Airlines?

[herman]

Most all the airlines have a similar rule. The "special items" take up a lot of room and require special handling. To keep you from claiming it's "luggage" they created this special rule. They just don't want to have to deal with big or odd shaped items and if you insist, they are going to charge you to do so. They also don't want to take responsibility if ....make that when, expensive stuff gets stolen. This is aimed more at tanks than anything else. Fact is, if you don't tell them there is dive gear in your baggage, they have no way of knowing. It's the TSA that searches bags, not the airlines and they could care less what is in the bags as long as it's legal to carry. I carry gear in my luggage all the time with no problems, just don't disclose what in your bags. I always carry on my mask and regs, the TSA could care less and the airline does not need to know.
Would you like to take a 3rd piece of luggage and do it for free? Put your gear in a golf bag. Most airlines consider scuba gear "special equipment" and want to charge you for even having it in your luggage but for some reason golf clubs don't require any handling at all, take up no room and weight nothing or at least that's the way it appears since they will allow a golf bag in addition to your 2 pieces of luggage for free.
Just pack your gear in a regular suitcase, don't sticker it up dive flags, don't ask, don't tell, pack all you can in carry on and travel. As long as you don't go over the weight limit, you will be fine.

 

[Rinkopr]

I guess it's the way they suck up to us business travlers

 

[cdiver2]

On my last trip the lady at the Continental counter informed me there is an allowance for scuba gear.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Like herman said, most airlines have that rule. I've flown US Airways lots of times with scuba gear and not had a problem yet. TSA does the baggage check, not the airlines. As for using dive bags, stickered Pelicans, etc, personally, I don't use those when travelling, mainly to deter thieves, but I know several divers who do travel with those (with expensive camera equipment inside) and not had to pay any surcharges. Just stay under the weight limit.

 

[Ron Brandt]

I am taking Skyervice to Cozumel tomorrow....items such as scuba gear,golf clubs,etc are allowed on free in addition to regular bagage.

Ron

 

[Buoyant1]

Great! Thanks for the heads up and advice! I knew I could count on you all!!


The regs, my computer, mask and camera will accompany me in my "fits just nicely in the overhead" carry on...the rest will be in a "plain Jane" samsonite with a TSA lock...

 

[WicketsMom]

I've never had an airline charge extra for my scuba gear, as long as it was within the normal luggage allowances. We've used Delta, Continental, USAir, and American for our dive trips. However, you may want to double-check the weight limits. Most airlines have recently lowered the international weight limit from 70 lbs. per bag to 50 lbs. per bag. We had been trying to take fewer, but larger (and heavier) bags but this changed our plans.

 

[ScubaMike14]

I used to work for Frontier and United Airlines. This rule applies to "oversize" items as they are a pain to carry, stow, and just deal with in general. Most airlines allow 2 checked bags, each cannot exceed 80 pounds in weight. You are also allowed a carry on and a "personal" item such as a laptop, purse or small backpack.

I have travelled from the US to the Carribean and taken all my gear, including a Low Pressure Steel 95 (tank). No problem at all. The tank had to be empty with the valve removed, and the airline and the TSA people that look at the checked bag were informed. Again, I had no problem at all.

Also, there is NO weight limit on your checked bag or personal item. I recently took 50 pounds of soft weight in my checked bag. You can also bring fins as your personal item to save room in your regular bag.

So, as long as you have "normal" sized luggage and it doesn't exceed any weight limits your are okay. TSA has also changed the rules as of December, 2005 so that we can carry dive knives (small ones) again in our checked bags.

Mike

 

[halocline]

I've read several of these threads about problems traveling with scuba gear...I've been flying for about 20 years several times a year with a $10,000 guitar. I"ve had more fights with airline employees, and recently TSA workers, than I can remember. The bottom line is, there are no hard and fast rules about baggage, carry ons, etc. Every gate agent is different, every TSA station is different, every flight attendant is different. I've had pilots overrule zealous flight attendants and let me take the guitar on the plane, I've had TSA inspectors ruin guitar cases by not latching them up correctly... sheesh. Lately Delta has initiated this absurd policy of denying ALL musical instruments in the cabin except ones smaller than the official carryon size. The last flight this happened to me, I insisted that we measure EVERY carryon bag in the cabin, and if ANY of them exceeded the listed dimensions, (this includes all garment bags) if there were any over the limit, I would complain about unfair treatment. The pilot let me take it on. Of course I was not a popular guy to that crew. It's become a big enough issue that the musician's union negotiated an arrangement with the TSA so that they officially recommend that airlines allow instruments on board as long as they fit in overhead compartments. I've never understood why this is an issue, as musical instruments are fragile and expensive. Imagine your typical symphony musician traveling with a $75,000 violin that easily fits in overhead compartments, but is a few inches longer than the listed dimensions for carry on items. Wanna buy a seat for that instrument? Sorry! There are two seats in the entire airplane that can legally hold an instrument, and those are among the first to be assigned to passengers. It's amazing how many airline employees have no idea about that one.

Scuba gear is pretty tough and I have no problem checking it in baggage, including regulators. Actually, a hard plastic microphone case would be a perfect container for a reg; just the right size, and filled with foam that can be cut to allow for a nice fit, and you could toss the whole thing in a larger bag.

Sorry for the rant!

 

[cdiver2]

I've read several of these threads about problems traveling with scuba gear...I've been flying for about 20 years several times a year with a $10,000 guitar. I"ve had more fights with airline employees, and recently TSA workers, than I can remember. The bottom line is, there are no hard and fast rules about baggage, carry ons, etc. Every gate agent is different, every TSA station is different, every flight attendant is different. I've had pilots overrule zealous flight attendants and let me take the guitar on the plane, I've had TSA inspectors ruin guitar cases by not latching them up correctly... sheesh. Lately Delta has initiated this absurd policy of denying ALL musical instruments in the cabin except ones smaller than the official carryon size. The last flight this happened to me, I insisted that we measure EVERY carryon bag in the cabin, and if ANY of them exceeded the listed dimensions, (this includes all garment bags) if there were any over the limit, I would complain about unfair treatment. The pilot let me take it on. Of course I was not a popular guy to that crew. It's become a big enough issue that the musician's union negotiated an arrangement with the TSA so that they officially recommend that airlines allow instruments on board as long as they fit in overhead compartments. I've never understood why this is an issue, as musical instruments are fragile and expensive. Imagine your typical symphony musician traveling with a $75,000 violin that easily fits in overhead compartments, but is a few inches longer than the listed dimensions for carry on items. Wanna buy a seat for that instrument? Sorry! There are two seats in the entire airplane that can legally hold an instrument, and those are among the first to be assigned to passengers. It's amazing how many airline employees have no idea about that one.

Scuba gear is pretty tough and I have no problem checking it in baggage, including regulators. Actually, a hard plastic microphone case would be a perfect container for a reg; just the right size, and filled with foam that can be cut to allow for a nice fit, and you could toss the whole thing in a larger bag.

Sorry for the rant!

Maybe they don't want LARGE musical instruments in the overhead because other passengers need to share that overhead. More times than enough I have found larger or more bags than they where allowed in the overhead and there was no room for my stuff. What really POs me is the person that gets on first puts there baggage in one overhead and go's and sits somewhere else.
The last time this happened a young lady! put her bagS in the overhead above my seat then went and sat across the other side of the aircraft (a 3-4-3 seating arrangement). I took the bags out and threw them on the floor, put my bags in. When the stewardess came and asked who's they where I pointed to her and said her's, she (passenger) turned her head to look out the window.