Delta- $200 each way per surfboard bag
United- Domestic $100 each way per surfboard, International $200 each way per surfboard
American- $150 each way (charge is per surfboard bag if neatly packed and under 50lbs)
Continental, $100 each way for 2 surfboards , $400 each way for 3 surfboards, $700 each way for 4 surfboards)
Taca- $125 each way per surfboard bag (max. 2 surfboards), $175 extra for additional surfboards
Copa- $75 each way per surfboard bag
Jet Blue- $75 per bag (max. length 80 inches and accepted on space available basis only)
Southwest- $50 each way per surfboard bag
Air Paciifc- $50 each way per surfboard bag
Interjet (Mexico)- No Charge
Singapore Airlines- No Charge for first 2 surfboards
Qantas - No charge
South African Airways- No charge
Air Emirates- No Charge
Wavehunters urges surfers to consider renting surfboards, or otherwise storing surfboards at destinations they travel to frequently, as alternatives to bringing their own boards given the increased airline board fees especially by the "Big Four": United, Delta, Continental and American.
Many surf camps offer a good quiver of rental boards now. Many international destinations have surf shops and local shapers where it is possible to buy high quality surfboards (even have them custom shaped before your trip), then either store them there or sell them at the end of your trip. If you are traveling with multiple surfboards then you need to be particularly careful which airline you choose.
I've seen the hate emails and blogs but I really don't believe for one instant that the airlines will respond favorably to increased pressure from surfers to lower fees, if anything they will continue to go up, which follows the current industry trend of airlines adding extra service and baggage fees to the cost of a ticket to increase their corporate profits and keep Wall Street happy. Surfers should boycott the most surf-unfriendly airlines like Delta and United. If enough of them to do so these airlines may notice the dip in their profits. That's the only way to get their attention. The problem is that the big 4 are all about equally bad now as American has just raised fees from $100 to $150 per surfboard bag and Continental has extremely exorbitant fees for taking 3 or more surfboards (but ironically they are the least expensive now of the big four for 1 or 2 surfboards at $100). Domestically Jet Blue and Southwest are good alternatives. Internationally, surfers still have some good options for long-haul travel such as Singapore Airlines, Air Emirates, Qantas, South African Airways, and Air Pacific as well as Interjet to Mexico which is not charging so far.
Cheers,
Henry Morales
Director
Wavehunters Surf Travel, Inc.
