Re: Charges for flying with a tuba??


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Posted by tubadad on September 16, 2003 at 07:30:55:

In Reply to: Charges for flying with a tuba?? posted by Jeff on September 15, 2003 at 22:06:34:

My son recently returned to school in Arizona from the DC area, flew on America West. They are apparently enforcing their rules on overweight baggage - the sign is right on the counter - anything over 50 pounds is $50 (and the limit is 2 stowed "bags," so beware). I think America West has another weight/charge threshhold around 70 pounds, and also a max limit on what will be accepted as baggage (100 pounds seems right). He flew with 2 tubas in Walt Johnson cases, and each was just over the 50 pound mark, so he was out $100.

He has been flying domestically and internationally with tubas for over 3 years now, and this was the first time that he has ever been charged, although increasingly in the past year, counter agents and sky caps have threatened charges but not followed through. I noticed that United has a sign on its counters, too, warning passengers of charges.

I think that anyone flying these days with an oversized or overweight instrument should be prepared to pay. I think this is especially true on the "discount" airlines: America West, Jet Blue, Southwest, etc, but United is apparently doing it too, so maybe all airlines are heading this way. I can't say that I blame them.

Another poster points out the LWH dilemma; airlines are entitled to hit you with both the overweight and oversize charges. The LWH presents a very real problem for tubas - last time we measured LWH in the WJ case, I think it came to over 90 inches, and that exceeds the maximum allowed on all airlines.

Frankly, I don't have a problem with reasonable charges - airlines are struggling for revenue, and $50 seems reasonable to me. My fear is that he will get to the airport and be told that they can't carry the tuba because it exceeds the maximum LWH, or that they will come up with some exorbitant charge equivalent to the cost of a ticket.

I think the real questions are: Has anyone been refused carriage outright because a tuba in case exceeds the max LWH, or has anyone been levied an "unreasonable" charge, say $100+ per tuba?


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