I hate air travel. Baggage allowances are a pain and it’s always a minefield navigating the extra allowances and weight limits of each airline. Not to mention, if you’re travelling economy, airlines typically give you less weight allowance than you actually need, especially if you’re planning a longer ski vacation.
Here are some things that might help you on your air travel.
1) If paying for an extra bag, make sure it’s a sports bag and use ALL of your extra weight
It’s not uncommon for you to have to buy an extra bag if you’re going for a longer ski vacation. If you do buy an extra bag, many airlines offer discounts if your extra bag is a snowboard bag. It’s typically about half of the usual extra bag charge.
Pay for your extra bag listed as a sports/snowboard bag, then pack it to the brim. You’ll only have about 15 kg of actual snowboard gear, so check to see how much weight is allowed inside your sports bag. This means put clothes and anything else you want until your snowboard bag hits the free allowance limit.
Eg – Air New Zealand (fyi, the only airline you should use if flying to NZ. They have better chances of landing in NZ fog.)
Air New Zealand offers a 50% discount for buying an extra bag for carrying my snowboard gear. I buy that extra bag, then pack that bag up to 23 kg. This means I get an extra 7 kg of baggage room on top of my regular allowance, without paying the full price of an extra bag or overweight fees.
2) Bring a copy of the baggage allowance rules
I always bring a copy of the current baggage rules when I fly. You’ll find that many check in clerks don’t even know their own baggage rules, especially when you’re taking advantage of discounts and other weight tricks with sports bags.
If they complain, show them their own rules, and remember that if flying to/from international, you’re allowed to bring baggage according to international flight baggage allowances. Don’t let them charge you domestic fare charges.
3) Don’t bring base cleaner, unless you want to lose it
I mentioned in a previous blog that my base cleaner got confiscated from me at the airport. It’s flammable, but they don’t usually check your bag and for some reason it never showed up in their safety scans.
I suggest not bringing base cleaner, just in case it gets you into trouble or worse, they have to un-check your bag after you’ve already checked it in.
4) Don’t pack any bags over 32 kg (70 lbs)
It’s illegal for most airports to allow bags over 32 kg, due to health and safety regulations for the baggage handlers. Don’t pack any bags over 32 kg or they will not allow you to check it in, even if you try to pay for the extra weight.
5) Always get bags and receipts tagged to your final destination
When travelling over multiple flights, especially international to domestic transfers, always get your bags tagged all the way to your final destination. When you check in at your first flight, tell them to tag your bags all the way through, and double check that any extra bags or overweight fees you’ve paid has every destination listed on the receipt.
I’ve had check in staff try to charge me extra domestic fees just because the international flight check in didn’t tag my bags for the whole journey. It’s not a fun conversation to have and you’ll typically end up having to talk to their supervisor to get it sorted out, so avoid this if at all possible.
6) Hand carry your helmet/boots
If you’re really struggling to fit your gear in your weight allowance, hand carry your boots and helmet. They often don’t pay much attention to your hand carry, so you can usually clip your helmet to your carry on bag and just carry your boots with you.
Note: Do this at your own risk. They can technically tell you that you can’t bring that much hand carry luggage, but 9 times out of 10 they won’t check you.
Good luck with your air travel and I hope you have a smooth journey.
ps – You may find our air travel allowances list handy. It’s got basically every airline in the world on there with their snowboard/ski bag allowances. I try to keep it up to date, but I do apologize if any information is a little old. You can find the list here: Air Baggage Allowances