The Long Descent: The $300 Surfboard Fee
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 08.25.08 | 10:39 AM ET
Surfers are being gouged by many airlines when they travel with their boards, and, rightfully, they’re pissed. “The charges have gotten so gnarly that some professional surfers are calling for a boycott of airlines that have high fees and are putting out their own personal lists of surfer-friendly carriers that wave riders should patronize,” writes Peter Pae in the Los Angeles Times. Among the airlines surfers are calling out: Delta, Continental and United. Each charges a minimum of $115 for domestic flights, and up to $300 for international trips.
It’s ridiculous. As the Times story points out, surfboards aren’t heavy so airlines can’t justify this as a weigh issue. Instead they say boards “require special care and extra handling.”
Related on World Hum:
* The Long Descent: The $7 JetBlue Pillow, Blanket
* Baggage: Check It or Ship It?
Photo by **spaceMonkey**, via Flickr (Creative Commons)