Ski transportation on a plane

The ski season is just around the corner, and today we’ll talk about transporting skis and snowboards on a plane.

As always, it all depends on the airline. During the season, most European carriers will take your skis for free in addition to the standard baggage allowance. This means you can take, for example, 20 kg of checked baggage + 8 kg of hand luggage + a set of ski equipment (skis, poles and boots or snowboard + boots). In most cases, your ski equipment set should consist of 2 pieces: skis and poles in one bag and boots in another.

How to transport skis on a plane?

After or during the purchase of an airline ticket, you must notify the airline that you plan to fly with ski equipment. If you bought an airline ticket online, contact the agent on whose website you bought the ticket, or the airline.

If you do not report the transportation of skis, there is a chance that they will not be accepted.

During check-in, your skis or snowboard will be set aside and taken to the aircraft’s baggage compartment as oversized baggage. In some airports, you will have to drop off your skis at a separate oversized baggage counter. Using the drop-off counter for ski equipment will not work, but if you checked in online, there is a chance to get to the check-in agent without waiting in line. Upon arrival at your destination, you will also receive your skis not on the regular baggage carousel, but at the oversized baggage claim. Since a standard ski bag has handles, many airlines ask you to wrap it in transparent film so that they don’t get caught on anything and hinder loading onto the plane.

Which airlines transport skis for free?

These include:

• Lufthansa

1 piece of ski equipment on all routes, except for flights to/from USA, Canada, Mexico, Central American countries. Maximum weight — 23 kg for economy class and 32 kg for business class.

• Austrian

1 set of equipment is allowed on all flights except to/from USA and Canada.

• SWISS

One pair of skis + boots and poles or snowboard + boots is transported free of charge. Maximum weight up to 32 kg.

Airlines that transport skis for a fee

Let’s make a small clarification right away. On flights of these airlines, you can transport ski equipment for free if it plus your baggage does not exceed the free baggage allowance. For example, you are carrying a set of downhill skis weighing 10 kg and a suitcase weighing 10 kg. The total weight of your baggage is 20 kg, which does not exceed the standard allowance. If you want to take a larger suitcase, you will have to pay for excess weight. Read more about excess baggage here. In addition, if the piece concept applies to the route, where not only the weight of the baggage but also its quantity is limited, you can only check in one ski set for free, i.e., 1 piece of baggage. In this case, as an exception to the general rule, you can check in 2 bags: one with skis and poles and the second with boots. Airlines with paid ski equipment transportation:

• Finnair
• LOT
• Air Baltic (except business class passengers)
• Niki
• Air Berlin
• KLM
• Air France

How to deal with such airlines?

Typically, the weight of a ski set (skis, bindings, boots, and poles) is about 10 kg. If the airline’s permitted baggage allowance is 20 kg, then in addition to skis, you can also take a small suitcase, ensuring that the total baggage weight does not exceed 20 kg. And of course, don’t forget about hand luggage, which is usually around 8 kg, but exact data can be found on the airline’s website. If the airline uses a piece concept instead of a weight-based baggage allowance system, then it’s more complicated. You can only check in 1 piece of baggage weighing up to 23 kg for free. The option in this case is to put some of your belongings into the ski bag and boots, and the rest into hand luggage.

Can I put clothes and other items in the ski bag?

We won’t hide it, many people do exactly that. But if ski equipment is transported for free, in addition to the free baggage allowance, it is prohibited. But you can still try:) Now you know how to transport skis on a plane. If you have any additional questions, ask them in the comments.