I am coming up on my first vacation and I'm trying to get to
San Salvador for some surfing, but the airline I have pass
privileges on now charges $150 each way per surfboard
(on two of the three previous trips with aforementioned airline
my board arrived severely damaged).This makes any trip for
surfing prohibitively expensive, repair and baggage fees considered.
I was wondering if there are any cargo carriers out there
who allow jumpseaters to carry sporting equipment with them.
I think I know what the answer is, but I figured I'd ask anyways.
Thanks in advance for the info.

 

Can't answer your question, but I can sure say GO GATORS!! Just call me GoGators93! God bless Tim Tebow!

 

Amen... May their victories be plentiful.

 

Ahh, the challenges of surf travel! Hey, if we're getting cheap tickets or free ones, the board charge isn't so bad in the grand scheme of things, but it still bites. Things that have been successful for me:

-Set up a trip with a non-airline buddy and stick your board in his bag, split the cost with him.

-Get some good intel on places to rent boards at your destination. It's easier nowadays than it used to be. Check the surfing forums...tons of info out there.

-Buy a used board at your destination, sell it when you leave, or bring it back with you.

-Bring your board there, sell it before you leave.

-GO EPOXY! They travel a heck of a lot better. I've got a board I've had since 2002 that has been through hell and is still in pretty good shape...bulletproof!

-Go to Walmart and buy a few of those long "Noodles" that kids use for floatation. They cost about 2 bucks each. I split a couple of them and duct tape them all the way around my rails before I put them in my travel bag. Bigtime cheap, extra protection.

Good luck!

 

Guys can jumpseat with surfboards with Fedex, but off-line jumpseaters aren't allowed yet on international flights (we also don't fly to El Salvador). FYI, TSA supposedly is close to allowing CASS jumpseats on international flights, but I don't know if it will change Fedex's policy on Intl jumpseaters.

 

Wasn't there some guy who posted on here a while back about bringing a surf board on a FDX airplane?

I think he said he was jumpseating and just didn't tell the crew that he had it, but stowed it in the lav......

do a search for some posts like that and just PM or email that guy. He should be able to hook you up on how to stash a surf board on your next jumpseat flight for free.....

 

Can anyone help me figure out how to bring my Browning Lightening Sport Clays Edition to go shoot some clays on layovers?

 

Hey about 15 years or so ago you could put your shotguns in the belly and jump seat with your hunting dog. The good old days at FedEx .

CM

 

GG85,

Do you have FedEx discounted shipping account established? (75% discount). Take your board in to fedex or kinko's and get an estimate!! Ship it to your destination.

CM

 

It's a shame they no longer make those Santa Monica hard cases. At least then I could be confident that there was no earthly way for them to damage it, and that in itself would make the board charge very tolerable. I've tried most everything above with a decent amount of success, but most of the above is an incredible hassle as you know. Also, It's really not so much about how much money they charge (although that is a bit of an issue on 1st yr pay), I just can't stand receiving my board at my destination broken. If I'm going to drop $300 on a board charge they could at least try to take care of it. Jumpseating with my board was not something I really wanted to do, but I was exploring it as an option. I guess I'll suck it up and pay the fees and take the damage that comes with it.