Airline Policies With XC Ski Baggage
Editor: xcskiworld.com has developed this resource of airline policies with regards to the specific needs of XC skiers traveling with ski gear. International readers are asked to note that the information presented is specific to North American based airlines and may or may not translate to international carriers.
The editor would also like to ask all readers with recent experiences or information on this subject to contact our offices so that we can continue to keep the XC community up-to-date with info on the subject.
Very General Tips
New Tips (updated Winter 2007)...via experiences over the past several years with more than one member of the xcskiworld.com community, we'd like to pass along some special cautions to skiers looking to travel by air in the near future.
New for the 06/07 season are airline/security department rules regarding liquids and gels in your carry-on luggage. If you want to carry any liquid or gel (i.e. toothpaste, hand cleaner, etc.) on planes now, you have to use travel size 3 oz. or less containers and place all the containers in a maximum one quart size clear Ziploc-type plastic bag. You CAN put multiple items in the same bag, but each item can only contain a max of 3 oz. of liquid or gel. Be prepared to have this clear Ziploc bag scanned outside your other carry-on gear. Water bottles must be empty of liquid...but otherwise can be still taken on (you can fill them by asking a flight attendant). Many airlines are now allowing drinks purchased in the security area on board, but you cannot take drinks (even water in bottles) through security at any airport.
Careful With Residue On Ski Bags: A skier reported being delayed for 30 minutes at a small airport (without the automated screening machines for checked baggage) when the Transportation Security Administration folks got a red flag due to wax cleaner residue on the ski bag handles. The red flag got redder (of course) when they actually opened the bag and wiped the skis inside. This problem can be helped by using citrus-based cleaners that are far less likely to leave a troubling residue (at least in the TSA scanning machine eyes).
Residue With Wax Boxes: Part two of the wax cleaner saga involves another skier that actually missed her plane (when at the airport 90 minutes prior to departure...again, a small airport) due to TSA folks hitting red flags on nearly every item in her wax box, stored within checked baggage. Mind you, nothing in the box was illegal (you obviously can't carry any flammable wax cleaners for instance) but it is logical that many scrapers and even kick wax cans/tubes will have wax cleaner residue. Once again, the only solution may be to do a housecleaning of your entire wax kit with citrus cleaner or even benign household cleaners.
And finally...amusing as it might be, a third skier was detained for 45 minutes while TSA staff at one major airport searched for someone that could translate the Norwegian on his klister tubes. Seems they didn't believe that the English "For old granular and icy snow between -3 and 0C" printed very clearly on the tube meant the same in Norwegian. Afterwards such a tale is pretty comical, but if it means missed flights and expensive travel changes, the fun stops in a hurry.
One very sensible (though perhaps not always affordable) alternative to wax box fun and games at the airport may be to package up anything that could raise red flags in the scanners and ship/mail it ahead of time to meet you at your destination. This is particularly viable with groups. Another option is to grab a few product manuals from the various wax companies (manuals that list the entire product line, most retailers have them) and have those manuals tucked inside your wax box. Being able to document what it is you are carrying and why you are carrying it could greatly speed up even a red flag situation.
Other Very General Tips
Nearly everyone we talked to in the airline industry advised contacting specific carriers before you travel to make sure of baggage limits and requirements. Unfortunately, since so many airlines officially state one thing and practice another "in the field", the best advice is to actually contact the airline counter of your departure city and find out what their policy is on the ground. This might not mean you'll get the same treatment when you return from your destination, but it's a better bet than talking to a faceless customer service rep reading from a computer screen.
Seasoned XC travelers will tell you that the very best way to avoid hassles and fees is to pack only what you need on ski trips. An Olympian might "need" a whole carload of skis but even for major citizen races, most skiers will do fine with a max of 1-2 pairs of skate and/or 1-2 pairs classic. If you are on a holiday trip, just take one pair of each and plan on adjusting techniques to fit the conditions. Same goes for waxing gear (which often can weigh much more than skis). Stick with the essentials and borrow gear on the ground when you can.
In terms of packing, a good tactic for keeping skis not only compact but also safe is to duct tape all your skis together before slipping them in your bag. 3-4 pairs of race skis nestled together are not that far away in width from downhill boards. The tape also has an added benefit of preventing slippage which often is the worst culprit in scratches during air travel. Make sure to put ski ties, socks, or other pads between tips and tails. A light coat, jeans or other tough piece of clothing stuffed in the ends of your bag will help prevent damage when the bag is put on one end or the other. Finish things off with clothing wrapped around the sides of the skis and poles to help cushion the bag throughout the trip. Be aware that if you get too carried away with the clothing wrap that it can raise the eyebrows of airline personnel. Compaction straps can help reduce the sheer width which can avoid getting your bag flagged as "too big".
For poles, a good lightweight PVC or cardboard pipe to protect the shafts is usually all you need. Try to get a tube that isn't too big to help with the overall width problem.
Good ski bags are worth their weight in gold and well worth the cost if you plan on traveling by air quite a bit. Many of the nicest new bags come with wheels on one end which is a huge help especially when you have a long walk thru airports or train stations!
Even better than good ski bags for some folks (and not all that more expensive) is to opt for one of the hardshell ski cases you can find at some XC retailers. The hardshells come with wheels for easy transport but what really makes them valuable is that many airlines will now only pay up on broken equipment claims if you use a hardshell. You often can't get as much extra stuff like clothes in a hardshell without making packing a huge pain...but they do provide a measure of safety for your gears that almost no soft ski bag (no matter how well packed) can match. Note that it is always a good idea to toss in a small ski bag so that you have something to go to/from skiing once at your destination.
Talking with a few airport personnel over the years, the biggest things you can do to make sure your bags are checked without hassle are to be nice to the gate agent and keep the weight of the bag well within limits. If the agent won't pull a back muscle picking up your bag, they are less likely to enforce even the most stringent of official rules.
SPECIFIC POLICIES WITH VARIOUS AIRLINES
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines Corporate Communications won a gold star in our research by providing exactly the information we needed faster and in greater detail than any other airline. Since we were provided with such helpful and detailed info, and much of this information also applied to several other airlines, we felt it was worth passing on the whole batch.
General Northwest Luggage Policies
Effective for travel as of December 15, 2002, Northwest Airlines will modify its free weight allowance for checked passenger luggage on domestic flights (U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico). For checked luggage that weighs 70 to 100 pounds (31.5 to 45 kilograms), the fee will be reduced from $80USD to $50USD. For checked baggage that weighs between 50 and 70 pounds, a new fee of $25USD will be charged.
The change does not affect the quantity of luggage that a customer may check. (XC-ED: Note that here Northwest is talking about normal luggage like suitcases, duffel bags etc. The dimensions don't apply to ski bags.) Each passenger is permitted to check two pieces of luggage. The maximum size of each checked piece is 62 inches/158 centimeters in total linear measurement (length + height + width). Charges for extra pieces and oversize luggage remain the same.
Ski Bag Policies:
Ski equipment including ski poles and snowboards are not permitted as carry-on luggage. NWA accepts one ski bag and one ski boot bag containing ski poles bindings and boots as checked luggage - agents count the two items as one piece of checked luggage. Additional ski/boot bags will be subject to normal excess charges.
MOST IMPORTANT XC NOTE: For travel wholly within/between the US/Canada, Northwest will allow the ski/boot bag to contain more than one pair of skis/boots, but if the bag exceeds published weight restrictions normal excess charges will apply. There are no length restrictions on ski bags with Northwest.
Alaska/Horizon Airlines
As a codeshare partner with Northwest, Alaska/Horizon would be expected to follow the same policies and they do. As of October 31, 2003 a weight limit of 50 pounds after which excess fees are charged. Multiple pairs of skis within that limit are no problem with no rules on reasonable length ski bags. "Reasonable" is relative as they only say "length may exceed 62 inches". If you are concerned, call the reservations department at 1-800-547-9308.
United and American Airlines
As with most airlines, both United and American allow customers to check two pieces of baggage. If a ski bag is one of those items, the customer can check both a ski bag and a boot bag that will both be considered as "one item". No length restrictions on ski bags were provided by either airline (United's webpage is particularly vague first saying a 62 inch length max but then later saying you should check to see actual restrictions. American uses a 50 pound limit and United currently uses a 70 pound limit on baggage weights before additional fees apply.
The bad news for XC skiers is that both the customer service folks at United and the American special baggage webpage say that the airlines enforce a "one pair of boots, one pair of poles, one pair of skis" policy when it comes to ski bags. We asked United directly about the weight/size difference with XC skis and the same answer was repeated. American referred us to their website which says "one pair". This is stock policy, period.
The good news is that several AXCS members we've talked to recently that have had experiences flying with both American and United in the past year say the reality of the "one pair..." rules (even in the modern high security/low profit era) is almost always different than the official policy. What skiers tell us is that the majority of American and United gate agents are indeed checking ski bags with several pairs of skis...with no added fees.
That said, the unsettling aspect of the official policy is that should a skier traveling with several pairs of skis be asked by a gate agent "how many pairs of skis/poles do you have in that bag", the skier is in a real pickle. You could lie and say "one pair", but new security measures allow for the agent to check on the spot. Caught lying, you've got a real problem. If you say "a couple pair of lightweight XC skis", that might work with some agents and others could very well charge you excess baggage fees. One horror story from last winter had a former U.S. Olympian facing several hundreds of dollars in fees because he had an elite quiver of 7-8 pairs in his bag. Luckily some fast talking got him out of the jam.
An xcskiworld.com recommendation with both American and United is to avoid over-padding your bag with clothes to make it appear as slim and light as possible even with 3-4 pairs inside. Compaction straps are also helpful. You want to try and make your bag look as though it only has one pair of alpine skis and poles inside just in case you hit a "by the book" gate agent.
Delta
Here is a clear case of "official written policy" not being applied in the field. Delta's website says that they hold to the same "one pair..." policy as American and United,
However, xcskiworld.com has confirmation direct from the Delta office at the 2003 Subaru National Masters host site in Anchorage, Alaska that the "Delta has no problem with multiple skis in a bag, within their weight limit". Delta's weight limit is 70 pounds.
What this means for an individual skier flying on Delta is up in the air (pardon the pun), but if one ski location will go on the record as allowing multiple pairs of skis, it is a pretty good bet that most Delta counters won't have a problem with you having multiple pairs of skis as long as you stay within weight limits.
