Travel Advice: The Board Bag
Michelle Shea
For adventure enthusiastic snowboarders, the board bag is a necessity when traveling by air. The large, difficult to carry luggage is a rider’s home away from home, and travel without it would be nearly impossible. With the economy forcing airlines to crack down on allowed baggage, snow travel is becoming more of a financial burden as our beloved board bags are singled out. Several major airlines seem especially prejudiced against snowboarders and surfers, and have added hidden fees that show up when checking in at the airport. Based on the mood of the ticket counter operator, snowboarders can be charged an oversize fee, a per board fee, or any combination of the two, and these charges quickly add up into hundreds of dollars.
On a recent trip to South America I was the victim of board bag prejudice, facing an abhorrent fee, one that my skier friends (on the same flight) did not have to pay. To my further frustration, I found that only snowboard and surfboard bags were charged with heavy fees. What is a snowboarder to do when checking in, disgrace the sport they love and claim they are a skier? Exactly! On my return flight home, not wanting to be financially penalized for the board, I decided to beat the airlines at their own game. I removed my bindings and hid my board under a flap of material in my bag, so the board was not visible when the bag was opened. When the check-in asked me if my bag was a ski bag, I replied, “no, I just like to shop”. No fees, no penalties, and my board arrived safely at home.
Many airlines have loopholes when it comes to oversize baggage, and knowing what you can get away with can save your pockets, and your trip! Here are a few tips I have learned in my travels with a boardbag.
* Weigh your bag before departure. If you know it will be overweight, organize your bag so you can take out heavy items and wear or carry them on. In many airports you have to drag your big bag to an oversize loading area, so after you take out your heavy gear in front of the ticket counter put it back in before you give it to the oversize check-in.
* Domestic flights can have a significantly lower allowed baggage weight, but if you have a connection to an international flight, argue that you deserve the international weight limit.
* Add a hidden compartment to your boardbag (or purchase a bag with one already). To be used if you need to hide a board.
* Try and avoid some domestic charges with an extra carry-on. I like to bring a small, lightweight bag that I fill with everything that is heavy. This gives me another option for storage, since I tend to accumulate extra stuff on a trip. I use the small bag as a carry-on so my board bag is as light as possible, and less likely to rack up overweight charges.
* Try not to draw attention to you large bag. Lift it onto the scale as though it is the lightest thing ever, and then leave some of the end hanging on the ground so the scale is not getting a full reading. After placing the bag on the scale, try to engage in small conversation with the ticket checker so they do not notice that the bag is not entirely on the scale. Compliments seem to work best!
* If you fly American Airlines, or some of their affiliate airlines (Mexicana) be sure to hide your board and claim you have skis!
If anybody else has any tips or travel experiences, I would love to hear them! The more ways I can learn to travel with my home away from home without being blasted with ridiculous fees, the happier I will be! Enjoy the adventure.
