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l light on a ski trip. Ski clothing and other winter outdoor clothing and footwear are bulky. Ski and snowboard equipment is both bulky and awkwardly shaped. Since last ski season ended, most airlines have begun charging for checked luggage on domestic flights. Most US carriers began imposing a fee for the second checked piece, which was bad enough for skiers, but they levied fees even for first checked bag, which is bad for all travelers.
Skiwear and other winter clothing mean one checked bag per person. Most experienced skiers take their own boots, even if they rent skis. A pair of boots just about fills a carry-on that will fit into the overhead, especially the teeny space on smaller regional aircraft that often fly into mountain airports. A separate boot bag, even if stuffed to the gills with clothing, counts as a second checked bag.
l light on a ski trip. Ski clothing and other winter outdoor clothing and footwear are bulky. Ski and snowboard equipment is both bulky and awkwardly shaped. Since last ski season ended, most airlines have begun charging for checked luggage on domestic flights. Most US carriers began imposing a fee for the second checked piece, which was bad enough for skiers, but they levied fees even for first checked bag, which is bad for all travelers.Skiwear and other winter clothing mean one checked bag per person. Most experienced skiers take their own boots, even if they rent skis. A pair of boots just about fills a carry-on that will fit into the overhead, especially the teeny space on smaller regional aircraft that often fly into mountain airports. A separate boot bag, even if stuffed to the gills with clothing, counts as a second checked bag.
Take your own skis or snowboard, and that’s checked bag number three. The one bright spot is that one ski or snowboard bag and one boot bag still count as a single piece of luggage, as they did in the days when airlines accepted two pieces of checked luggage without charging. This amounts to bad news for skiers heading for their vacations.
At this writing, most airlines charge $15 for the first and $25, but United gets $50 for the second checked bag. The first bag is free on Delta, and the second costs $25. Don’t plan on taking more than you need. The third and subsequent bags are $80 and up each.
These baggage charges are for the entire trip, not per leg if you are changing planes. Fees for overweight bags have also skyrocketed, so don’t think that buying a team ski bag or hockey gear bag and stuffing everything into it will save money. It won’t.
Premier members of airlines’ frequent-flier programs and those seated in premium cabins in the front of the plane are generally exempt from these surcharges.
Southwest is one major U.S. carrier that so far does not charge for up to two checked bags. The airline also does not charge for curbside baggage check-in, a real boon when a lot of gear is involved. Southwest flies to the ski gateways of Albuquerque, Boise, Denver, Manchester (NH), Salt Lake City and Reno/Tahoe. A change of planes might be necessary, but low fares and absence of surcharges make it worthwhile.
In Colorado, Steamboat and Vail Resorts’ four destinations (Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail, plus Heavenly, California) are helping skiers out with a kind of subsidy to take the sting out of the baggage surcharges.
There are still a couple of weeks to tap into Vail Resorts’ Baggage Bailout that gives a $50 credit to guests who book at least a four-day, four-night ski/snowboard vacation by December 1 through Vail Resorts Reservations (866-949-2573). The offer is valid for any qualifying vacation through April 20, the end of the ski season but most be booked by phone.
At this writing, most airlines charge $15 for the first and $25, but United gets $50 for the second checked bag. The first bag is free on Delta, and the second costs $25. Don’t plan on taking more than you need. The third and subsequent bags are $80 and up each.
These baggage charges are for the entire trip, not per leg if you are changing planes. Fees for overweight bags have also skyrocketed, so don’t think that buying a team ski bag or hockey gear bag and stuffing everything into it will save money. It won’t.
Premier members of airlines’ frequent-flier programs and those seated in premium cabins in the front of the plane are generally exempt from these surcharges.
Southwest is one major U.S. carrier that so far does not charge for up to two checked bags. The airline also does not charge for curbside baggage check-in, a real boon when a lot of gear is involved. Southwest flies to the ski gateways of Albuquerque, Boise, Denver, Manchester (NH), Salt Lake City and Reno/Tahoe. A change of planes might be necessary, but low fares and absence of surcharges make it worthwhile.
In Colorado, Steamboat and Vail Resorts’ four destinations (Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail, plus Heavenly, California) are helping skiers out with a kind of subsidy to take the sting out of the baggage surcharges.
There are still a couple of weeks to tap into Vail Resorts’ Baggage Bailout that gives a $50 credit to guests who book at least a four-day, four-night ski/snowboard vacation by December 1 through Vail Resorts Reservations (866-949-2573). The offer is valid for any qualifying vacation through April 20, the end of the ski season but most be booked by phone.
Steamboat’s Bags Fly Free offer nets a $25 American Express gift card from the resort per booked seat – plus 20 percent off on lift tickets and lodging on early-bird bookings of lift/lodging packages of at least four nights. The vacation had to have been booked though Steamboat Central Reservations (800-922-2722) by November 3, but with this ongoing economic slump, late-booking skiers hold out hope that this or another kind of rebate will be revived. When combined with the resort’s pioneering Kids Ski Free program (children under 12 ski and stay free one-on-one with a paying adult), Bags Fly Free can really pare the cost for a family.
If you will visit any of these resorts (again, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge or Heavenly several times this winter) and don’t like to be bothered with your skis at all, consider a RentSkis.com season pass for unlimited ski/snowboard rental. The cost is $359 per adult ($459 for performance gear) and $199 for kids 13 and under.
Air Canada imposed and then rescinded checked-baggage fees and now allows each passenger to check two bags at no charge. Calgary and Vancouver are the major Canadian gateways to ski country. Others are Montreal, Quebec City, Edmonton, Kelowna and Canadian Rockies Airport (Cranbrook). Transatlantic still have a two-piece free baggage allowance, and international airlines also consider skis/boots as one piece, which can take some of the sting out of a European ski trip.
Some skiers are willing to pay more to avoid hassles, especially when flying to small mountain airports where planes are often weight-restricted. That means you might reach your destination, while some or all of your checked bags follow – often the next day.
Options include shipping bags via FedEx, UPS or a dedicated door-to-door luggage pickup and delivery service. Sports Express, which is headquartered in Durango, Colorado, has a particular affinity for travel to the mountains.
Yet another option is to rent skis. Ski Butlers is a ski/snowboard rental operation with a difference. The service delivers top-quality, well maintained skis and snowboards directly to your accommodation in 25 North American resorts, adjusts your boards to your boots and picks it up at the end of your trip. That saves both the expense of taking your own equipment the hassle of going to a rental shop, filling out forms and standing in line to get your gear -- and then at the end of your vacation, trekking back to the rental shop to return the equipment. Their slogan is "Never Stand in Line Again."
None of this, of course, is carved in granite. Domestic carriers, which don’t need to file their tariffs with regulatory agencies in advance, hit travelers over the head by imposing fees for checked baggage, and they might turn on a dime and change them too. With a soft travel market, the possibility of lower jet-fuel prices and sluggish reservations, they could drop the fees – or other resorts could follow Steamboat and the Vail family and offer a credit to ski vacationers. The only thing certain about the 2008-09 season is uncertainty.
Air Canada imposed and then rescinded checked-baggage fees and now allows each passenger to check two bags at no charge. Calgary and Vancouver are the major Canadian gateways to ski country. Others are Montreal, Quebec City, Edmonton, Kelowna and Canadian Rockies Airport (Cranbrook). Transatlantic still have a two-piece free baggage allowance, and international airlines also consider skis/boots as one piece, which can take some of the sting out of a European ski trip.
Some skiers are willing to pay more to avoid hassles, especially when flying to small mountain airports where planes are often weight-restricted. That means you might reach your destination, while some or all of your checked bags follow – often the next day.
Options include shipping bags via FedEx, UPS or a dedicated door-to-door luggage pickup and delivery service. Sports Express, which is headquartered in Durango, Colorado, has a particular affinity for travel to the mountains.
Yet another option is to rent skis. Ski Butlers is a ski/snowboard rental operation with a difference. The service delivers top-quality, well maintained skis and snowboards directly to your accommodation in 25 North American resorts, adjusts your boards to your boots and picks it up at the end of your trip. That saves both the expense of taking your own equipment the hassle of going to a rental shop, filling out forms and standing in line to get your gear -- and then at the end of your vacation, trekking back to the rental shop to return the equipment. Their slogan is "Never Stand in Line Again."
None of this, of course, is carved in granite. Domestic carriers, which don’t need to file their tariffs with regulatory agencies in advance, hit travelers over the head by imposing fees for checked baggage, and they might turn on a dime and change them too. With a soft travel market, the possibility of lower jet-fuel prices and sluggish reservations, they could drop the fees – or other resorts could follow Steamboat and the Vail family and offer a credit to ski vacationers. The only thing certain about the 2008-09 season is uncertainty.
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