I read this on undercurrents.
Frequent Undercurrent contributor Lawrence Schnabel had plans to fly from Los Angeles to North Carolina for a dive trip, only to find that his baggage charges would be about the same as his ticket.
“I flew on Delta for a dive trip in North Carolina. I had planned to take a 13 cu-ft., eight-pound pony bottle because the dives would exceed 100 feet in depth. I have never been charged extra when I pack my pony in my dive bag but Delta’s Web site said any scuba tank would be charged $175 to transport. I phoned Delta to see if this included pony bottles. Yes, indeed -- and the Delta rep said the $175 fee was each way, $350 total! As the North Carolina dive shop had no ponies to rent, I shipped mine via UPS but paid $91 because I needed it to arrive in four days.”
Other airlines also slap a high price on a pony bottle. American Airlines charges $100, United charges $175. Head to Asia and the charges rise as high as $250. And yes, these fees are for each flight leg.
So if you want to tote a tank, check the airline’s policy before you go. Or, says Schnabel, “You can risk packing the pony in a dive bag and pray the check-in person does not bring up the exorbitant charge. But you may have nowhere to store it at the airport if you’re asked to pay up.” Forget about bringing it as a carry-on item -- airline reps told us no air tanks, even small ones, are allowed through the security line.
Frequent Undercurrent contributor Lawrence Schnabel had plans to fly from Los Angeles to North Carolina for a dive trip, only to find that his baggage charges would be about the same as his ticket.
“I flew on Delta for a dive trip in North Carolina. I had planned to take a 13 cu-ft., eight-pound pony bottle because the dives would exceed 100 feet in depth. I have never been charged extra when I pack my pony in my dive bag but Delta’s Web site said any scuba tank would be charged $175 to transport. I phoned Delta to see if this included pony bottles. Yes, indeed -- and the Delta rep said the $175 fee was each way, $350 total! As the North Carolina dive shop had no ponies to rent, I shipped mine via UPS but paid $91 because I needed it to arrive in four days.”
Other airlines also slap a high price on a pony bottle. American Airlines charges $100, United charges $175. Head to Asia and the charges rise as high as $250. And yes, these fees are for each flight leg.
So if you want to tote a tank, check the airline’s policy before you go. Or, says Schnabel, “You can risk packing the pony in a dive bag and pray the check-in person does not bring up the exorbitant charge. But you may have nowhere to store it at the airport if you’re asked to pay up.” Forget about bringing it as a carry-on item -- airline reps told us no air tanks, even small ones, are allowed through the security line.
