He should have just bought two boards from local shapers when he got to Hawaii.

While I agree that the extra charge for surfboards is higher than it should be, I don't understand the excessive anger about it, especially in the form of arguments with employees at the check in counter. I just got back from a trip to California. When I checked my two boards and Continental charged me $100, I was not angry or even surprised because I knew EXACTLY how much they charged when I bought the ticket. The board fees are posted very clearly on the airline websites and should be considered as part of the price BEFORE you buy your ticket. As a business they have the right to charge whatever they want, and you have the right as a consumer, to take your business elsewhere.

Something tells me the customer service agent from India don't give a s*&t about surfers.

Since they apply the fees selectively and since the check in attendant can charge you at his or her discretion, it is fair for a surfer to be disappointed or even angry if they are unfortunate enough to be hit with the charges. If the charges were a totally dependable, unavoidable part of flying, people would stop being angry/upset. But the thing is, even airline employees often recognize the unfair nature of the fees and waive them.

If you think about it, it would cost you more to go to hawaii and back with two surfboards on united then it would for a round trip ticket to OZ or even Indo on an airline that charges free board bags like Singapore or Quantas airlines.

I don't agree. Often one check in person will charge one rate while another charges a higher rate on the same airline. We understand that there can & will be a fee, but it is discriminatory that they charge such excessive fees for boards that weigh less than golf clubs, and golf clubs go free. Will you weigh in the same way when you start to get charged not only for your golf bag, but for each and every club you take? Ooops, can't take the sand wedge this time, could probably buy one for less than the $100 their charging me to take on my trip. And your comment about taking business elsewhere is rather childish, most exotic surf destinations only have a few carriers, and when they all have exorbitant fees you don't have much choice, do you? There is a petition here for those wishing to try and get them to listen. Once we hit 10,000 the next steps will take place: http://www.surfers-against-airline-fees.com/

I appreciate you sending that letter even though we all know it won't do a whole lot of good. You might have also thanked them for crushing the nose and tail cuz you always wanted to try a shorter board...

I think the high price airlines are charging is a bunch of crap. My job takes me away from the coast so alot of my surfing is accessed by airlines. I now have boards stashed in two locations because it was cheaper to buy boards and leave them where I mostly surf. But when I plan a surf trip out of country, I would like to bring along MY boards. Not have to rent or buy a board when I get there. That cuts into my surfing time and small budget. I think the air line people should be shot.Twice!

www.surfers-against-airline-fees.com - a petition to end this biased practice against surfers. - GG at www.crsurf.com

amazing, thank god someone is trying to say wtf to these monopoly of bullshit, united, suck bags.

Watch out for continental. They have surfboard embargo's in august and January. Traveling between the states and panama often they have screwed me out of my singlefin and fish twice now. It is posted but it is a bunch of sh#t. Any surf trips on continental beware!!!!

try slipping the counter chick a 20 or something it always works for me but you have to pick the right counter . dont want to get the fat chick that never gets laid heheheeh

what we are learning is surfing is an upper class sport... the amount of $ for boards, videos, t-shirts, shorts, wetsuits is a joke. Do not even begin to argue with me. "the bro industry" reaps what is sows. the letter was not very persuasive, but more a junior high rant.

I haven't looked lately but the last time I flew my 50 lb bag of golf clubs was free while my boards cost as much as a ticket. Some airlines have also added fine print that declares that surfboard may be altogether refused based on space or how much the check in agent dislikes your complaints.

United airlines is not only lame, it is racist. In Salt Lake City I watched a United pilot, who was standing at the plane entrance, stop a black woman and tell her she couldn't carry-on her standard carry-on luggage. Then he proceeded to let two white women (attractive) in front of me carry-on bags the same size, and chat them up. When I walked by him, I said: "so black's luggage isn't allowed?", and he got angry and wouldn't let me board. When I asked why, he said if i said anything else he would have me arrested. I was on my way to a friend's wedding, so i shut up. But it was the last flight out, so I had to pay for a hotel, and was almost late to the wedding the next day because of the flight!!!! To hell with United. Fly anything else. Tell all your non-surfer friends too. Just boycott those jerks.

Travelled to Indo through Kuala Lumpur from Vancouver Canada. Chose EVA Airways because' no charge for boards. Flew to K.L via Taipai and sure enough no charge for boards. However on the way back at K.L airport I was charged 150 USD per board x3 boards. On way to Indo had 5 boards in same bag.they put the charge through on my visa on Oct 30 at midnight even though my return flt. was sept 16th I looked at my sept statement and thought they had let the charge go. By the way my bag weighed 40 kilos on my way to K.L. and only 12 on my return. (full of stuff to leave with Nias folks) Paddy

I cant stand the haters, like a couple of these comments I've read here. That was one awesome letter to united. i guess the haters are'nt surfers or are just angry and negative about everything. and now I'm angry and starting to sound like them. DAMN all of you. We as surf travelers(who pay mega bucks)and you guys as surf writers need to communicate and band together. With some effort and intellegence we can put up a good fight. I'm now 25 and travel on plane half as much but earn twice what I did 5 years ago. Thats bs, the reason I didnt go to college was so I could make money to chase waves. The Air Force is going to be sweet

A petition like: http://www.surfers-against-airline-fees.com/ is a nice idea. And a sarcastic letter is funny but it won't have any effect on pricing. I think a blacklist would be more effective. That and a lot of negative publicity for airlines charging excessive rates. While I am not really happy that surfing has gone mainstream, we can harness the economic power of the masses to put pressure on the airlines. The airlines quiver at the prospect of bad press and its effect on their "bottom line." You have to hit 'em where it hurts...in the pocketbook.

the letter was good but it was also a soft aproach...the buyer must be aware and flex the power...surfers must unite, because UNITED AIRLINES is targeting surfers for more money...it is a call to arms to boycott UNITED AIRLINES for excessive board charges...don't give in, don't fly UNITED AIRLINES, they devide their clientel...

I would like to see Surfer do a piece on all of the Airlines and there prices to the most commonly surfed destinations like Hawaii, Cali, Mexico, Costa Rica and so on. I ‘m curious how the break down would go and who’s the best in different regions. Airlines are simply charging what they want at the counter.

You know why the airlines charge so much for surfboards? Cause of all the whiners that complain about board damage and demand re-imbursement. People actually come to my glass shop for estimates to send to the airlines and expect me to inflate the repair price or even claim on my letterhead that their board is "ruined". If everybody just expected the ocassional ding in transit and didn't bitch fees would have stayed minimal forever.

United Airlines service has gone to crap some time ago. It might have something to do with the drastic pay cuts to employees. Whatever the root cause, the once business traveling airline is now the penny pinching half ass service bus of the air transportation industry. We need Virgin Airlines to continue adding routes. Everyone is happy to work for them, planes have the latest tech, planes are clean, and they like surfers! Go Branson!

You should use boards made in Hawaii, and sell them before you leave. You sound like a spoiled brat.

Eh. Try look. http://www.surfline.com/travel/boardbag_charges.cfm?id=15425

I live in the New York are and one of my favorite parts of any surf trip is finding my "mark".... Until 9/11 I'd say I had about an 80% sucess rate of getting boards on for free. now its more like 30%. I'm not saying you should walk into JFK and start racially profiling or look for a kid with a RVCA shirt sticking out from under his continental uniform... I'm just saying that choosing the righ baggage line can GREATLY inprove your odds.

yes, absolutely. It's high time that the magazines started a public shame campaign against airlines who discriminate against surfers (as opposed to golfers). Stop being candy ass's. All, I repeat, ALL of your readers would welcome a shame campaign against the likes of United and Continental who both are major offenders. It really is up to you the magazine makers, to call out these carriers and their dodgy and inconsistent practices. I recommend a regular column in the magazine that reflects the current policies of each airline. And stay on top of them. If they offend us, we should be calling them out. The magazine is the voice that we all depend on. Call those jerks out NOW! and stay on top of them. ALL of your readers would support such a thing.There's power in numbers. The magazines have the most power to bring about change. Stay on these opportunistic airlines.

Buy a coach ticket for your board , put a smiley face on it and buy it a beer , hey you are both going to Hawaii !

Who the hell is the guy who says surfers shouldn't be angry when they find out how much the fees are. Who the hell are you dude? Youre obvoiusly not a surfer or didn't realize this is a surf magazine. Maybe you're right, but take your logic elswhere. Nobody wants to hear that bullshit around hear. Surfers are majorly shafted on board fees. You ever seen a golfer or a hunter get charged out the ass for their oversized luggage the way surfers suffer. Hell no! And checkout people do have discretion. I've been lucky enough to not have to pay any extra before, but I have also had to pay $400 before to send one board round trip. You're such a tool dude. You're really going to piss people off on this site because real traveling surfers, which you are obviously not, suffer from these fees evryday. I hate you dude.

If my peanut butter got in your choclate would you raise a stink such as this?

United is one of the worst at service in my opinion. My buddy from Oz was leaving SFO back to Briz in the Summer of 03' (via LAX). He had an open ticket that could be changed anytime from United. Upon check-in at SFO the woman behind the counter was an absolute c#nt. She charged him $100US for changing his flight. As nice as my buddy was to her, she would cut him off every time he explained his ticket was open, paid extra. Then came the surfboard fee;$150US for one board, in a 6'6" bag. In 03' the United Counter in Oz told him it was a one time (round-trip) $150US charge and he should show reciept upon return to not be charged. He tried to show the SFO counter person and she just passed it right back to him without a glance. She called someone to come and bring the board down for the flight. Some guy came with a cart, picked up the bag and slammed, it into the cart, right in front of us. I was escorted out of SFO by security and his arrival at LAX's United, gave him 5 drink tickets as an

As a traveling pro I have encountered this problem many times. Im actually fine paying a reasonable price to take my boards. My problem with the airlines charge is their gimmick of charging each board in the bag and not for the weight of the bag. Last year I went to Florida for the WQS contest. I flew United Airlines and wasnt charged for the boards on the way there. But coming home was a different story. I Had four boards, all with future fins in a slim OAM bag. The bag weighed 28 pounds. Long story short, They charged me $120 per board($480 total)My ticket cost $305 round trip.I said that I could buy a seat on the plane for cheaper than that. The lady wouldnt reason and said,"pay or leave the boards here."I have seen people with massive bags and they get charged for the weight over the limit, which is understandable. I have never seen an airline open someones bags and start charging for each pair of pants they brought. Or open someones golf bag and charge for each club. Its total bull$hit!!!!!

Until the organizations that represent surfers (ASP, NSSA, HSA, ESA, WSA, Surfrider and any I might have missed)publicly work to get airlines to treat sufers farily it won't happen. They change the way they do because they can. Deregulation has not helped travelers; less airlines, less competition, higher prices. Seat prices should be competative. Baggage fees beyond one bag(some are charging for one checked bag now) should be regulated. Until the organizations start working to help traveling surfers, and regulation of baggage fees takes place the airlines will charge what they want.

As a traveling pro on the WQS I have encountered this problem many times. Im actually fine paying a reasonable price to take my boards. My problem with the airlines charge is their gimmick of charging each board in the bag and not for the weight of the bag. Last year I went to Florida for the WQS contest. I flew United Airlines and wasnt charged for the boards on the way there. But coming home was a different story. I Had four boards, all with future fins in a slim OAM bag. The bag weighed 28 pounds. Long story short, They charged me $120 per board($480 total)My ticket cost $305 round trip.I said that I could buy a seat on the plane for cheaper than that. The lady wouldnt reason and said,"pay or leave the boards here."I have seen people with massive bags and they get charged for the weight over the limit, which is understandable. I have never seen an airline open someones bags and start charging for each pair of pants they brought. Or open someones golf bag and charge for each club. Its total bul

I went to the North Shore for the triple crown this year and bought a board from a local shaper, rode it for a month and sold it just before i left using craigslist. I got the board for $150, and sold it for $140. It's cheaper to just buy a slightly used board these days at most surf destinations than to fly with boards, and it's better to give your money to a shaper than to the airline, even if you can't sell it before you leave. You'll probably save money either way.

how come you dont put this in the magazine? maybe that would be enough bad publicity to get some attention. start making sections in the mag about what airlines are friendly to surfers & etc... who knows maybe they will hear about it??

I flew with KLM to LA (on my way to Auckland), taking one board. Showed up at the counter, expecting to pay 75 euro at the most (found that somewhere on the website). We were allowed to take four bags at 20kgs each. We had three, one of them being a golf bag. The boardbag weighed 6kgs and we were charged 150 euros (about 200 US) extra. Just because it was a surfboard... I argued and argued and argued and they didn't want to hear any of it. I decided then and there I was going to avoid KLM whatever the cost and tell as many people as possible what incredible extortionists they are. I paid a lot of money on a ticket and that wasn't enough, they wanted an unreasonable amount more when they saw a chance. If you're doing that in any other business, you'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble. And so should they. Whatever ticket I'll be buying in the feature, my first demand will be: No KLM. BTW, the most I ever paid was US$500,- to Maui and that was for 8 windsurfboards, including gear...

Everyone needs to do the homework and know the board fee in advance, you may fly a different airline based on this fee alone nowadays. It seems like supporting the local surfers and economy by just renting or buying a used board if you are going to a more beaten path is the smart and culture-friendly thing to do in 2009. Give it to a local after the last session and maybe you'll make a friend and have a place to stay if you ever go back. And if you are going to a place at the edge of the map, have a drink before the airline bends you over at check-in, it helps. You have to take your board.

"If everybody just expected the ocassional ding in transit and didn't bitch fees would have stayed minimal forever." Your comment is completely incorrect. More often then not the airlines will make you sign a waiver (the back of the baggage receipt or something like it) saying they are not responsible for any damage done to the boards.

Delta is $300 each International for boards. I am Platinum (in DL's FF program). They dont care. Jetblue and Spirit are still reasonable. Gosh i miss those days when it was $45 and I still complained then. SQ still allows free boards under certain length and weight. Fly them to Indo.

I travel to Costa Rica A LOT and use Spirit Air. The fees are not that that bad. Just a couple of tips: 1) Pack light - don't bring 5 boards in a hard case when 2 boards in a slim padded case will be fine. Only pack a carry-on with trunks, t-shirts, 1 pair of jeans and 1 hoody. Wear your sneakers and pack your sandals. Also, don't worry about toiletries or sunblock and such. You can buy that stuff when you land. 2)DO NOT OVER PACK YOUR BOARD BAG!! I have friends who are baggage handlers and they hate that sh@t! Just pad the rails with a few towels that you will need and THATS IT! Keep it light and easy to handle. 3) Don't expect to bring your board back! I have left 2 dozen boards in Costa Rica. You have NO IDEA how much respect, free food, free rides, free accommodations and secret spots you will score when the local surf rats figure out that you will be leaving one or two boards when you depart. Now I hardly pay for anything. The local respect and cost savings far outweigh the initi

Has anyone ever worked as a baggage handler at a major airport? Do you perhaps know somebody who does? Although I do feel that, in this case, the fees are definitely too high, take a moment to consider the extra hassle of loading/unloading surfboards. Luggage carts are designed to carry suit cases. Surf boards, snow boards, golf clubs etc., all make life difficult for staff in 'turning' an aircraft once it has landed to get it ready to be on its merry way. If you were to witness the amount of dropped, thrown and generally mistreated luggage on any given day at any given airport, I guarantee you'd be raging and put more forceful language into that letter. There has to be a solution, either airlines do a better job of training staff to handle 'awkward' luggage, provide better transferring technology, or simply accept the fact that surfers are a mobile group of citizens and get over it. Regardless, I wouldn't expect a lowering of fees any time soon.

Trust the market...as editor of the world's foremost publication, you have the power to: 1 - do some research and help us find the most surf friendly airlines 2 - do same said research and tell us the worst I have been waiting for consumer reports to cover this issue; I suspect you might be able to beat them to print.

There's always people on Comments who take the opposite road just to be an d#ck and get the attention Daddy never gave them. How can you remotely side with the airlines? I personally play the "scope the counter personnel game" and look for an angle. It's a creative sales pitch. I found a sweet young girl with braces and told her I had just had mine removed (true) and that hers looked very good. Nothin' but NET! (no fee). Had an angry gay guy in Miami and new I was screwed. No choice as to who I got as the crowds were over the top. He charged us all (9 ppl.) the max. I guess he didn't like the ten guys on a bachellor party / surf trip to Costa. The people at the counter have ALL the say on this so don't tell us it's a set thing we should all expect. Person who wrote the comment siding with United is likely the gay guy at the Miami ticket counter. He doesn't get charged for his double-ender, or tube of lube, so he can't relate.

There is a brief comment on the best and worst airlines for surfers to travel on in the new issue of surfer.

Skis are free, Golfclubs are free, and sporting equipment is free. Surfbaords are lighter then all those that are free.

God forbid your plane goes down over water, you might be glad you have your board with you.

Too bad Virgin America isn't flying to Hawaii...they only charge $50 to bring your surfboard.

Here's your bumper sticker slogan. "Surfers unite against United Airlines" One of you great designers out there mock this up and lets start passing them out.

I work for an Airline that charges for boards. Almost every domestic carrier has posted losses this year and they are frantically trying to recoup something. I know for a fact if the agent doesn't charge you for that surfboard and a supr finds out, they can lose their job. Every employee is being pressured to sell shit and charge for everything. Some Airlines throw commisions to it's employees, while others threaten fourloughs if sales aren't up. I agree that bag fees are too high. Just today I flew a bunch of PGA people in, whom none of them paid for their bags and one of our employees with a surfboard, who had to pay for his. Unfortunatly, surfers don't have as loud of a voice as PGA. It's time for the surf mags to speak up. Media can be a huge motivator for consumers and corporations alike. Also it's time for WQS and other surf organizations to buddy up with the preferred airlines. The airline industry is highly competitive. Convince one Airline to reduce fees, most will follow!

UA's reply seems not to meet the best a good corporation could do. However, UA did say they would forward to the baggage management team and reservations mangement team for review. Since Jan. until now Jun. - what customer positive action did UA do? None which is seen, the costs and restrictions are still unchanged. Ok, what did UA's management teams conclude? What was their thinking? Within the business model, UA is missing a golden opportunity. For the cost structure of actually flying a 25 lbs surfboard, vs the many other types of luggage, the surfboard is the most inexpensive for the airline. by wieght and by volume. A good time for UA to re-run their numbers. good surfing!