Dear sporty travellers who are used to flying to Thailand with sports equipment, especially dive gear

(or know something about it),

 

Which airlines will transport sports equipment like dive gear for free or cheap (for a fixed amount)?

 

I found this list on the web, but it's from 2008, therefore maybe not up to date anymore:

http://www.divebuddy.com/blog/2287/airlines-dive-gear/

 

I will move to Thailand in a few months and will bring my dive gear (no tanks or weights). Most likely the normal baggage allowance will not be enough to include the dive gear and I would like to avoid excess baggage charges.

 

Thanks a lot for all your help!

My friend brought his golf bag, on Emirates. £200, it will not be cheap, unless they do a deal, maybe cheaper to buy new in Thailand.

Try Etihad Airways

 

One set of scuba diving equipment is carried free of charge weighing upto 15kgs except for journeys to/from USA/Canada/Brazil

Thank you very much, Thongkorn and Brown1950, for your fast answers! Ethiad sounds good, but I wouldn't want to pay £200 to any airline, even if my dive gear is worth a bit more. I will fly from Europe.

Are there any other good hints?

Pretty much every airline now has limitations on luggage.  Both carry-on and checked.  Some are more lenient than others, but all are cracking down a bit.  I've never heard of any that allow over the limit luggage on for free.  Unless maybe you fly first class, as the higher classes of service have higher limits.

 

If all you are checking is your dive gear, you should be fine.  Most airlines have a 22kg/50lb limit per checked bag.  Depending on the airline, you can either check 1 or 2.  Your best bet is to go to the airlines websites you are interested in and see what their rules are.  Doesn't make sense to pay $500 more for an airline that allows one extra bag for free when you could just pay about $100 for that extra bag on a cheaper airline.

 

Do a google search on this "airline baggage allowance comparison".  Here's a good site also:

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Airline_baggage

http://www.farecompare.com/about/worldwide-baggage-fee-chart/

Just stay away from Air Asia, they are notrious for charging for anything sports related

Might help if we knew where you are flying from?

 

If from the U.S., several non-US airlines still have the 2-bags at 50 pounds, 22.56 kg each, for free.

 

Plus, this usually includes flying a U.S. carrier from where you live to the airport where you'll connect with the foreign carrier.  BUT, needs to be on a "through" ticket.

 

Mac

I have flown all my dive gear ( several times)( from Manchester to Thailand). Minus weight pouches and Cylinder and there was no extra charge. I did fly with Etihad, who seem to be fairly lax when it comes to being a little overweight. Only once did i enquire about bringing my Pony Cylinder and they said it was fine, as long as it was emptied and i left the valve open.  This was a few years ago now though so the rules may have changed. You could always email your carrier though, just to be sure.

I only once brought my gear over with Qatar and they were just as amiable.

Edited August 6, 201411 yr by lucifer666

We fly to cricket tournament every year, thai get our gear there at no extra cost


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Thanks a lot, guys!

 

I will fly from Switzerland (ZRH or GVA) or from an airport "nearby" like MUC, FRA, MXP..

 

My question was not really about airlines that are lax on their official limitations (even if this may certainly help as well), but about airlines that officially transport sports equipment for free or for a fixed cheap amount.

 

I just checked Ethiad and found this:
"Scuba Equipment - 1 set of scuba diving equipment is permitted free of charge weighing up to 15kg"

So this confirms what Brown1950 and lucifer666 wrote in this thread.

 

On the other hand, Emirates' policy is not as generous:

"As per the IATA regulations, SCUBA equipment is subject to normal excess baggage charges, if it exceeds the free baggage allowance."

 

 

Also worth noting is that the Persian Gulf carriers (Gulfair, Qatar, Etihad, Emirates & Oman air) have 30kg checked bag allowances.

 

Of course your dive computer will be in your carry on baggage ...

Equipment's are delivered from Dubai for a cheap amount. Hope you can try CITI. It is trusted & I have also used it. Visit http://www.citcusa.com/ for more info