Cost of Taking Golf Clubs to LOS

[Kleyshay 0]

Hi folks, I am looking at bringing my own golf clubs over on my next visit, I was wondering how things work with the baggage. I am usually very close to my 20kg limit with just my suitcase, so will I have to pay excess baggage or is there a set fee when taking clubs.

I usually fly Eva , Thai or KLM from UK, if it's any relevance. Thanks

[joekicker 53]

Free? hahahahahahaha

 

Airlines are supposed to give two free suitcases. Your golf clubs should be one of them. If not, you pay excess.

 

Was me in that situation you describe, I'd have 2 or 3 kilos of clothes in my golf-club bag.

[ashboy 22]

Thai have never charged me excess for golf clubs. I get the extra 5 k allowance for FF status and do exactly what Joe says with packing. That worries me.

Stuffing shirts, jocks etc around your clubs protects them in flight. I wrap the bag in plastic to protect it. Thai treat it as fragile/oversize; whether that makes any difference once it goes throught the trapdoor I don't know.

 

One tip....on your return flight, have your golf shoes close to hand. They will need to be inspected for dirt and vegetable matter.

Edited June 21, 2008 by ashboy

[Hub 203]

Free? hahahahahahaha

 

Airlines are supposed to give two free suitcases. Your golf clubs should be one of them. If not, you pay excess.

 

Was me in that situation you describe, I'd have 2 or 3 kilos of clothes in my golf-club bag.

 

Joe:

 

I have almost always brought clubs and have never been charged for extra bag by EVA, Cathay, Northworst, china, etc even when already checking two other bags. This was a nice loophole and one time left clubs in LOS and use bag to carry thai sculpture and some other heavy items mixed with clothes. After our wedding in Thailand, using golf bags of fmily members was our saving grace to get our wedding presents back to the US, some of which were heavy/bulky. There was an exception for sports equipment beyond the normal allowance I think, which also may have been subnjective.

 

I am not sure what the policy is now with fuel charges. From their website, for US transpacific flights the rules arre as folows:

 

For travel to and from the US and Canada and certain countries in South and Central America, the baggage allowance is per piece:

Super Business Class / Business Class / Premium Laurel Class: Maximum of two pieces of baggage. The sum of the three dimensions of each piece may not exceed 158 cm (62 in.) and the weight of each piece may not exceed 32kg (70 lb.) Underthe piece system, a passenger traveling in Super Business Class or Business Class or Premium Laurel Class is entitled to carriage of one extra piece without charge while traveling on EVA-operated sectors. However, if you are connecting to/from another carrier, EVA cannot guarantee this privilege applies. Note: The free allowance remains the same as above for passengers holding tickets issued before 2008.04.15. For passengers travelling and holding tickets issued after 2008.04.15, the weight of this extra piece will be limited to 23kg/50lb.

Evergreen Deluxe / Elite/ Economy Class: Maximum of two pieces of baggage. The total baggage size, measured separately and added together, cannot exceed 273 cm (107 in.) The sum of the three dimensions of each individual piece cannot exceed 158 cm (62 in.) and the weight of each piece cannot exceed 32 kg (70 lb.). Note: The free allowance remains the same as above for passengers holding tickets issued before 2008.04.15. For passengers travelling and holding tickets issued after 2008.04.15, the free allowance on Evergreen Deluxe Class and Elite Class will be 28kg/61lb. per piece(on EVA-operated sectors only) and on Economy Class will be 23kg/50lb. per piece.

 

for the UK it also says:

Special rules for different airports

 

LONDON (UK)

1. Effective 1 June, 2004, the United Kingdom limits every single piece of checked baggage departing from any airport in that country to a maximum weight of 32 kg/70 lb. If you have a bag that weighs more than that, you should rearrange its contents and pack items in different bags so that you do not exceed the weight limit.

2. Pets and seeing-eye/hearing-aid dogs are prohibited to be carried to England as unchecked baggage in the cabin or checked baggage in the load compartment. They can only be carried from England as checked baggage in the load compartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/eva...ge_allowance_en

[joekicker 53]

Hub I presume you have some status that gives you three suitcases? I know I do, but you have to fly a lot to get there, with the miles OR fly just behind where the pilots sit.

 

That said, I should have stated to the OP that many airlines have a per-bag charge for extra luggage and don't charge by the kilo - but that is entirely up to the airline.

 

By his description the OP is not touching North America (the two-suitcase rule) and has been told he can have one suitcase with 20K.

 

These days airlines are making new customers pay for their first suitcase. I don't think he'll get a finger wave on a clubs bag. Odds are really against that.

 

Of course the ACTUAL answer is, pick up the telephone and call your agent or airline you're flying with. When you're at the airport, "A guy on Pattaya Pages told me..." is not accepted. It should be, of course, but airline check-in clerks are narrow-minded prixks who don't understand authoritative sources.

 

 

 

One tip....on your return flight, have your golf shoes close to hand. They will need to be inspected for dirt and vegetable matter.

 

This kind of caught my eye. What will they do if they find some? And how would they know there ISN'T some merely by looking at the shoes? And why are golf shoes more dangerous than any other kind? Disease and similar nasties isn't normally spread by dirt, it's spread by bacteria.

 

Or is this yet another of those "stand in line, hunch your shoulders, do not make direct eye contact and do not question my authority!" airport moments?

[biggles 509]

Sporting equipment seems to have free carriage but I reckon with the airlines taking every dollar they can get its only a matter of time until heavier items, such as golf clubs, surfboards etc get charged.

[Feileacan 32]

Look up the airline websites for charges

[ashboy 22]

.

This kind of caught my eye. What will they do if they find some? And how would they know there ISN'T some merely by looking at the shoes? And why are golf shoes more dangerous than any other kind? Disease and similar nasties isn't normally spread by dirt, it's spread by bacteria.

 

Or is this yet another of those "stand in line, hunch your shoulders, do not make direct eye contact and do not question my authority!" airport moments?

 

 

At risk of being "authoritative"....

 

There's this thing called quarantine. The people that work in it are closely aligned with customs. Some countries which have a vibrant primary industrial sector seek to protect their agriculture by preventing diseases, fungus, plant seeds etc being brought across their borders. One method of such transmission can be on footwear or sporting equipment which has soil contaminants and has not been cleaned.

 

If you check the box on your inbound passenger card which acknowledges that you have visited a farm your footwear will be subject to check.

 

Amazingly, the people who work in this strange world of quarantine, can recognise golf clubs, and deduce that a golfer might have golf shoes, and that such shoes might have soil on them.

 

And to answer your other question, normally they will take your shoes, have them cleaned and returned to you. Unfortunately, it will cost considerably more than the 20 baht you could have paid at the golf course.

 

Understood?

 

 

Or maybe they're secretly employed by the R&A to catch people with illegal spikes.

Edited June 22, 2008 by ashboy

[joekicker 53]

So basically, they just pick on golfers.

 

I don't blame them.

[doghaus 4]

Our recent experience is that Eva are very strict on the 20kg maximum economy baggage allowance. Your golf clubs have to be included in the 20kg max or else they will charge you excess as per their web site. I think KLM are the same but we don't use them much. You can try asking your agent to get you an extar allownace for your clubs - Solar Golf often arrange this for clients that book a package with us. If you are just buying flight only then I don't think you have much chance.

 

BA fly direct and will allow you one set of clubs in addition to your 20kg allowance but they are expensive. Your best bet is to fly Emirates who will carry one set of clubs in addition to your 20kg. Good airline with fast connections from London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow via Dubai.

 

Best of luck.

 

Doggie

[Big_Brian 179]

OK, here's my take on this;

 

Firstly, consider buying a "cheap and nasty" golf bag for the trip. I weighed my usual one (a cart bag) and it was almost 4kg empty. Now I travel with a £10 (650 baht) bag which weighs under 1kg.

 

Also, don't take anything with you that you can buy cheaply once you get there, balls, tees, even gloves add to weight. It's surprising how much crap we carry around the world in golf bags.

 

You're still looking at around 6kg for a full set, so you're looking to keep your suitcase under 14kg to avoid charges.

 

And don't forget to dump the crap from your bag before going home as well or you'll get caught for charges then.

[Kleyshay 0]

Thanks guys, thanks for taking time to reply.

[joekicker 53]

You're still looking at around 6kg for a full set, so you're looking to keep your suitcase under 14kg to avoid charges.

 

The OP stated he has ONE suitcase allowed.

[Hub 203]

Hub I presume you have some status that gives you three suitcases? I know I do, but you have to fly a lot to get there, with the miles OR fly just behind where the pilots sit.

 

I didn't have status. I guess it was a "loophole" that allowed for a sports item over the two bag limit.

 

These days airlines are making new customers pay for their first suitcase.

 

On international flights?

[joekicker 53]

I didn't have status. I guess it was a "loophole" that allowed for a sports item over the two bag limit.

 

Okay, probably an airline thing? I've flown with my golfing son a couple of times and his clubs are always a suitcase.

 

On international flights?

 

Not yet. let's repeat that, heh.

 

These guys are discovering new revenue source they could only have wet-dreams about, and now they can have them and make you say "thank you" for doing you such a huge favour as letting you plunk your bottom on their hard chair.

 

As for your coming flight, and over the next 6, 8 months or so:

 

You want an aisle seat? I can can arrange that right now. Will you be using your Visa or American Express card for the payment, sir?

 

Oh, you've changed your mind and want a window seat? Well, we take Mastercard for that, as well, a different out-sourcing company handles window-seat access.

 

Please stop changing your mind, sir, it is a security regulation that you are allowed only one mind change per check-in or we will have to call one of those officers over there. I'm going to let you pass on this one however, because actually our middle seats are all taken and because I am just here to serve you.

 

I said: Aisle or window? SIR!

 

Thank you.

 

Is that a book you have sir? I'm sor... er, I mean. Use of the optional airline entertainment systems is mandatory, and you will find everything you need to pass the time on your flight in an orderly, non-disruptive manner. You can leave the book with me, or deposit it in that handy can just beside you. And while you're handing it over, please pass your credit card so I can register your payment for our excellent optional entertainment system. That will be $26.95, please.

 

Pardon me? Oh, yes, of course, "plus VAT," what a silly question.

 

And sir? Of course you can conveniently pay for the Gambling Channel as you go with many credit cards, but for only $32.49, we can issue you with $33 worth of starter chips right here. This is our special discount week for our treasured, valuable customers.

[BillWilson 10]

Now i have heard it all:

 

rumor is there is a BEACH in Pattaya

 

NOW another rumor that there is a freaking GOLF course

 

wow