The cost of carrying skis is killing me!

I've talked to Aussies with the same problem as it is almost cheaper to buy skis in Canada than it is to transport them via the airlines and if you buy skis, you then need to pay to ship them home. IMO part of the problem is security checks of ski equipment is a pain for the airlines.

 

Many resorts offer room and lift ticket ticket packages. You need to find an all inclusive package that includes ski rentals.

OT:

Wigan England! As in The Road to Wigan Pier ? 

 

I would rent or perhaps buy skis and donate them to your son when you leave. Maybe he can sell them? How about shipping costs as an alternative to airline baggage?

second on the rentals, just take your boots, set up with a local hi-performance rental on arrival.

(usually takes about 45 minutes of wasted time) Arrange to swap out the skis as you want for the balance of trip. Makes the logistics much easier and gives a good chance to demo something different.  Unless your skiing more than 5 days it likely will be cheaper.   

In my experience everyone is being targeted and exploited by airlines
 

 

I agree.  They might say security hassles or some other reason, but it's really just another desperate grab for additional revenue.

 

Check with FedEx or another reputable shipping company about shipping them.  If you can send them well in advance to your son via "slow" shipment, the cost may be quite a bit less than the airlines' additional/special baggage fee.

Good rentals cost way less than airline transport.

If you can be without your skis for a couple weeks before and after the trip, you also can ship them to your son's house and back to England, probably for less than the cost of good rentals.

You don't understand why you should be penalized? It is because you're a punter and the airlines know it. I find the whole situation equally galling. Within the US there are a couple of airlines that don't rape your wallet when you check skis - and I try to go out of my way to reward them with my business.

 

It has nothing to do with the cost of security to inspect them and everything to do with the fact that they're generating boatloads of revenue from luggage fees, seat upgrade fees, boarding upgrade fees, talk to a live human fees, etc. I don't know the exact numbers, but everything I've read over the past couple years indicates that every bit of the airline industry's profits are coming from these absurd fees. If you aren't careful and don't check things out up-front, fees can easily double the cost of your air travel.

 

Shipping from the UK is going to be prohibitively expensive. Carry your boots on the plane. If they tell you your carry-on is too heavy or too bulky, put the boots on and walk on that way (I'm not joking - I did this once when they told me I couldn't carry on both ski and snowboard boots). Rent (you call it hire) good skis and you'll save money. In North America we call higher-end rentals "demo" skis. At the mountain, demos will be a little more expensive than they will someplace close by.

 

All in all, if you leave your skis home and just bring your boots, you'll save time and money. Plus you won't have to schlep the ski bags all over the place.

 

If you were coming for a longer trip, and skiing for 20-30 days, it might pay to buy some skis and donate/resell them, but not for just a short holiday.

 

An example of airline feegasm. My 14 year-old daughter is flying to Boston to visit Grandma later this month. Grandma wanted to pay for the flight and was about the book the flight because she'd found a "great" airfare online. I said, 'wait a minute,' I wanted to check all the fees. Daughter will go with just a carry-on, but Grandma loves to spoil her and she always comes home with an extra bag of great new clothes (she's 14 and LOVES this part of visiting grandma). So that will be $25-30. Plus, the airline grandma wanted to book her on charges a $75 each way fee for an 'unaccompanied minor' for children under 15. It took me a couple minutes to find another flight that was about $10 more expensive, but didn't have the added $175 in added fees. As in all things, caveat emptor.

 

 

 

Edit: This just occurred to me, thinking about the time I wore my boots onto the plane (I took them off once on board BTW). They don't limit the size of your feet, do they? It wouldn't be very practical, but it would be freakin' hilarious to walk on with your boots AND skis on! Actually, if you're a snowlerblader, it wouldn't be that impractical.

Pack light. I got two pairs of skis poles and some clothes into a double ski bag for no charge from USA to Geneva, boots and more clothes in a large backpack that barely fit as a carryon.  Since you are travelling with wife you also have a second checked bag for free. I did have to wear a parka and heavy fleece onto the plane as well. I can't recall what airline I booked with but it was a code share with Lufthansa.  Different airlines have different policies--some don't allow double ski bags.  Lufthansa looked twice at my carryon but nobody questioned the clothes I had in the ski bag, although the printed policy says you can't do that/. I figured it counted as padding. I did the same thing flying Alaska Airline from california to vancouver with my wife--one double ski bag and one other checked bag, two carryons (my wife checked her boots foolish woman).  We had to pay about 100 USD for the checked bags round trip, since it wasn't an international flight (Canada is part of the USA although they  don't know it yet, but when global warming hits for real . . . ).

 

I just looked at lufthansa's site and they now charge up the wazoo for skis--I don't know about their code shares.  Delta, which I believe code shares with KLM among others, allows skis as a regular free bag for the first piece. They consider skis and a boot bag one piece, but I'll never check my boots. Antlers are 150USD so don't go hunting.

 

 I know you won't be flying through Frankfurt but for those who might I might add that that airport sucks.  On the way over I had to exit security and go back though after clearing passport control.  Didn't have to do that on the way back.  I don't know if that's always the case coming from the US or if had to do with the gate we landed at--actually we disembarked out on the tarmac and took a bus for about half an hour to the terminal--not a good place for a tight connection.

Edited by oldgoat - 6/9/12 at 3:08pm

The biggest fee an airline has ever tried to charge me for ski carriage was in the region of £1500, as I had misread my ticket and brought 30 kgs too much luggage on a flight to NZ from London (it was right around the time when they changed the rules from 64kg to 20kg!).

 

Anyhow, as a nomadic ski instructor I have had more than my fair share of frustration in being charged for skis. Virgin and Swiss still let me take them free the last time I flew with them, doubt either of them head to Van though. BA isn't too bad, they charge £35 for an extra ski bag weighing 23kgs, so if you pack judiciously you can get 2 pairs in. I always carry my boots over my shoulder, they never check how much carry on weighs, I have probably carried more than 20kgs on my back before, had to wear 2 jackets to avoid fees before as well. 

 

Agree with whoever hated Frankfurt airport, that double security check sucks, especially if you are in a rush for a connecting flight. 

 

Oh, a flaw that some airports (Terminal 5 at Heathrow for sure) have in their system is that if you have a ski bag you check it in at one desk, then take it to another one specifically for oversize bags, they never weigh it at this second desk, so if you fancy adding to your bag in between the desks (i.e. taking your boots or extra jackets off your shoulder) you can. Saying this, last week at Haneda, BA did assign a dude to escort me, though that's probably just Japanese efficiency.

In Geneva they had a separate check in desk for people with skis--it was next to the baggage carts where you carried the skis after you checked in. Nobody weighed them (and people with skis were checking in at other desks--they just had to walk farther with the ski bag to the carts, but the lines were shorter. 

 

Had an interesting check in in  Milan--they paged everyone to the departure lounge at least an hour before departure where a lot of people with little mobile computer kiosks asked us a lot of security questions--much more detailed than what they ask you at check in. I think that procedure was for US bound flights only.

 

It was weird getting off the plane in Geneva and walking right out the front door--no passport check, no customs.  I guess the Swiss aren't worried about people blowing up their own money.

I've been carrying two pairs of skis on all my trips for the last couple of years without any problems, including trips to Washington and Utah. Even with airlines that say they're anti-double bags, I haven't had anyone raise a fuss.

 

Even if you can't get enough clothing in there to avoid 1 check-in each, you'll at least cut the cost of extra baggage in half.

 

 

I once had a connection in Frankfurt where I had to walk in a huge loop around the airport, go through passport control, then do security checks again, just to find out that my next flight was on the exact same plane that I flew in on.

Check out credit cards that waive checked bag fees if you buy your tickets using their card.  I've traveled with double ski bags for years and never paid extra for a bag.  Works with golf clubs too.  Sometimes the cards come at a premium but they more than pay for themselves after a few flights, plus they give you priority boarding, better seating and some even include club room access. 

Ahhhh, the good old days. In the 1980s I flew fee-free from MI to UT for the PSIA National Academy with TWO ski bags containing three pairs of skis and my clothing and a boot bag carryon also stuffed with clothes. Had a heck of a time returning because I had one arm in a sling with a fractured shoulder.

Something like the United Explore card.

 

http://www4.chasecreditcards.com/MPConsumer40kAFW.aspx?CELL=RRW&MSC=IQ37322025&jp_cmp=cc/05BRUnitedExact/sea/na/MileagePlus

 

At GVA?  Every time I've been there I've gone through customs... was that coming in from an EU country?

 

The last few times I've gone across the pond (SWISS and Air Canada) they've taken a single or double ski bag as a single piece of 'checked luggage' -- no questions, problems, or extra fees.  Most of the big airlines seem to do the same, either domestic or international.  Smaller carriers... YMMV.  I've never had anyone make a fuss about a 'double' bag, or having clothes, etc. in the 'ski bag', just how much it weighs.  If in doubt, go curbside checkin and tip generously.

 

They do make you pay through the teeth if you're over the checked baggage allowances these days.  With two people and one checked bag each you should be able to take a double ski bag and a reasonably large suitcase.  Should be plenty for even a couple weeks abroad.

 

If you have to bring tons of other stuff with you, shipping the skis ahead will be somewhat cheaper than paying for extra oversize luggage both ways.  For just a few days of skiing, I'd rent/demo and avoid the hassle.  If your son has a place in Vancouver and you'll be visiting repeatedly, buying some cheap skis locally might be a worthwhile investment.

 

Yep, it all about revenue.  Unfortunately, despite all of the fees, the airlines are still not generating much in the way of profit.  Look at the bankruptcy of American Airlines.  Even the airlines that have restructured their debts through bankruptcy are not earning much in the way of profits.

 

All those fees, including the fees for skis (and if you really want to be offended, bicycles) are generating billions in revenue.  They aren't going away anytime soon.

 

Mike

 

You actually wore your ski boots on the plane?  That's equally awesome and hilarious.

 

This thread reminds me why I love flying Southwest.  Golf clubs, surfboards, and skis - all fly free.

 

 

Even better if he does a telemark landing at the gate.

boots on a plane ? better than a wet suit on a bus. Encountered one of those while doing an immigration check on the 6 am "Looney Tune Express" at the Canadian border years ago. That wet suit was one smelly item after the overnight trip up from LA but the topper was the flippers. 

 

Finally someone gives a realistic picture. I'm no fan of added fees (or airlines, in general), but it's not like they're a bunch of fat cats sticking it to the little guy. Airlines are constantly flirting with (or just jumping head on into) bankruptcy. It's just not a particularly easy way of turning a profit.

 

Maybe there are some better options, but I'd rather see fees on oversized baggage (which you can avoid by renting skis) than ticket prices increased 100, 200...percent across the board.

 

That comes close to calling it a direct subsidy - the person with the luggage subsidizing operations to benefit the handbag flyer.

 

In general I'm not in favor of subsidies unless they're put in place to develop a future industry.   Do we as a society value handbag flyers so much that we need to do this?

USA Today paraphrase of a subscription-blocked WSJ article: http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/10/fares-keep-dropping/550606/1

 

The gist: Adjusting for inflation and including (average) bag fees, airfares are down 16% since 1995. I'd prefer to pay a little more on average and still be treated like a human, but that's apparently not what the current market is demanding.

 

o

Besides credit cards, some airlines have programs available that waive baggage fees, one has to join but if using the same airline for travel for multiple trips, may pay for itself.  My brother in law did this with United (though he isn't a fan of them) as they had decent deal and was planning multiple trips.  Had a deal for his wife (a guest traveler) too.

 

Another thought is if you traveling to the "resort" and/or booking some form of advanced purchase, some places can extend better shipping rates for items (skis) sent to them and back.   I know when traveling to Steamboat, the management company we normally go through has a better rate than I can get. 

IMO extra charges are their way of making up for irrational ticket pricing. The real truth is that air travel has become so cheap in real dollars/pounds relative to what it used to be, and what other transportation costs, that they have to find ways to justify extra charges. The airline business model doesn't work at the current ticket pricing level, and this will become plainly evident as the fleet ages further and requires replacement, and fuel price continue to rise.

 

Skiers aren't actually targeted as badly as surfers and bicycle riders. We just flew from Rhode Island to Oregon last month for a ski week and the airline tickets for the two of us were only $950 round-trip, plus baggage fees of $170 round-trip (our ski bag with two sets of skis/poles was $35 each way, and we had 2 other checked suitcases each way as we carried-on our boot bags). A surfboard or bicycle would have been $100 each way compared to our $35 ski bag with 2 sets of skis/poles. Our total baggage fees for 3 checked bags including 1 ski bag were in effect a 17% upcharge on our tickets that were priced too low to start with.