Which Airlines Are Golfer-friendly?

[femi fan]

For the first time when flying this weekend i was told that my golf bag was part of my weight allowance. Never before has any airline even spoken about my golf bag - they were always processed separately from my normal baggage allowance, and never charged for.

This time, on Qatar Airways, in Gatwick Airport, UK, they charged me for them, albeit counting half their weight, then clobbering me for 39 quid a kilo over my baggage allowance. While i shall be emailing their offices with my experience once jetlag has gone and brain returned, i was interested in posters' own experiences.

To that end, perhaps we can compile a list of airlines that charge, and those that don't. It will probably be useful to know the airport one checks into as well. So, to start:

Qatar Airways, London: charge half the weight of the golf bag

Cathay Pacific, Chiang Mai (checked in with Thai Airways): no charge

Cathay Pacific, Cairns in Australia: no charge

Qantas, bkk and sydney: no charge

Emirates, bkk and london: no charge

Eva Air, bkk and london: no charge

BA, bkk and london: no charge

In the interests of compiling up-to-date information, perhaps posters can limit their experiences to within the last two or three years or so.

[Jing-jo]

Every time I have travelled to Thailand 16 times in the last 5 years

using Eva ,Etihad, Thai airways, Qatar, Lufthansa, Air China, Aeroflot (never again!)

I always ask them or the booking agent about my golf kit prior to booking and provided you email them about the fact that you are using the sports carriage allowance (10 to 20kgs extra on some airlines) and take a print out of your request and the reply from the airline offices with you

I have never had a problem even to the extent of taking some very high quality german gardening tools out to my dad!! in the golf bag wrapped in bubble wrap and taped together

I used a lightweight but very strong bag and wrap in about an inch of bubble wrap with a cut out for the handle and two straps secured on the outside to make it easy for the baggage handlers and the fact that you say to them straight away "Do want me to take them to the oversized luggage bay for you?"

as sometimes when you offer to do this especially if there are big ques and their stressed ,they don't even weigh the clubs but make sure when you lift them you make look very light

another trick is when you get the hand luggage weighed which some airlines insist on doing, make sure you wear jeans with the thigh pockets and take a jacket of the puffa type and any heavy gear put in the pockets prior to booking in then before going through security place it back in your back pack

if you take a laptop you get an extra 5 to 7.5 kgs

But the last two trips I now have two matching sets one in Thailand and one here both picked up off e-bay really cheap so no longer needed to take the clubs , but later this year will be taking some clubs for someone and most airlines I have spoken to are fine about it and I will post here what happened.

good luck

[bkk2323]

Jetstar include golf clubs in their baggage allowance, which doesn't leave very much left over for anything else, from memory it was $20 per kilo overweight, 10 x $20...........ouch, I chose to pay the upgrade difference of $300 and the clubs were included in the extra weight allowance. I made sure I got the extra $100 back in alcohol!!!!

[femi fan]

Jetstar include golf clubs in their baggage allowance, which doesn't leave very much left over for anything else, from memory it was $20 per kilo overweight, 10 x $20...........ouch, I chose to pay the upgrade difference of $300 and the clubs were included in the extra weight allowance. I made sure I got the extra $100 back in alcohol!!!!

I guess jetstar are a cheapo airline? I can't think of the proper word right now.

20 bucks is considerably cheaper than the 39 british pounds i had to pay per kg.

I have emailed qatar yesterday, and fully expect to get my money back. If they're gonna do excess weight, what about putting us passengers on the scales...........! I'd get a rebate!

[ding]

Virgin is said to not charge, but I have no experience.

[IMA_FARANG]

Every airline has to make on-the-fly calculations about number of passengers, baggage allotted to each passenger, distance of flight, and fuel load/fuel margin. Each flight is different.

Of course no airline wants angry passengers....who can't get their luggage on the plane or find they have to pay excess baggage charges for their gear.

The ultimate consideration is always passenger and flight safety. No airline will jepordise the safety of a long-haul flight by arriving with a fuel load that means they will arrive at their destination with less than a minimum of fuel left for safety purposes.... in case they are required to circle the airport due to congestion or weather forcing them to be unable to land.

That depends a lot on the type of plane, how much fuel it can carry, and what the legally required minimum fuel on arrival is.

Once that is figured out, they can figure in the passengers and how much each passenger can be allowed in luggage allowed.

If the passenger load is relitively light...or they see that passengers are cheking in with little bggage...they may be willing to give you...the golfer with extra baggage...a break. They won't charge you for the excess baggage. If it is a heavy passenger load..or passengers are checking in with a lot of luggage...you as the golfer may have to pay excess baggage rates. Every long haul airline does this calculation on each flight...there is no hard-and-fast rule. You can be sure that as passengers check in the wieght of luggage is being entered into a computer...and a projection of wieght and fuel is being made continously. If that calculation starts to show problems with overwieght baggage of fuel consumption..those girls at the check-in counter will see an alarm indicated immediately.

Most airlines, especially those that run a lot of long-hal flights, spend a lot of time and money analysing their passengers and the normal luggage load per passenger. If they know a lot of their passengers are going to be those going on golf vactions...they wll make allowances on passenger load factor...and raise their prices a little to compensate for that.

So one time on airline XXX you may be able to bring your golf clubs...but the next time airline XXX may charge you excess baggage for the same golf clubs.

Think of it as paying for the extra fuel cost/lower paying passenger revenue required to carry your (and other passengers) luggage.

Luggage doesn't pay for seats...so the more luggage a plane has to carry...and the fewer paying passengers they can carry for that reason...and the more likely you are to pay excess baggage for you golf clubs. It's just basic economics for the airlines. They are there to make a profit on your travel.

For that reason, you are more likely to be asked to pay on a long-haul flight than a short-hop flight.

No matter what you think, the airline never hauls your luggage for free...one way or the other you do pay for the cost of hauling your luggage around. Including golf clubs.

Edited July 6, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[MB1]

The below copied and pasted is from an airline baggage guide which was in the Telegraph and published the 7th of May 2010...

The list of airlines baggage allowances is 35 airlines in total so may be of use to others who want to check baggage allowances.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnists/7677536/Airline-guide-baggage-allowances-and-charges.html

"Qatar Airways

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): All flights: First bag free, limit 20kg, l + h + w = 158cm, transatlantic flights: two items up to 23kg each, l + h + w = 158cm

Fee for excess baggage: Depends on destination, e.g. Bangkok £38.94 per kilo, Doha £23.58 per kilo.

Carry-on luggage: one item up to 7kg

Sporting equipment: Most weighted with other baggage apart from golf clubs which have a maximum weight limit of 15kg.

Music equipment: Weighted with other baggage."

OP, If you quote the above to Qatar you may have a chance of getting your money back if your golf equipment did not exceed the 15 kilo weight limit.

Edited July 6, 2010 by MB1

[balnacoil]

Gulf air charge about 1500THB for a set of clubs no matter if your under your allowed luggage weight. This happened to me a few months ago, I was even flying business class and under my weight allowance with the clubs but they still charged me. I complained but they said thats the rules, its the last time I will fly the.

Singapore Airline = No charge

Edited July 21, 2010 by balnacoil

[Lucifer]

Every airline has to make on-the-fly calculations about number of passengers, baggage allotted to each passenger, distance of flight, and fuel load/fuel margin. Each flight is different.

Of course no airline wants angry passengers....who can't get their luggage on the plane or find they have to pay excess baggage charges for their gear.

The ultimate consideration is always passenger and flight safety. No airline will jepordise the safety of a long-haul flight by arriving with a fuel load that means they will arrive at their destination with less than a minimum of fuel left for safety purposes.... in case they are required to circle the airport due to congestion or weather forcing them to be unable to land.

That depends a lot on the type of plane, how much fuel it can carry, and what the legally required minimum fuel on arrival is.

Once that is figured out, they can figure in the passengers and how much each passenger can be allowed in luggage allowed.

If the passenger load is relitively light...or they see that passengers are cheking in with little bggage...they may be willing to give you...the golfer with extra baggage...a break. They won't charge you for the excess baggage. If it is a heavy passenger load..or passengers are checking in with a lot of luggage...you as the golfer may have to pay excess baggage rates. Every long haul airline does this calculation on each flight...there is no hard-and-fast rule. You can be sure that as passengers check in the wieght of luggage is being entered into a computer...and a projection of wieght and fuel is being made continously. If that calculation starts to show problems with overwieght baggage of fuel consumption..those girls at the check-in counter will see an alarm indicated immediately.

Most airlines, especially those that run a lot of long-hal flights, spend a lot of time and money analysing their passengers and the normal luggage load per passenger. If they know a lot of their passengers are going to be those going on golf vactions...they wll make allowances on passenger load factor...and raise their prices a little to compensate for that.

So one time on airline XXX you may be able to bring your golf clubs...but the next time airline XXX may charge you excess baggage for the same golf clubs.

Think of it as paying for the extra fuel cost/lower paying passenger revenue required to carry your (and other passengers) luggage.

Luggage doesn't pay for seats...so the more luggage a plane has to carry...and the fewer paying passengers they can carry for that reason...and the more likely you are to pay excess baggage for you golf clubs. It's just basic economics for the airlines. They are there to make a profit on your travel.

For that reason, you are more likely to be asked to pay on a long-haul flight than a short-hop flight.

No matter what you think, the airline never hauls your luggage for free...one way or the other you do pay for the cost of hauling your luggage around. Including golf clubs.

On the one hand, you say, it's all to do with safety, and on the other, it's all about the money. If it was all about safety, they would have to completely reject additional weight.

[cheshiremusicman]

Every airline has to make on-the-fly calculations about number of passengers, baggage allotted to each passenger, distance of flight, and fuel load/fuel margin. Each flight is different.

Of course no airline wants angry passengers....who can't get their luggage on the plane or find they have to pay excess baggage charges for their gear.

The ultimate consideration is always passenger and flight safety. No airline will jepordise the safety of a long-haul flight by arriving with a fuel load that means they will arrive at their destination with less than a minimum of fuel left for safety purposes.... in case they are required to circle the airport due to congestion or weather forcing them to be unable to land.

That depends a lot on the type of plane, how much fuel it can carry, and what the legally required minimum fuel on arrival is.

Once that is figured out, they can figure in the passengers and how much each passenger can be allowed in luggage allowed.

If the passenger load is relitively light...or they see that passengers are cheking in with little bggage...they may be willing to give you...the golfer with extra baggage...a break. They won't charge you for the excess baggage. If it is a heavy passenger load..or passengers are checking in with a lot of luggage...you as the golfer may have to pay excess baggage rates. Every long haul airline does this calculation on each flight...there is no hard-and-fast rule. You can be sure that as passengers check in the wieght of luggage is being entered into a computer...and a projection of wieght and fuel is being made continously. If that calculation starts to show problems with overwieght baggage of fuel consumption..those girls at the check-in counter will see an alarm indicated immediately.

Most airlines, especially those that run a lot of long-hal flights, spend a lot of time and money analysing their passengers and the normal luggage load per passenger. If they know a lot of their passengers are going to be those going on golf vactions...they wll make allowances on passenger load factor...and raise their prices a little to compensate for that.

So one time on airline XXX you may be able to bring your golf clubs...but the next time airline XXX may charge you excess baggage for the same golf clubs.

Think of it as paying for the extra fuel cost/lower paying passenger revenue required to carry your (and other passengers) luggage.

Luggage doesn't pay for seats...so the more luggage a plane has to carry...and the fewer paying passengers they can carry for that reason...and the more likely you are to pay excess baggage for you golf clubs. It's just basic economics for the airlines. They are there to make a profit on your travel.

For that reason, you are more likely to be asked to pay on a long-haul flight than a short-hop flight.

No matter what you think, the airline never hauls your luggage for free...one way or the other you do pay for the cost of hauling your luggage around. Including golf clubs.

On the one hand, you say, it's all to do with safety, and on the other, it's all about the money. If it was all about safety, they would have to completely reject additional weight.

So when will the day arrive when they request to weigh the passengers themselves. I only weight 70 kilos, but when you look at the size of some people they must weigh at least twice as much as me ! Why not have a weight allowance for the passenger + their luggage, that would seem a much fairer way of doing things and it would also give the airlines a much better chance of doing their calculations accurately if this is so important - as I believe it to be for the safety reasons outlined above. What do the airlines assume is the 'average' weight of a passenger, 80,90,100,120,140,150 kilos? Surely, as they do NOT weigh each passenger, the room for 'error' must be enormous; what with some planes now carrying 400+ passengers. Come think of it, what does an A380 or a 777 weigh when fully fueled and what percentage of the TOTAL weight does the passenger/baggage then constitute?

I am sure that all hell would break loose if my suggestion was ever implemented and the bloody 'Human Rights Lobby' would be up in arms, but let's take a sensible view on this. It would be very interesting to try and get a census/vote done on this here on the Forum. Another idea would be for the Airlines to charge the passenger a per kilo rate for their fare based on the total weight of the passenger and their luggage combined. Just think; the Airlines could even claim that they were trying to project a healthier lifestyle for us all and still make money.

[Jestewart]

Eva Air is golf unfriendly! They charged me £171 .00 London to BKK on 24/10/11 for my 12 kilo golf bag! I presume I will have to pay the same BKK to London on my return! The check in girl was almost laughing at my dismay! Be warned Eva Air count golf bags as normal luggage!

John Stewart

[MMan]

Usually fly EVA between Bangkok and the USA, and have never been charged for my golf clubs, though they combined with my luggage are usually over the stated weight limit. I've always flown either Premium Economy or Business Class though, and am a EVA frequent flyer club member so those things may help. Airlines have their stated polities, though ultimately it is the check-in person who makes the on-the-spot decision regarding whether you will be charged. Smile and be pleasant with her/him - yes it can help. Also airlines are more likely to ignore you beign over the weight limit if you are a member of the FF club.

Regarding the Domestic Airlines in Thailand when flying Domestic Routes:

THAI AIR - I have NEVER been charged for golf clubs by them, and have never heard of them charging anyone else either, even though clubs + luggage will almost always put you over the company's stated limit. Have flown them to many times to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Udon Thani over the years, almost always with golf clubs.

AIR ASIA - Will always definitely charge for golf clubs, separately from other checked luggage. Currently the charge is about 800 baht (seems to go up 100 baht or so every year). The most annoying thing though is that you have to go to a separate counter to pay for luggage, and usuallly wait in a que there, after you already had to wait in que at the check-in counter. Then after you pay they give you a receipt, which you need to take back to the check-in counter you were at earlier, and then that person will give you the boarding pass after you show the receipt.

BANGKOK AIRWAYS - Usually (but not always) charges extra for clubs. If you do not belong to their FF club, be prepared to get hit with a hefty surcharge. If you are a member though the charge is reasonable (maybe 600 baht).

Edited October 30, 2011 by MMan

[Payboy]

Sports carriage = It's up to each individual airline - but I guess weightlifters pull the short straw every time.

[femi fan]

Eva Air is golf unfriendly! They charged me £171 .00 London to BKK on 24/10/11 for my 12 kilo golf bag! I presume I will have to pay the same BKK to London on my return! The check in girl was almost laughing at my dismay! Be warned Eva Air count golf bags as normal luggage!

John Stewart

You might want to check their website to see if this is actually true.

I say that because it was in london you were charged, and your tale of the check-in girl mirrors my tale of last year on qatar airways.

Britain of course is probably unbeatable in the world for following rules to the letter. I'm willing to bet that you won't be charged when leaving bangkok, do let us know! But it's also worth getting to know their exact rules, so at least you won't be ripped off.

[femi fan]

I would, though, like to post up some very good news for golfers!

Emirates economy class passengers not only can take their golf bag entirely free, but they also get an unmatched 30kgs of normal baggage.

To reiterate: 30kgs weight allowance for economy class passengers, PLUS their golf bag at no cost. If you add in the 8kgs of hand luggage, it begins to be seen how good this airline are for weight allowances.

I used to fly them a lot, but last year i tried out qatar. I bought new clubs in england and returned to thailand with them, having that unpalatable experience with a horrible english woman at the check-in desk (i am a very polite respectful traveller, so the demeanour i got from this woman in no way reflected on me or my actions!). 23kgs, no free golf bag.

Paying more for emirates tickets could end up being cheaper in total than flying other airlines. And if one particularly wanted to take a few kgs of stuff to sell at their end destination, emirates should be considered.

I am a teacher, and do not work for this airline!

[Khonper]

i used turkish airkine this time and i was allowed 30kg+8kg hand luggage+ 15kg golfbag free on an economicticket. a 12 month ticket two-ways was only 530 euro from swedento bangkok. that is hard to beat that.

Edited November 23, 2011 by Khonper

[SuperGers]

I would, though, like to post up some very good news for golfers!

Emirates economy class passengers not only can take their golf bag entirely free, but they also get an unmatched 30kgs of normal baggage.

To reiterate: 30kgs weight allowance for economy class passengers, PLUS their golf bag at no cost. If you add in the 8kgs of hand luggage, it begins to be seen how good this airline are for weight allowances.

I used to fly them a lot, but last year i tried out qatar. I bought new clubs in england and returned to thailand with them, having that unpalatable experience with a horrible english woman at the check-in desk (i am a very polite respectful traveller, so the demeanour i got from this woman in no way reflected on me or my actions!). 23kgs, no free golf bag.

Paying more for emirates tickets could end up being cheaper in total than flying other airlines. And if one particularly wanted to take a few kgs of stuff to sell at their end destination, emirates should be considered.

I am a teacher, and do not work for this airline!

Totally agree with FF - in my experience Emirates are the most Golfer friendly.

Their website says 1 set of clubs and 1 pair golf shoes free of charge. However i've just brought 2 half sets of clubs and 2 bags/ 2 pairs shoes and a multitude of golf accessories in a large hardcase golf travel case and was never even asked to open case. Total weight was 24.5kg. This is IN ADDITION to the normal 30kg hold luggage and 7kg cabin allowances.

Very generous allowance indeed and all arrived safely and without damage. No, i don't work for Emirates either.