambery yesterday no helmets in hand luggage......................soon it will be only your clear plastic bag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Have posted this before, travelled back from Grenoble on 21 December, NO HELMETS IN HAND BAGGAGE, they were enforcing it. I had to pack my helmet into my luggage at the airport, no problem at Gatwick on the way out. Its not down to the airline, or IATA, or the TO, the airport makes the rules on this one.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Scarpa, Why should everyone be so bloody anti-social just to make a point?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Why would you want to take helmets in your hand luggage Puzzled They are bulky, but light, so stick them in your main bag.

Someone will be complaining soon about being unable to take your skis in hand luggage rolling eyes
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
RobW, I'm worried they'll be crushed.
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Mosha Marc, I've been carrying my helmet in checked luggage for nearly 10 years - which at a guess is at least 60 flights. On trips with the family we have 4 helmets between us. Never had any problems with a helmet being crushed.

From evidence on our recent Canada trip, the most likely thing to cause helmet damage (when not in use) is when the kids decide to throw/drop them off the top bunk bed!
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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?
Like RobW says, just fill em with other gubbins (goggles, anything fragile) pack your clothes around them and stick em in your checkin bag. I don't want the faff of carrying anything in hand luggage that i don't need during the journey.

On that subject have you SEEN the size of some peoples 'hand luggage'? Its a medium sized case in some er, cases Madeye-Smiley Shocked

WHY? I can survive for several hours without access to an entire cosmetics cabinet, my ski boots (or helmet) or whatever. Laughing
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Axsman wrote:

On that subject have you SEEN the size of some peoples 'hand luggage'? Its a medium sized case in some er, cases Madeye-Smiley Shocked

WHY? I can survive for several hours without access to an entire cosmetics cabinet, my ski boots (or helmet) or whatever. Laughing


I suspect many of them do it in order to get the weight of their hold luggage within the limits - or even to manage without hold luggage at all (probably not on ski trips).
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Axsman, as alex_heney says it's probably people trying to avoid having to pay for hold baggage (and then wait to claim it at the other end). It is unfeasibly annoying though - I've often wished airlines would start getting strict about the size 'rules'...

For ski trips, though, I tend to take a ski bag and a boot bag with me as hold luggage, but I'm not sure my helmet will fit in either very easily...hence normally carrying it strapped to my (v small!) rucksack. Looks like I'll have to take a bigger bag with me this time.
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ChrisWo, had to put it in my roller bag when i flew from Grenoble in December. had it clipped to my rucksack (as it had been when I flew from Gatwick to Geneva) but was told (politely) by check-in staff that i had to put it in hold bagage. Not a big deal really...
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If your helmet gets crushed you could buy a new one from here Toofy Grin
http://www.snowhead.co.uk/shop_2008_2009/ski_helmets.php
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Boredsurfing, Laughing

I assume these protect you from unsolicitied advertising as well as bumps on the noggin Very Happy
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alex_heney wrote:
Scarpa, Why should everyone be so bloody anti-social just to make a point?


Because I have never seen one reason (ok... valid reason) given as to why a lightweight ski helmet should be banned from hand luggage. I carry my goggles and other delicate items stuffed in my helmet to protect them. In my main holdall I have my ski boots and avi stuff. A bulky helmet just sits on top of all that and as I have a soft bag it puts it at risk of damage as you do tend to see baggage being thrown about quite a lot during unloading. Why should 2 French airports make life awkward when it seems to cause no problems anywhere else.

I work with large multinational companies. Many decisions are made by someone in a new position of authority and often that person has little experience of the complications which may arise from that act. Unless it causes a problem for the company then no one ever has a reason to change it. Meanwhile life becomes full of annoying little rules that people blindly obey yet do not understand.

F*** em!!! I intend to make my position clear at the airport in a polite way that will have a small impact on their business. If more people do the same then that information will filter up to a level where the original decision may be questioned.
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I'll use red and blue smudged biro to make a fake bruise on my forehead and wear the damn thing Twisted Evil
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Came through Grenoble airport this weekend on my way back from L2A.

Was surprised to see a notice at the check-in desk which said any helmets and boots found in hand luggage at the security check would be destroyed.

Seemed a bit heavy handed, suspect it's more of a deterant, but didn't see any instances where people had them in their hand luggage to judge.
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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.
Axsman wrote:
Boredsurfing, Laughing

I assume these protect you from unsolicitied advertising as well as bumps on the noggin Very Happy


More profitable than getting an ATOL licence Laughing wink
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It doesn't actually state that you can't wear them does it?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Scarpa wrote:
alex_heney wrote:
Scarpa, Why should everyone be so bloody anti-social just to make a point?


Because I have never seen one reason (ok... valid reason) given as to why a lightweight ski helmet should be banned from hand luggage. I carry my goggles and other delicate items stuffed in my helmet to protect them. In my main holdall I have my ski boots and avi stuff. A bulky helmet just sits on top of all that and as I have a soft bag it puts it at risk of damage as you do tend to see baggage being thrown about quite a lot during unloading. Why should 2 French airports make life awkward when it seems to cause no problems anywhere else.


They shouldn't.

But that is no reason for you to make things awkward for everybody else.

Quote:

I work with large multinational companies. Many decisions are made by someone in a new position of authority and often that person has little experience of the complications which may arise from that act. Unless it causes a problem for the company then no one ever has a reason to change it. Meanwhile life becomes full of annoying little rules that people blindly obey yet do not understand.

F*** em!!! I intend to make my position clear at the airport in a polite way that will have a small impact on their business. If more people do the same then that information will filter up to a level where the original decision may be questioned.


It may be a small (very small) impact on their business, but it will be a larger impact on all the poor sods in the queue behind you.

That is what I was getting at with my "anti-social" comment.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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You could say the same about any action taken... a protest, a strike, a work to rule, a march, a fuel protest, poll tax demonstrations. If they didn't make life awkward for someone then no one would ever pay attention to them. I'm not suggesting that it is desirable to cause disruption without thinking about it a great deal... but if every skier or boarder carrying a helmet questions the ruling upon check in then they may lift it.

Or... we just carry on being treated like cattle. A little short term pain.. or long term hassle. And with my luggage system and the hardware I carry I am not happy with having my helmet in the hold bag.

I will actually have space already prepared though so that I don't hold up the queue more than 30 seconds... but I will get my point across.

As Wolfie said in Citizen Smith... "Power to the People.... long live the Tooting Popular Front"



Laughing Laughing Laughing
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 Poster: A snowHead
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Wow... little known Citizen Smith fact... One third series episode was called Only Fools and Horses, which writer John Sullivan went on to use as the title of his next hit comedy.
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Scarpa, totally agree with your sentiment but I'll let you be the one being inconvienced. Very Happy

This also applies to skydiving helmets and sporting parachutes and friends got sent back at Bristol and Gatwick in Oct. One had to buy a new bigger suitcase before he could check everything!!
(mentioned here http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=45037#1080891)
but the skydiving community doesn't have the numbers of the skiing, so don't think we'll make much difference. And we had letters from the CAA confirming our parachutes were ok but when security say no, then no it is....
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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?
Scarpa wrote:
You could say the same about any action taken... a protest, a strike, a work to rule, a march, a fuel protest, poll tax demonstrations. If they didn't make life awkward for someone then no one would ever pay attention to them. I'm not suggesting that it is desirable to cause disruption without thinking about it a great deal... but if every skier or boarder carrying a helmet questions the ruling upon check in then they may lift it.



All those things are fine provided the people most inconvenienced by your action are the people it is aimed at. I accept you often can't avoid some "collateral damage".


But the action you are proposing will inconvenience other travellers more than the airline or airport.
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I took a trophy (won at the LSH Ski Challenge! Happy ) through security a few weeks ago. No way it was going in hold luggage! It was pretty heavy, and would have done a lot of damage if used as a lethal weapon... They did have to call 2 supervisors over to look at it, asked if i'd won it, and what for, then let it through.

I almost always take my helmet in my hand luggage, as it doesn't really fit in my suitcase without getting squashed.
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Do helmets fit the size limit on hand luggage? I rather doubt it.

Stanstead ban boots - do they ban helmets?
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snowball, yes they do, easily fit inside a backpack that fits in that measurey thingey.
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snowball wrote:
Do helmets fit the size limit on hand luggage? I rather doubt it.


Very easily. They aren't all that big really.

Quote:

Stanstead ban boots - do they ban helmets?


AFAIK, Grenoble are the only airport which ban helmets in hand luggage at present.
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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!
Some Airport directors consider that heavy/hard or bulky items could be used as a weapon! (honestly). I checked this with someone working within the airport industry. Whilst there are directives issued, each airport is responsible for decisions on hand luggage, and these can change more or less overnight. To be on the safe side just pack these items in your hold luggage.

Also, they could be considered an obstruction to exiting the aircraft in the case of emergency (as are many people's humungous pieces of "hand" luggage!). We have never had any problems packing 2 helmets, 2 pairs of board boots and a pair of ski boots in hold luggage, and prefer to board the aircraft with as little baggage as possible.
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Problem is, you have absolutely no rights at all at security. At Doncaster (Robin Hood), the jobsworth confiscated my water bottle even though it was empty. It was a specially shaped one that fitted into my rucksack pocket and as I don't know where to buy another I was quite cross. He said he didn't care if it was empty as I could go through and fill it up before I got on the plane! Shocked . So, what do they sell in duty free that is dangerous when decanted but fine when not? After a short Pythonesque conversation I got quite shirty. I was then told that either I shut up and apologised for being rude or I would be refused boarding!!!! Shocked

So I wouldn't argue too much Scarpa ...... rolling eyes
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Just to confuse issues even more than they already are ..... NehNeh

Flew out from gatwick on 31/1/09 with Thomson to Grenoble - checked thomson website and they said that boots were allowed as hand luggage BUT had to be 5kgs or under. Proceed to check in with new boots and helmet in boot bag only to be told that they weren't allowed as hand luggage - she wouldn;t say which wsn;t allowed.

Challenged decision and blagged that not only had I checked T & Cs on web but had also called them direct and checked two days previously.
She then smugly called supervisor who agreed with what I said and overruled her .... She wasn't looking so smug at that point .

Returning from Grenbole 7/2/09 - knew about ski boot ban from this site so knew not to chance it .... no signs at thomson desk about ban on helmets - took helmet through in hand luggage through xray machine at security no probs ....

Seems to me that airports are making their own individual rules as and when they please !!

I suppose the moral of the story is ... if you want to chance / risk it have a go, but always have a cunning back up plan like space in your checked in luggage just in case !!

If the airline staff don't have a clue how are we meant to know LOL

With all of the rule changes and amount of time that it actually takes to "fly" anywhere in europe - theres a lot to be said for driving yourself, until Eurotunnel bring in weight limits to cash in on us poor snowheads Laughing
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