Getting a snowboard on a Flybe flight ???!!!

A snowHead

HI,

Im due to fly with Flybe to Chambery from Birmingham in January. Ive been told that I need to show up at the airport with my snowboard and that Flybe will put it on the plane if theres room and then Ill need to pay £30 each way

Has anyone got any experience on their boards not being accepted onto a flight. My holiday is going to be pants without my board !!!

Thanks

cran

Is this the same flight as you are taking the other snowboard on?

I guess if you have two, there's more chance of getting one of them on...

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

snow_badger, you may be flying in a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 - in which case hold space may be tight. Question is what happens to your board if Flybe won't accept it? Can't help on that, I'm afraid.

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Take a look at Piste of Mind - they do a UK to France luggage transfer service.

Prices are about the same as you've been quoted with flybe - and no weight limit!!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Need to look at how busy the flight is going to be - my contact at BHX says its only a problem at peak times - if you're off-season it shouldn't be a problem - I'd be more worried about the flight - the Flybe turbo-props don't like it if there's any weather around Chambery

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janner - no aircraft likes the weather around Chambery - there is always a rsik of ending up at Lyon if you plan to fly to Chambery. - Just google the airport website and look at the pictures to see why!

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

So here is what happens if they can't fit it on the flight. They put it on the next one, usually later the same day, or the next day.

It doesn't happen often, but skis and boards are a bit of a low priority for airlines vs clothes and other essentials. So if anything is staying off, it will be the sports gear.

If that happens, hope that you are with a decent TO which will go and pick up the rest of your gear for you from the airport while you tuck into your dinner on the first evening. If you are doing DIY then you need to get yourself back to the airport to collect the stuff, or find some other way to get it to resort. Another good reason for booking with a decent TO - the one we were with last year went back to the airport to collect 3 or 4 pairs of skis that hadn't made it onto the flight, the owners just sat in the lounge drinking beer while they sorted it out for them.

If you can't go back and collect it, then it will sit in the airport until you go back there on your way home. Not a great idea IMO.

After all it is free

Monium - Your scenario depends on whether the airline have accepted or not. Once it is tagged and disappears it is their responsibility to get it to you. My skis have arrived by courier on a coupple of occasions - and the airline paid for rental in the meantime. Agrred it makes it difficult if tey turn you away at the desk - the ley being pay online for the kit and check in early.

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Im slightly annoyed that if I were to take ski's and they couldn't fit onto the flight then I would be able to get a full refund on my ticket. This is not the case with a snowboard.

Unfortunately its a DIY holiday so the option of the TO collecting it wont happen.

The next flight out the chambery after ours is the following week !!! so Im terrified I wont get my board on the flight as then my holiday is useless !

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Your holiday won't be wasted, you'll just have to hire a board.

Isn't it just ski/board carriage? I don't understand why it would be different for skis vs board. If you get a refund as a result of ski, you get a refund as a result of board surely?

Ultimately, you have travel insurance that covers your luggage not arriving. That would cover renting equipment to cover a bag that has not arrived with most winter sports cover.

And it happens very rarely. Airlines do not want the hassle of moving bags around and getting them back to respective owners in resorts. They want the bags to match the passengers, and when the flight arrives everyone has what they brought with them. They are (despite the media view of it) fairly good at it.

snow reports

snow_badger, Your holiday might be impacted but not useless; while I'm sure you love your board to bits there will be plenty of boards that you could hire in extremis.
I can't see why a snowboard is different to skis with regard to how Flybe deal with the problem. In any event if your sports equipment couldn't fit on the flight would you really want a refund? to what end? pay more for another flight if available? lose the money you've paid for accommodation if there is no alternative flight?

FWIW I travelled with Flybe to Salzburg, every ski and board bag made it on the flight - over 30 of them. that doesn't cover the prop plane scenario though

You're being a tad melodramatic methinks.

Flybe states that Ski's and snowboards are classed differently.

With regards to the refund for the ski's. Flybe state that you need to ring within 24hrs of making a booking to secure ski equipment on the flight. If when you ring, you are told that your ski's cannot be accepted onto the flight then you get offered a refund on the flight whilst on the phone.

As ive booked my flight in august, flying out in Jan this would, if I had ski's and received a refund, leave plenty of time to re-arrange flights.

As I havent booked my travel insurance yet Im not sure if they would cover me knowing that Flybe could potentially leave my board at the airport. (hope that makes sense)

You know it makes sense.

Yes, your travel insurance would cover you. Don't worry about it. It won't happen. And if it does, they will either get your luggage to you, or your insurance will pay for board hire for the week.

If you are really really worried about this, don't take your board. At £30 each way, you could hire a decent board in resort for the same cost by the time you've waxed and edged it.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Someone at FlyBe must really hate snowboarders.

While I can see the logic in the issue of luggage capacity for small planes it is very curious that they state so clearly their differentiation between skis and boards.

My skis and bindings weigh in at 6.5kgs. Surely a board is little difference in weight if not lighter?

A snowHead

I could always put my boots and bindings into my main luggage, thus further reducing my snowboard bag weight. The board is only 149cm long, though not sure on its weight

A snowHead

snow_badger, as I understand it, even if you ring up to secure that your equipment goes on the flight it'll be first come first served at the airport. I'm sure there have been a number of threads on here about it

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

149cm's - thats almost hand luggage!

But seriously, in years of my own and others boards aross europe and north america, i've never had a problem, so I suggest taking a relaxed attitude to the problem, just keep to the weight limits you've been given, and don't arrive at the airport in good time.

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I was panicking about this the last time i flew with flybe and had no problem. In the end the flight was in one of their jets rather than the turbo-props so there was plenty of room. I guess you'll probably be fine, but i doubt that will give you any reassurance.

As a work around, is there anything in their terms and conditions about the size of your check in luggage? If not, why not just cram all your stuff in your board bag and make your board bag your suitcase. If you have a decent size board bag and can live without your tuxedo for a week you should be grand.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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achilles, you are right, those are the correct figures that FlyBE have on their site. I've used them from Southampton to Chambery a couple of times and took my skis with me. They told me the same as snow_badger, that you can book (and pay) for the skis but it's no guarantee they will go on. But it's rubbish really; the last flight I was on they had too many ski bags for the hold so they ended up freeing up some hold space by taking out small pieces of luggage, and storing that luggage within some crew-lockers etc in the main cabin.

Also, the dimensions are rubbish too, at Southampton at least they didn't even look at the size of our bags, and we were on the Bomardier plane, so the shorter of the dimensions that you listed. My mate had a coffin bag which was longer than 2 metres and it was fine, mine is 180cm and again fine.

So I understand that it of course seems a risk, and I was nervous about it at the time; but in my experience FlyBE are not at all strict with it, and I got the impression most of the check-in staff weren't even aware of the restrictions.

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

thanks for all the comments so far. I think that i will def look at getting the boards and luggage sent out with " piste of mind".

Now ill have to find out if I can cancel my hold luggage without incuring a huge cost

After all it is free

Dav, I've also taken 176 skis on their smallest plane fine.

My man at BHX says skis & boards on Flybe are like a box of matches - plenty of room if you've only got to get one or two in (and some flexibility on length/width), bit more of a problem if you're trying to fill up the whole box (or have too many boards/skis)
Apparently it's due to the load space - they don't have the full belly hold that most jets do

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Fedex or DHL them to your Hotel/apartment, it will be no more expensive.

It also depends on your equipment aswell, if your board is your typical freestyle board hire one and use your own bindings. For £60 you will get a decent enough board and will have the added bonus of getting it waxed for free half way through the week if you speak to the shop manager nicely enough.

But if your board is a bespoke custom job and you need it, definitely Fedex it, it will probably be better looked after aswell.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

well.... since this has all happened ive had an email from flybe stating I could have a refund on my flight if i wanted.

snow reports

snow_badger, if you do decide to courier your kit make sure there will be someone at your accommodation to receive it and store it for you till you arrive, and to pass it to the courier when you leave.... and as your are a bit of a worrier, will it be insured when in the care of your accommodation?

TO we have booked with are using Fly Be this winter Edinburgh to Salzburg
It seems they are restricting the number of skis they are planning to take on each flight
I am assuming this by the way things are laid out on their web site
I'm not over worried the worst that could happen is I would need to hire
I wont be putting any other gear in the ski bag though just in case Shocked

You know it makes sense.

Feb 2010 I flew from BHX to Chambery on a QBuzzz Flybe flight, was told all the same blab!

167mm max size skis
145mm max size snowboard
(Only people measuring 5ft5 and below have boards/skis at the that size)

etc, etc ...

All rubbish, I asked at the airport they said that any size was fine - as long as everyone didnt have a set on board the flight. - Just get there early to make sure your set gets on the flight.

I boarded with 2 sets of skis in one bag which has wheel and measures 175mm in lenght, no problems what so ever. its a Lokker wheelie bag.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

since i last posted.. ive had a full refund off flybe and im booking with Piste of mind to take our luggage.

Spoken to a few people that haven't managed to get their boards/ski on flybe flights on the way back from holiday !!! so i wasn't going to take the chance. It turned out that some of the travelers had bought boards whilst out on holiday so obviously there were more boards coming back then there were going out !!

A snowHead

holidayloverxx, Naughty! But I agree with your sentiments!!

A snowHead

snow_badger, if they bought boards on holiday then they probably didn't book the carriage Puzzled

Roy Hockley, Twisted Evil

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

the point is you cant book carriage for snowboards... just show up at the airport with the board and they shall see if they can fit it on the flight Twisted Evil

Help!!

Getting a snowboard on a Flybe flight ???!!!

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