Boardbags et compagnies aériennes, comment éviter les mauvaises surprises…

Bali, Australie, Thailande, Philippines… Tous ces noms font rêver la plupart des wakeboardeurs, mais encore faut-il y aller !

Nous y sommes tous passés, ce moment où arrivés au guichet de l’aéroport, la sentence tombe: « Ce sera 100$ pour votre housse de wake »

« Whaaaaaat !? Mais c’est une housse de golf, regardez, c’est écrit dessus ! » Et non, ceci ne marche pas à tous les coups…. Comme tous les objets dits « exceptionnels », le transport de son matos en avion est quelque chose qui se prévoit.

Alors pour éviter les mauvaises surprises et s’assurer de ne pas casser votre tirelire dès le départ, en plus de checker les modalités en cours ( qui changent tellement régulièrement ) nous vous conseillons cet excellent article signé CARVE MAG !

AIR ASIA
Air Asia are a budget carrier based out of Kuala Lumpur and they’re great for connecting to Indo and onwards from Malaysia.
Pre-book board bags as way cheaper and you’re limited to 20kg if you just check in without pre-booking. They’re sticklers for fees but their excess weight fees are real world not crazy. Must be in a boardbag.
Max length: 2.77m/109in
Max weight: 32kg
Pre-book fees per leg: 30kg:£16

AIR CANADA
Amenable to surfers and good way to connect to Hawaii or Central America without having to suffer through US custom queues. Not to mention the mysto cold water Canadian coasts. Board bag counts as one of your checked bags. You can pre-register when booking.
Max length: 80in
Max weight: 23kg
Fee: $6.50 Canadian Dollars per leg handling charge. Not always enforced in our experience.

AIR FRANCE
Free as your checked luggage item (except for Economy Mini and Basic fare tickets).
Max length: 3m
Max weight: 23kg
Fees: €65 to €125 depending on route, mainly the Americas. So slightly confusing all round.
Reader comments: Peg Leg Rik, Paul Phelan and many others strongly urge you avoid Air France at all costs.

AIR NEW ZEALAND
Historically along with Virgin one of the legends of international surfer travel. Board bags no bother as long as in regulation and you can pre-book a board bag as an extra hold bag.
Max length: 2m
Max weight:23kg

AIR TAHITI NUI
For those of you fancying a pop at Teahupo’o or some other Tahitian dreams you might be worth checking Air France. Baggage rules a bit restrictive. Unless you’re going to hit Tea-ah-poo-poo on your 5’8”. Bags between 1.8 and 2m need to be sent as cargo. Board bags over 2m not accepted due to ickle planes.
Max length: 1.8m/70in
Max weight: 25kg
Reader comments: Board bags up to 2.5m ok according to Paul Lenfant

AMERICAN AIRLINES
The American airlines that are left have taken real anti-surfer stance which is pretty ironic considering the Californian roots of most of the world’s idea of surf culture. Anyhoose. AA at least don’t outright ban them like some other carriers but one to be avoided if possible.
Max length: 126in combined dimensions
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: $150USD

AVIANCA
You can take a triple board bag in addition to your hold bag with Colombia’s national carrier.
Max dimensions: 3.7m
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: $125-100 depending on destination

AZORES AIRLINES
Additional 10kg allowance for boards.

BRITISH AIRWAYS
Board bag considered checked baggage as long as it’s in weight. But watch out for the tiny length restriction.
Max dimensions: 1.9m/75in
Max weight: 23kg

DELTA
Allow max two boards in a bag and charge you for it. Like most US carriers best avoided.
Max length: 115in
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: $100-$150 depending on route

EASYJET
Our preferred European budget airline makes it easy to pre-book a board bag and extra hold bags if needed. They take canoes and windsurfers also so bag size rarely an issue. Never had an issue so far and they’ve got the Euro surf destinations down. One sports equipment per person. 6 max per booking.
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: £70 return

EMIRATES
One of the main carriers from Europe to wave rich wonders of Asia features modern planes and a stop off in pleasurable, if not a tad pricey, Dubai. Board bag goes as part of your checked allowance.
Max dimensions: 118in
Max weight: 23kg

ETIHAD
A relatively new player that’s also surfer friendly. Board bag is part of your checked allowance.
Max length: 3m
Max weight: 23kg

FLYBE
A handy UK airline for getting around our islands and across to Ireland. Not the biggest planes but good fares and for SW surfers having a hub at Exeter is a treat. Leave a bit of time to pay the bag fee at the airport.
Max length: Depends on plane, between 1.67m and 3m.
Max weight: 20kg
Fee: £30 per leg payable at the airport

GARUDA INDONESIA
Free boardbag in addition to your hold bag. Good work fellas. This is how it should be.
Max weight: 23kg
Max length: 3m

HAWAIIAN
Boards included in the baggage allowance. Limit of two per bag. Which seems a bit mental.
Max length: 115in
Max weight: 23kg
Fee: Inter island $35, Hawaii to US $100. Price varies from free to NZ/Oz to $150 per leg depending on destination.

IBERIA
There’s no bones about it, in the last few decades of surf travel Iberia undoubtedly top the list when it comes to horror stories about fees. Seems they’ve changed to allow boards as part of checked baggage allowance for long haul. One board limit. Fees apply for extra bags. €45 for short/medium haul.
Max length: 3.5m
Max weight: 23kg
Fee: €45 per leg

KLM
KLM let you take a board bag as part of your allowance. If you want a case as well then you can pay for an extra bag. On European routes you just prebook the standard hold baggage fee. If you want a hold bag and a board bag it’s €68 each way.
Max length: 118in
Max weight: 23kg

LATAM CHILE
No stress with Chile’s national carrier either your bag goes as your allowance as long as it follows the rules. Handy in a county so long that internal flights are pretty essential unless you really love 30 hour road trips.
Max dimensions: 3m
Max weight: 23kg

LUFTHANSA
Not an airline we’ve used but like KLM they can be good value and hopping to their European hubs not a bother. Well. It wouldn’t be if they didn’t charge for boards.
Max length: 2m
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: €100

MALAYASIAN
Carried as part of free checked allowance and Malaysian have an awesome free checked allowance of two 30kg bags which makes them a very worthwhile option. Prices are good too. Hook up with Air Asia from KL and you’re sweet for Indo.
Max length: 2.5m
Max weight: 30kg

NORWEGIAN
Europe’s award winning budget carrier is a growing player and has a modern fleet and good prices, especially to the US. Boards are paid up at booking time.
Max weight: 25kg
Max length: 2.5m
Fee: short haul £33 – 38 GBP (online) 43 – 52 GBP (airport). Long haul £47 GBP (online) 52 GBP (airport).All items are charged per item, each way.

QANTAS
As you’d expect from Australia’s main airline they take boards for free. As with all the big players keep inside the rules or you’ll get stung excess.
Max length: 2.7m/109in
Max weight: 32kg

QATAR
Another of the Middle Eastern airlines that are your ticket to the joys of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and beyond. Doha is a pretty functional but sparse airport but their prices tend to be good and free board carriage as part of your checked allowance. But double check if you’re taking a hold bag too.
Max dimensions: 118in
Max weight: 30kg

RYANAIR
Ryanair always get their pound of flesh but they’ve committed to being more human and simplifying charges. Their fares are also ridiculously cheap. But when you add the board fees then there’s not much budget left about it.
Max length: Standard board bags always go with no problem. Hard to find a specific length on their site.
Max weight: 20kg
Fee: £50 each way for ‘Large sports equipment’

SINGAPORE AIRLINES
Flying to Singapore is a joy, it’s one of the world’s leading airports and not a bad place for a layover. Singapore airlines run a new fleet of them fancy double decker Airbuses so you can really travel in style. Board bags are part of your checked allowance also.
Max length: 2m
Max weight: 32kg

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
A tricky one with SAA, board bags under two metres go as a free additional bag. Over two must go as cargo. So make sure you get your small print sorted if venturing to J-Bay.
Max length: 2m
Max weight: 23kg

SOUTHWEST
Another US airline you’ll only encounter if you fly code share to the US.
Max length: 80in
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: $75 each way

SRI LANKAN
Your go to outfit for Sri Lanka or the Maldives are understandably cool with boards. Hell they used to sponsor surf events too! Nice weight limit too.
Max length: 118in
Max weight: 30kg

TAP PORTUGAL
The main carrier to Portugal that isn’t budget will actually take longboards which is a rare treat these days. Pity about the fees.
Max weight: 32kg
Fees: Up to 2m €50 over 2m €100 per leg!
Editors comment: Had my hold bag delayed by two days then an amateur hour scenario where rather than courier to hotel I had to go collect from a bus station. Fourth time I got told it would be there it was. 48 hours in limbo. And the bag padlock had been cut off and GoPro burgled. So. Try and go with Easyjet eh?

THAI AIRWAYS
Perplexing rules but it ain’t good. Doesn’t count as your free baggage and only one board allowed.
Max length: 109in
Max weight: 30kg
Fee: $100 if under 2m $200 if over!

UNITED
With a fee scheme like this it’s a surprise any surfer would book with United. Two hundred bucks each way?!? You guys are loco.
Max length: 115in
Max weight: 32kg
Fee: $150 each way in US airspace and $200 each way international?!?