Bad news for flying golfers as British Airways imposes baggage fees
19.10.2007, 08:30
Air travel is a frequent source of annoyance to my readers, especially those carrying their clubs with them on trips.
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Besides all the other hassles (delayed flights, cramped seats, crappy food and rude service) luggage seems to get lost more on golf trips. Knock on wood, I’ve never had my golf gear broken or stolen, but I have had it misplaced.
In fact, while my real luggage has amazingly only gone missing on me someplace once in all my travels, and that was for one day, my golf clubs have failed to show on three separate and dramatic occasions, most notably on a four-day trip to Bandon Dunes when they finally arrived the last day. Every time I called the (major U.S.) airline I was told they were being delivered that day, and it wasn’t until I spent an hour of my vacation on the third night on the phone with a supervisor that I discovered they hadn’t even found my clubs yet. For some reason my sticks ended up having a Hawaiian holiday without me, but that’s another story.
To add insult to injury, airlines have started cracking down on weight and luggage limits, and many discount carriers either limit you to one checked bag, which doesn’t help for a golf vacation or just flat out charge for golf clubs. This happened to me when I used popular discount carrier Ryanair for a short- hop trip within the British Isles, and at the counter they shook me down for about $60, almost as much as the plane ticket.
Now it isn’t just the Ryanairs of the world. Just a few days ago, British Airways, the world’s second largest carrier, announced that it would no longer take "large sports equipment" as free checked luggage, even if the passenger is within the weight and two bag limit. I think this is a first for a full service airline, and is especially foreboding given that many airlines around the world follow examples set by traditional industry leaders like BA.