Kip Powick Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 If you were traveling to anywhere, what would be one of the first things you would want to know if you were a sports nut and were going to be away for about two weeks??? In my case it would be what is my baggage allowance because of my sports gear (scuba). I have just run around on the Net and finding the info on some sites is easy and on others it is awkward and the variance of weight allowances boggles the mind. Skyservice = 2 pieces total weight = 44 lbs and sports gear, (scuba) has to be included in that weight WestJet = 2 pieces total weight = 140 lbs and sports gear(scuba) has to be included in that weight. (Domestic and US only).There is no info if WJ is the carrier for a trip way down south. They have this on their website. Charter flights For guests traveling on charter flights operated by WestJet on behalf of any tour operator, please contact your travel agent for all guest guidelines, as they may differ from guidelines detailed below. This statement would lead one to believe that the Travel company is dictating the baggage limitations for charter flights on WestJet. Sunwing = 2 pieces total weight = 44 lbs and 33 lbs free, per person for sports gear(scuba) Air Transat = 2 pieces total weight = 44 lbs and an additional allowance of 66 lbs per person for scuba gear Air Canada Vacations …they take the cake..here is what is on their website…. In addition to one piece of carry-on luggage, two pieces of checked baggage are carried free. For the total dimensions and weight allowance, verify with the airline / cruise line in question. Well “duh” if one is traveling on an ACVacations flight, which are AC aircraft operated by AC crews, would the baggage allowance not be AC’s normal baggage restrictions which are----- .. 2 pieces total weight 100 lbs and sports gear , (scuba) has to be included…….uh no….. not really and according to three agents I talked to, “ the weight could be 44 lbs total and scuba gear must be included …or maybe it is 44 lbs total and 44 lbs per person for scuba gear…we really don’t know.” It should be pointed out that ALL US carriers have a 2 piece total weight of 100 lbs per person…I did not check each airline for sports gear allowances (if there are any). My point is this…why can’t the airlines in Canada get together and standardize their baggage allowances in Canada. They do it in the US, why can’t it be done here?? And to beat the dead horse further…why does the baggage allowance decrease on charter flights when utilizing the same carrier that does domestic and overseas flights…is this an attempted overweight baggage cash grab by ??? And finally, I have never had a problem cause I go to the source and have a hot Fax or email in my hand which specifies MY allowance when I approach a check-in agent and have only had to use it once, but it is really time consuming and somewhat frustrating with all the different rules with the different carriers. Many folks I have met down south feel the same way and many have been burned because of conflicting, but not supported information. Let's face it, no one is going to cancel their vacation when the agent tells them they have to pay an additional $50.00 for the overweight baggage because they were misinformed by the TA or the Tour Company or the Airline but have no proof.....but it is very annoying. Travel is becoming more painful each day and many folks are fed up with the non standardization of baggage rules. yeh, I have written letters but ...well you know..."we're looking into it yada-yada" Shot fired...back to the bunker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 ...Well “duh” if one is traveling on an ACVacations flight, which are AC aircraft operated by AC crews, would the baggage allowance not be AC’s normal baggage restrictions which are----- .. ... ACVacations is a charterer of airplanes and the airplanes are not necessarily AC airplanes. ACV has a lot of lift on other carriers too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYC I/C Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Fido, are you sure?? They are a chartere of airplanes; however, I'm not aware of any other lift other than AC. Who else provides lift for AC Vacations?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Fido, are you sure?? They are a chartere of airplanes; however, I'm not aware of any other lift other than AC. Who else provides lift for AC Vacations?? I know that in recent years there was a push on to have as much lift as possible come from AC and Jazz. A couple of years ago ACV even had their own designated AC aircraft and flight schedulers. However, the current ACV brochure speaks to flights on Star Alliance carriers. In past years ACV has bought space on Air Transat planes, Canada 3000 and sometimes a foreign carrier has operated to some destinations. It was a problem at the airports when passengers would line up at the AC checkin counter and the AC people had no idea what was going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rattler Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Kip: AA changed their policy as of Nov. 01. Re scuba, to my surprise most US carriers do not include it in their free allowance. Some examples are: -Aloha Airlines includes your golf bag as part of your free allowance but makes no mention of Scuba tanks at all. -Hawaiian has the following rule:Scuba diving equipment will not be included in determining the free baggage allowance and will always be subject to the following charges: Between any two points within State of Hawaii: $25.00 USD Between the Continental USA and Hawaii: $80.00 USD Between points within the Continental USA: $80.00 USD -Seems that AA for one changed their baggage allowance as of Nov. 01 Type of baggage Number Allowed Size Allowed (length + width + height) Carry-on 1 45 in/114 cm 40 lbs/18 kgs. Checked 2 62 in/157 cm each Maximum free weight allowed 50 lbs/23 kgs $25 USD charge each for bags weighing 51-70 lbs. -Scuba Tanks 1 scuba tank, scuba regulator, tank harness, and tank pressure gauge. $80 70 lbs AA Baggage Information -Northwest on Scuba Equipment: Scuba Equipment Northwest accepts scuba equipment as checked luggage only. Scuba equipment is not included in a customer's free luggage allowance and is subject to a charge of $80.00 USD (each way) per item. One (1) item of scuba equipment is defined as one (1) or a combination of the following: One (1) empty scuba tank One (1) pair swimming fins One (1) scuba generator One (1) snorkel One (1) tank harness One (1) knife One (1) tank pressure gauge One (1) speargun One (1) diving mask One (1) safety vest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prob30 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Standardizing the baggage allowance would remove one of the few remaining items on which airlines can compete, other than price. The differences in allowance reveal, to me anyway, how effectively an airline has matched its equipment to each particular route. Jetsgo was unable to say, "we have the best baggage allowance in Canada", for example, because they barely had the capacity to carry anything other than fuel on the longer flights. Likewise, perhaps each person could carry 500lbs for free if everything was operated with 747-400's. If an airline wants to cram 300 seats into a tube that comfortably seats 270, well then it stands to reason that everyone's gonna have to bring a little bit less stuff. This isn't a NASCAR race! Q. Some aircraft must be notorious for having small/inadequate baggage capacity w.r.t. seating capacity. Likewise others probably have a really good ratio. Can anyone note certain examples of each for 120+ seat types? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 Kip: AA changed their policy as of Nov. 01. Re scuba, Rarely, if ever, do scuba divers carry a tank with them. All dive shops have tanks and lead weights. I suppose if someone was going out in the boon docks they would have to carry their own tank but it would be of little value unless there was a compressor somewhere. Pressurized tanks are a no-no on aircraft. There is no problem throwing your gear in a suitcase and no one will know if it is in there or not but it does cut down on the allowable weight for other stuff. I think I would rather take less clothing and more deodorant than pay $80.00 US and tell them that one bag has scuba gear in it. We carry our regs and masks as "Carry-on" primarily because of the value of the regs and the necessity to have our prescription masks. If the luggage is lost but we have our regs and masks we could rent all the other stuff. There is no way I can dive without my own mask though, and Scuba 02 is in the same boat. (no pun intended). Thanks for the info, however I feel that seeing we live in the Great White North t all Canadian airlines could standardize their costs and procedures for ALL sports gear as many of us go south to get out of this deep freeze in the winter. Funny how the weight allowance for a full load of paxs to MIA is so different from a full charter load of pax going to HAV (with the same equipment)...a further 30 minutes of flying time. I don't think there is a reasonable answer for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rattler Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Rarely, if ever, do scuba divers carry a tank with them. All dive shops have tanks and lead weights. I suppose if someone was going out in the boon docks they would have to carry their own tank but it would be of little value unless there was a compressor somewhere. Pressurized tanks are a no-no on aircraft. There is no problem throwing your gear in a suitcase and no one will know if it is in there or not but it does cut down on the allowable weight for other stuff. I think I would rather take less clothing and more deodorant than pay $80.00 US and tell them that one bag has scuba gear in it. We carry our regs and masks as "Carry-on" primarily because of the value of the regs and the necessity to have our prescription masks. If the luggage is lost but we have our regs and masks we could rent all the other stuff. There is no way I can dive without my own mask though, and Scuba 02 is in the same boat. (no pun intended). Thanks for the info, however I feel that seeing we live in the Great White North t all Canadian airlines could standardize their costs and procedures for ALL sports gear as many of us go south to get out of this deep freeze in the winter. Funny how the weight allowance for a full load of paxs to MIA is so different from a full charter load of pax going to HAV (with the same equipment)...a further 30 minutes of flying time. I don't think there is a reasonable answer for that one. For my part, I would like the baggage allowance to be the same for all. Total pieces, total weight etc. except for "care items" needed for a baby. That way, if it fits in your suitcase and is within the weight limit, all would have equal access.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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