UPS board or take on plane(s)?

Alright, I'm going to Washington to ride for 4 solid days at my sister's friends lake house. I wanted to UPS my board, but am kind of worried about them causing damage. I'm aprehensive to take it on the flight because every Phoenix to Spokane trip stops at least once, sometimes twice with plane changes, I don't want it to get lost on the way. Or I was thinking about just demoing a board while I was up there. Does anyone have any experience with UPS and their board?

FEDEX bro!!!!!!!

I've taken my board on planes a couple of times with no problem.(board bag)

Read the rules of the airline. It could cost you $160 round trip on Continental for carrying your board.

$160! My god, you could pack your bindings and buy a used board while your there then give it to someone.

I just recieved my wifes new board from UPS yesterday. I always look for package damage before I sign due to 2 damage experiences with Fed Ex. Anyway no damage, board is flawless.
I have also floan (is floan a word?) with my board on various occasions. I had a problem the last time I did it. I went to check it through luggage, and they told me it was going to cost $70.xx. It took a little persuasion, but I was able to talk her out of it reasoning on not being charged on the incoming flight. So you may or may not get charged for flying with the board.
DK

I fly all the time.
When they ask what's in the bag, tell them golf clubs. There is no charge for golf clubs.
If you say wake or surf board, they'll nail you.


If you're concerned throw a putter in the bag.

I'm more worried about them losing it during plane changes, or pulling it during a stop in which I don't get off. I think I'm just gonna UPS it, it's like 25 bucks to two day it.

They won’t charge you as long as you don’t travel like a woman and take 3 bags full of clothing, but from the post I have read here today I’m beginning to believe different. Apparently none of you ladies here snowboard, or you would understand that taking boards on an airplane is nothing to crap your pants about. As long as you only check two bags and one of those bags is your board there will be no hassle. Unlike WikedeeWak I do fly all the time, and never once has have I been questioned about what I’m taking and I never once had to tell them “There golf clubs”, or whatever sad ass excuse you can come up with. John Anderson, if you paid $160 to fly with a board on Continental, there are charity groups out there trying to raise money for people like you, choose a different bankrupt airline. UPS and FedEx butcher there packages, you will have a better run of luck rolling the dice with that big airport gorilla heaving your bag into the plane. And good luck on shipping that board 2nd day air for only 25 bucks, a donkey and cart won’t get it there for that much. So get up and go get a padded wakeboard bag and stop listening to these monkeys who have flown once in their life, got ripped off, and now are experts on airline travel. You ladies have a nice weekend…

Turkish, you talk entirely too much s--t, but you're funny as hell.

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quote:

I have also floan (is floan a word?) with my board on various occasions.

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"Floan" isn't a word, but "flown" is.

Well you can take it on the airplane, however ask them to put friagle all over it. If your flying American Airlines, UPS it cause they don't know how to read and tear up your board. I had a ton of deep indents in my board as well as chips taking off, they messed it up so bad that the board wouldn't float. However all the other airlines I been on doesn't do that if worse comes to worse get a wakeboard bag.

(Message edited by w4k3b04rd3r19 on July 10, 2004)

We flew American from LA to Orlando for nationals a few years back. Our seats were toward the rear of the plan. While we were waiting to de-plane we watched with horror as the baggage crew threw our boards at least 20 feet to the tarmac. We checked the boards before leaving the airport, luckily no damage. On the way home it was a different story. Two boards were splintered on one end to the point of being unusable. American refused to pay for damages. I will never fly American again!

We wrap the boards in several towels before putting them in the board bag then stuff a vest on each end for extra protection.

Well, you can listen to know-it-alls like turk or you can read the rules and try to be prepared. I flew out to Texas on Continental and paid nothing on the way out because I checked in at the curb and had money in hand for the skycap.

On the way back there was no curb checkin. They tried to nail me for $240 because 4 of us put all our boards (well under the weight limit) in one bag (which was the idea of one of us that also thought he knew how it "works") and they wanted to charge triple the $80 because it was over the two board limit.

Simply put read the rules and then decide for yourself. Security is tight and they will look in the bags if they want. That's what happened to me because they accepted them for free when I said they were skis. I got called back from the gate and was able to talk them down from $240 to $80. The airlines are like Nazis. You do it their way or it's the highway. And telling them that turk said otherwise wont change a thing.

Oh yeah a friend had his board broke in two on another flight that they nailed him for $80. No refunds and you sign a damage waiver, so no new board. A hard shell case is your best bet.

If you do fly it, or even ship it for that matter, go to the hardware store and get some foam pipe insulation. It comes in 6' ish lengths and has a slit that you can wrap around and protect the edges of your board. A little masking tape and you have an added layer of protection from being dropped on end.

Turk is coming on kind of hard core for a newbee. Calling people out and all. Obviously taking Jim Rome to heart and thinking that is how it is....

I always tell them it is a snowboard and never have any problems. They don't usually know what a wakeboard is and they will throw it into the category of a surfboard and charge you accordingly. They don't charge for skis and snowboards.

Word of advice, DON'T put fragile stickers all over your board. That only seems to make the people who handle it throw it around even more. Trust me, I've seen it! Who knows, maybe it will work, but I did it the first time I flew with my board and actually witnessed it being thrown around when it was unloaded.

As for extra charges, I think it honestly depends on where you are flying out of. My parents live in a very small town with a very small airport, and they try to charge for everything that is bigger than a suitcase. I have gotten out of them charging for my board several times because I tell them that no other airport has ever charged me for my board. The stupid thing is that they don't charge extra for snowboards/skis, but they try to for wakeboards. What's the difference???

He didn't put "fragile" on it. He put "friagile" on it. That's different.

BTW Turkish, Keep that crap up and no one will listen to you. Don't be an ass.

Bonnie, the difference is in the rules that you can usually find on their web site. Continental specifically states a charge for wakeboards of $80 each way and has tight dimension specs for oversize bags. Southwest doesn't specifically call out wakeboards and has a more liberal oversize baggage dimension spec, for which they charge $45. With SW you could actually pack a wakeboard and not exceed the oversize baggage.

Most airlines specifically state that snowboards and skis are free. Everyone should check the rules if for nothing else than picking an airline with the most liberal policies, and knowing what the worse case scenario might be.

UPS = Brown Nazi's
They will either lose your board or damage it in the process...
I've seen video of what their top-flight employees do with odd-ball type shipments...

FedEx is your only option...

Fed-ex it or use what your sister has or try to demo a board.

you could probably fit your bindings in your suitcase but i wouldn't bring the board on the plane...its too risky unless you have a crappy board you don't care about.

Thanks for all the info, I think I'm just gonna bring my bindings with me and demo a board in Wash. I just bought my '04 Premier about 3 months ago and don't want to take any chances with it. If I shipped it or took it on the plane, I think I would be a nervous wreck the whole time. I'm just gonna skip the hassel.

I've flown with my wakeboard or snowboard over thirty times on American and United, both in and out of country, and have never been asked to pay extra, nor have I ever experienced damage to either of my boards.

I've never had a problem with my snowboard either. Airlines cater to snowski/board travelers. American specifically states Skis, Snowboards, and Kneeboards are free. It should be easy to categorize a wakeboard in there.

United only states snowski/board equipment is free so it up for their interpretation. United also has a 62" oversize spec (L x W x H) so it would be impossible to get most boards to fit under that, since a 135 is already 53" in length.

I've never had a problem w/ snow or wakeboards. I just wrap it in blankets and foam. My only problem is getting the board bag closed since I wrap it so much. Go to your local shop and try and get a couple of the nose/tail protectors they use to ship them from the factory. Then wrap the h e double hockey stick out of it.

Demo a board when you get there. Save the headache and stress.

Thats exactly what I'm gonna do Ted

There are no charges for snow boards, golf clubs skis or trick skis. Call it a trick ski. remove the bindings, put foam around the edges and wrap it in towels/bubble wrap in a bag and you will be ok. Or like ted said, demo a board