Guide: Flying with windsurfing equipment - how to do it safely and stress-free
SURF Redaktion
· 28.12.2022
A holiday is relaxation! For the windsurfer, the holiday probably only begins after check-in, when his surf bag is safely stowed in the belly of the plane.
You should already know how much surfing baggage you want to take with you when booking, because booking additional sports baggage online saves money and nerves. Almost all airlines allow you to book additional baggage up to 48 hours before departure. If you simply turn up at the counter with a large board bag, you will usually have to dig deep into your pockets and risk being refused carriage of your surf bag.
32 kilos is the upper limit for luggage
In general, please note that no airline will accept baggage weighing more than 32 kilograms for safety and health reasons. This limit is very strictly adhered to, so it is better to book one piece of luggage more and distribute the kilos well.
You should also observe the regulations regarding the dimensions of the items of baggage. For many airlines, the maximum dimensions (the sum of length, width and height) for standard baggage are 158 centimetres. You can often add oversized baggage to your booking, which in turn differs from overweight baggage.
In some cases, you can also use your free baggage allowance for your windsurfing equipment free of charge or for a small surcharge, in which case other dimensions apply. You must always register it in advance! A written confirmation of the registration of the bulky baggage can work wonders at the check-in counter. You should also organise the transfer to and from the airport in advance, otherwise you may incur high costs for the special baggage. Deutsche Bahn, for example, does not officially accept luggage longer than 180 centimetres.
"Wooden tree" and "surf pole"
With most airlines, you can also book sports baggage instead of additional overweight and oversized baggage, which is usually cheaper. "A piece of windsurfing luggage" is usually defined as a set consisting of a board, a sail, a mast and a boom - often known in airline jargon as a wooden boom or surf pole. A distinction is made between a surfboard and a waveboard, with the latter being referred to as a surfboard.
Internationally, the terms are clearer and a distinction is made between windsurfing and surfing. If you like the risk, you can specify that you are a surfer when booking. With Lufthansa, you only pay 50 euros instead of 150 euros for windsurfing baggage on domestic German feeder flights. The bags are rarely opened, so you often get through with them - or get stranded at the departure airport. However, you can pack more than one sail without any great risk.
How you can save on flights with surf equipment
If you're travelling with a board, two sails, a boom and two masts, you often end up with around 32 kilograms. One way to save weight is to choose a board bag. Instead of a comfortable model with wheels and extra padding, which can weigh up to ten kilograms, you can often opt for a large normal bag, which, together with bubble wrap, ensures safe transport with significantly less weight. The sails can be used as padding between the board and boom.
If space in the bag is a problem: simply roll up two sails together. This works particularly well for sails with the same batten angle. If you tie everything together in the bag and transport small parts in the case, you minimise the risk of damage - after all, nothing will slide around in the bag. If you leave mast bags and sail bags at home, you can save a good kilo. Wetsuits, towels, harnesses without hooks and many items of clothing can be used as padding in the windsurf bag. If you want to be on the safe side, you can use bubble wrap to make "bags" for the mast and board - if you stick them together skilfully, they can even be reused!
If all else fails and the baggage is not accepted, it is often better to register a second bag instead of paying the excess baggage charges per kilo. You can quickly make a second bag with a roll of parcel tape - simply take out three sails, tape them together, attach a label and check in as an additional piece of baggage. Cling film from the airport supermarket also works.
Better chance with relaxed check-in
Ultimately, it all depends on the staff at the check-in desk. While some people fly from Hamburg and every bag is weighed down to the last gram, friends who take off from Berlin with the same airline sometimes don't care about the weight at all. Checking in early, before the hustle and bustle, and a friendly smile can open doors here.
The cost of taking windsurfing equipment with you varies from airline to airline. If you have several airlines to choose from on your route, you should definitely compare!
