anybody have any experience carrying kiting gear w/U S Air?

[rookie]

anybody have any experience carrying kiting gear with U S Airways?? Just wondering the best way to pack. G ~

[ollie]

sorry, don't know any thing about US AIR but tell us where u r going!
Also will u b in padre in april next spring?
Would be fun to see u & Porche on the gulf side again!
Bev & Bryan.

[rookie]

Hey Guys, Heading to St. Lucia in the end of Jan.. Pack your bags, lets go! Padre is on my spontaneous list for this fall and spring. Will have to see how the work load is..... I was hoping to visit with you guys at the big cold lake, but never made it up there. Next summer!! Gary ~

[reutersju]

Gary,

Here are my travel tips for ALL airlines. Invest in a large travel kite bag, they run $150-175 but they pay for themselves in one trip because most airlines charge $150 to check just your board!!! You can even get bags that say "golf" on the side but are specifically made for kiting gear...the golf logo is just for disguise! Also, never use the words board or kite while checking in because then you will get charged extra, just tell them it's golf gear and they won't blink an eye. Last, do not overload your large kite bag, keeping it under 50lbs will prevent you from having to open it in from of the check-in agent.

Chad

[Mike W]

Gary, what Chad says fits with my experiences. I flew USAir to Hawaii last January. Used the NSI Deceiver bag, which I have used for many trips, and was charged $25 normal bag charge. I was careful to keep the weight just under 50 lbs, but they never even looked at the number on the scale on either flight. This probably depends a lot on the person you are dealing with. I had two boards, a 17 zephyr, and all of my accessories in the bag. I carried on a 10m tightly packed in a small bag. All my clothes were in a backpack on my back. The 10m and small board never saw the light of day. I got out 5/7 days on the 17 and was the envy of everyone sitting on the beach. Solo 17 kiting on Diamond Head with nice waves was the highlight.

Enjoy your trip!

Mike

[Matixsnow]

Throw a couple golf clubs in the bag or have a backup plan in case they do ask you to open your bag. They can charge you a ridiculous amount if it's not golf clubs. Airlines are getting real smart, they want your money.

This happened to me once. The guy wanted to charge me like $250, one way, insisting that I had a surfboard. I ditched my board at the airline counter (a friend picked it up later that day), crammed 2 kites into 1 bag and carried them on-board the plane. I ended up renting a board, which was much cheaper than paying the excessive airline fees.