Surfboard on a United Airlines plane: How much does it cost to transport?
Carrying your kite gear can dramatically increase your vacation budget. Tips before boarding a United Airlines plane.
Double check before taking your tickets for your kite vacation because it is possible that the procedures change during the year, that a free ticket is only valid at certain periods or according to the category of your ticket (price basic, eco or others).
Boards, whether surf, kite surf, windsurf or longboard, can be transported in the hold, provided they are properly conditioned and a request is made 48 hours in advance to the company.
The American airline company will be able to take you to the destination of your crests, with your kitesurf quio will be able to pass in the free checked baggage.
United Airlines specifies that each passenger is entitled to only one piece of kitesurfing provided they meet the American company’s requirements in terms of weight and dimensions. Maximum weight and dimensions: 23kg, and 158cm.
If your kitseruf measures or weighs more than United’s limited weight, it will be sent as freight.
Motivated to go on a kite trip? Great, that’s a good start! Now you have to get down to business and you don’t know where to start.
Ask yourself the right questions so you don’t get the wrong project
The answers to these questions will depend on your project. When do you want to leave and for how long? What is your budget? Do you already have a destination in mind and is it compatible with your dates, your budget and your other constraints? Are you going alone or with your family? By plane ? What are you looking for ? A 100% stroll trip or a mix of family + stroll or culture + stroll? What wind, wave and heat conditions are you aiming for? Are you looking for comfort and services or a more roots trip where you manage me? Once you answer these questions, the spectrum of possibilities will clearly narrow on its own.
Pay attention to the period / wind correspondence on the destination
Before booking your plane ticket with United Airlines, accommodation etc, it is also imperative to check the conditions of the spot you have targeted. Checking that there is wind where you plan to go is an obligatory minimum, otherwise you may face big disappointments … Also find out about the water temperature, in order to select the best combination to include in your boardbag. It is preferable to also find out about the extra-windsurfing activities offered in the event of light winds, in order to take advantage of other activities on site and avoid staying planted all day waiting for the wind.
How to pack your kitesurfing equipment to take the plane?
Once the transport of your kite equipment has been organized and costed with the airline of your choice, your toys must be properly packaged to receive them safe and sound at their destination,… efficiently but without exceeding the authorized weight. Choose the right carry bag and the right reinforcements, and weigh it all.
The transport bag
Choose your board bag according to what you want to take, but always larger than the dimensions of your board so that you can cushion and protect your equipment, especially if it is a surf kite.
At United Airlines, golf equipment is included in the baggage allowance. A lot of kite covers have a Golf logo in order to camouflage your kite gear, that can work. Dress like a golf version, that can help.
The roller bag is very practical but weighs heavier than a classic bag, almost four kilos more, or the equivalent of a kite or a board. Some so-called airplane covers are made of light materials but require additional protection on the inside; the wheels can be removable and you can thus separate them from your bag when checking in, your board bag will weigh less but you will have to keep the wheel kit with you in the cabin. If you don’t have long distances to cover (metro, distance to check-in, change of airport, etc.), then the 23 kilos can be carried fairly easily over short distances to the airport trolley.
Make your weight calculations (material and cover) and see the type of cover that suits you! Weigh your toys if you want to make a theoretical estimate before packing everything: a bar weighs around 1.5kg, a wing more or less 4kg, a fully equipped board 4 or 5kg.
Protect your board with foam tubes
With each trip with a surfboard it’s a bit the same stress: will you find your board intact? A broken board or even a small fart, can it really ruin your trip?
You can buy foam tubes which act as protection for the pipes. It also works with pool fries apparently. And you can take a roll of masking tape, this tape that is used to mark out the areas to be painted and that is easily removed without leaving any traces. We strongly recommend this type of adhesive rather than normal scotch tape, as you risk spending hours removing bits from your pretty board.
Above all, you must prite the hull with cardboard and / or bubble wrap, and if you have, you add a 2nd surfboard or its twintip, there is less risk of breakage with two boards than with just one. We especially protect the nose by placing a wetsuit or a poncho for example when putting on his surfboard, and we cover the surplus of the boardbag in the same way.