Hawaiian Air: Scuba Equipment as Baggage

[alm]

While I'm waiting for Hawaiian Air to answer my email, can anyone relate
a recent experience with them on this subject? The text on
their website makes the paranoid (me) believe that
you can't carry on scuba equipment (even if its
linear dimensions would otherwise permit it) or pack it in your 2 "free" checked
bags, which I find very hard to believe (yes, I've read the TSA regs on
scuba equipment).

Their website says:

Hawaiian Airlines will accept your scuba diving equipment as checked baggage. Scuba diving equipment is defined as one scuba tank (empty), one scuba regulator, one tank harness, one tank pressure gauge, one mask, two fins, one snorkel, one knife, one speargun, and one safety vest. Scuba diving equipment will not be included in determining the free baggage allowance and will always be subject to the following current charges each; prices are subject to change.
- $25.00 between any two points in Hawaii
- $80.00 between Hawaii and the Continental USA
- $80.00 between points within the Continental USA
- $80.00 between Hawaii and the South Pacific
- $100.00 between the Continental USA and the South Pacific

 

[RICHinNC]

TSA establishes "national" security standards..and the individual airlines can make them more restrictive in nature if they so desire. Delta and US Air also are prejudice against divers versus golfers or hang gliders for example and change extra for dive gear.....if they know you are transporting it.

I recommend you print off TSA regs and attach them to any tank you plan on putting in check in luggage.....and I also recommend you completely drain the tank and remove the valve replacing it with a tank plug. Or, you may find your tank missing at destination.
rich

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

They leave you with only one choice. . . Don't declare your scuba gear.

 

[Diver Girl 1]

Hi, I agree with Tim. Don't declare it. I worked for TSA and we always followed TSA guidelines. Not the airlines. Like on the flipside, they might say that something is allowed by their standards, but isn't by ours. We would go by TSA standards. I read another thread that stated that other airlines will charge extra for scuba gear if you tell them that you have it. It is really a chance for them to make money.

Let's say that you do not declare it, go up to the checkpoint with it in you carry on luggage, and then TSA asks to search your bag (which they should due to high metal content and such). They will search it and then let you go since it it allowed in the aircraft. Even when they xray your checked bags, they may search it, but they are not going to run to the ticket counter and make sure that you declared it. I hope this helps.

 

[DiveMaven]

We've never been charged for taking dive gear on Hawaiian. We carry on our regs/computer/camera, and check everything else, and haven't had any problems. However, we do Hele On and check our bags at the curb, which means we avoid the counter agents. We've never had a porter question what's in our bags, and since we keep them under 50#, it hasn't been an issue.

We're heading back to Maui in July, so we'll see what happens this time.

 

[alm]

The latest clarification from them (Hawaiian) is that yes they do want my money
for checked scuba gear, they allow carryons of all TSA approved kinds
(EXCEPT empty valve-less cylinders; they either just don't want them
carried-on or too lazy to read the TSA regs; they haven't gotten back to me to
say which; for that matter they also prohibit bowling balls as carry-on luggage
).

I'm going to do "something" and I'll report if anything interesting happens
(or even if nothing interesting happens).

 

[Uncle Pug]

You don't need to take a tank (or weights) to Hawaii... rentals are cheap or even free (mine was.) My Jet fins were too long to fit in my carry on so I just carried them by the spring straps and put them in the over head. Just carry on your stuff and have fun.

 

[pnwdiverman]

I just got back from Maui flying on Hawaiian. I took everything but tanks. Had had three bags over weight. 60#, 65# and 60#. Going to Hawaii they didn't bat an eye. Coming back it $25.00 per over weight bag. They only charged me for one over weight bag. THey were very nice and helpful at the ticket counter. I carried my compass and dive computers with me. I forgot on my console and now my compass has a bubble in it.

 

[RICHinNC]

For what its worth, I travel with my pony and I have spoken with many TSA customer reps at airports and the TSA HQ itself.

It doesnt matter what the written TSA rules say....the guy on the ground has the final say in what happens or does not happen. Every TSA rep I have spoken with tells me....yes the reg does say you can take a pony in carry on....but....aint gonna happen. Drain it, take valve off....and put in check in....and no problem.

So far....no problem.

 

[BDub]

I just got back from Maui yesterday. On the flight over I had everything except my wetsuit in my carry-on bag. Coming back I threw my wetsuit, Jet Fins, and some other, less significant items in check-in. I was not asked, nor did I declare what is in them and had no problems.

On a related note...Pug, how many carry-ons did you have with you? Just the one bag and your fins? Or did you have the one bag, your "personal item", and the fins?

The gate personnel had me put my carry-on on bag in the rack to make sure it was within size limits and it barely fit (after moving lots of stuff around). The fins are what took up the most space.

Brian