USA 3000 Airlines and scuba gear

[granthammer]

Has anyone flew with this airline? I'm going to Cozumel and was wondering about their allowance if any for scuba gear. Is there a weight or bagage limit? Any informtion will be helpfull.

 

[Kat]

USA3000 allows 2 checked bags, per person, with a combined weight of 100 pounds. No bag should weigh more than 50 pounds. ( 1 bag at 80 lbs. & 1 bag at 20 lbs is a no-no)
The bag should measure no larger than 62 in. in width, lenght or height. Bags over 50 pounds will be charged an excess baggage fee. Bags over 70 pounds are not allowed.

 

[donacheson]

Has anyone flew with this airline? I'm going to Cozumel and was wondering about their allowance if any for scuba gear. Is there a weight or bagage limit? Any informtion will be helpfull.

I flew to and from Cancun without a problem on USA3000 last November with scuba gear, but I travel light - all carryon. I flew on a Apple charter. Something jingles in the back of my mind that the rules may be different on USA3000 for Apple charters versus scheduled flights.

 

[granthammer]

I travelled before in the past and with some airlines, if you strictly pack sporting equipment (scuba) in a bag it would be complimentary, with no weight restrictions, and not considered with your 2 bag allowance. Is USA 3000 like this too?

USA3000 allows 2 checked bags, per person, with a combined weight of 100 pounds. No bag should weigh more than 50 pounds. ( 1 bag at 80 lbs. & 1 bag at 20 lbs is a no-no)
The bag should measure no larger than 62 in. in width, lenght or height. Bags over 50 pounds will be charged an excess baggage fee. Bags over 70 pounds are not allowed.

 

[Kat]

Excess weight: from 51 to 69 pounds - an additional $50 will be charged.

No scuba tanks allowed.
Other than that, there is no mention of scuba equipment. But here is the rule f/ golf clubs & I would think that this would apply to scuba equip. as well.
Golf Clubs: As an item over the 2 bag per person limit, an additional $50.

So... I would assume no additional charge if the clubs are the 2nd bag & weigh 50 pounds or less.

Don't ask - Don't tell
Most airlines don't ask you what you've packed, they don't care, as long as it comes in under the weight restrictions. Don't volunteer this info, because they might have some surprise fee for sporting goods. Now that the TSA is screening all checked luggage, the airline doesn't ask you any questions about your luggage. If your scuba equipment comes in under 50 pounds, you should have no problems.

Carry-on is restricted by size. 24x14x10 They don't care how heavy it is, as long as you can get it under your seat.

One last thing. USA3000 is not responsible for any damaged sporting equipment.

 

[teamheatwave]

I travelled with them in October/November. They re-wrote the luggage policy AFTER I booked with them. The allowances for a "scheduled" flight was different than charter / package deal flights. Then you were allowed 2 bags totalling 50 pounds, not 50 pounds each. In other words, an average of 25 pounds per bag. I had a huge heated "discussion" with USA3000 and my travel agency. My travel agent and I were given permission from a USA3000 Supervisor allwoing me to stay with the initial allowances of 2 bags, 50 pounds each since the rules changed after I booked. I have a lot of people I know of contacted USA3000 and I think they have modified the allowances again, a little more lienient. I would make sure of the allowances from their website and make sure it is for scheduled or charter flights. In other words, in the reservation area click on your departure city. if Cozumel comes up as one of the regular flights, you are ok. If not, it is probably a package deal from a travel agency like I got and therefore considered a charter and different rules apply. I also advise you to make printouts of those requirements as I did which helped my case. The rules may change between the time you book and the time you actually fly. In my case they changed a few days before. I did not have a full sized tank but did take along a spare air (emptied of course) with no problems.

 

[BrettM]

I used USA 3000 on my last trip to Coz in October. Kat has the facts on the rules when I traveled with them. I carry my reg onboard instead of packing it and doing this will save a decent amount of weight in your luggage. Tossing dive lights and batteries in your carry on will also help avoid weight restrictions.

 

[granthammer]

I used USA 3000 on my last trip to Coz in October. Kat has the facts on the rules when I traveled with them. I carry my reg onboard instead of packing it and doing this will save a decent amount of weight in your luggage. Tossing dive lights and batteries in your carry on will also help avoid weight restrictions.

It seems like I'm have no choice but bring four bags (my wife and I) and distribute the weight around all four to stay within the weight limit. Flashlights in my carry on!! I'm already packing two sets of regs! With the flashlights and batterier my carry-on will weigh a ton! lol

 

[ggunn]

Whoi is this USA 3000 airline? Is it new or a renamed older carrier? Where do they fly from?

 

[Kat]

I'm not sure how long they have been around. 2 or 3 years, maybe. They are owned by Apple Vacations. They started out being a charter airline for Apple. They have branched out to scheduled air. Some of the cities they fly out of, for scheduled air, are: Cleveland, Chicago - O'Hare, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale & St. Pete. There may be other cities as well, I don't know.