Families often ask, “How does the New River Academy fly with
their kayaks?” “We fly with them.”
Flying with your kayak may be intimidating at first but it is only
slightly more difficult than flying with normal luggage.
The goal with this whitewater kayak school travel segment is to
teach you how to fly internationally with your kayak gear at an economical
rate.
Lets break it down into steps:
Choose
a kayak friendly airline. Airlines post their oversize
baggage specifications whether they allow or “blacklist” kayaks. Stay away from airlines that do
not allow kayaks as oversize luggage. If you use the rules in this article you may still be
able to fly with a blacklist company but don’t count on it.
I most often use US Airways and
United Airlines.
Know weight and size
allowance: Bags are free under 50
pounds, but will be classified as oversize based on dimensions. Your max limit maybe around 115”
(l+w+h) and typically = $80 fee.
Freestyle kayaks are around 74” hl+ 13” h + 25” w. Check the oversize baggage
allowance for your airline.
(c) Morgan Tidd
Daniel Stewart measures boat dimensions.
Packing
your kayak you will need: packing tape, sharpie, strap, boat
bag or alternative kayak wrap.
Label
each piece of gear.
Stuff
lite weight items like fleece, dry
tops, skirts, booties into foot and stern compartments. Do not exceed 50 pounds unless you
are fine with a possible second oversize fee for dimension and weight.
Brace
your paddle(s). Use sleeping bags, sleeping pads,
pfds, sandals, and any bulky items to provide support between your kayak
and paddle. Tape and wrap
the paddle well to the cockpit rim.
I have observed non-braced paddles break.
Wrap
to protect. You can use a kayak bag, but they are hard to find and
end up being an additional awkward piece of gear.
(c) Morgan Tidd
A disposble tarp can also serve as a ground cloth. Plus, it is not an awkward piece of gear you will have to carry.
E. Make a handle for the skycaps. Imagine that skycaps hate
heavy awkward to carry luggage.
So, make it easy to carry.
a. Cut a hole in your wrapping system at the cockpit rim
allowing for a handle.
b. Or make a shoulder strap that you previously built prior to
wrapping. The shoulder strap can
be a piece of webbing that ties around the bow and stern and protrudes out of
two holes from the tarp.
F. Label, Label, Label- Where
will you be, where are you going, which flight number is it?
Checking
in:
Show
up 3 hours early. You have large luggage and if the
plane is nearly full the counter person is more likely to turn you
down. If you are one of the
earliest then there is less stress related to an over packed plane
belly. Plus, you will want
the extra time to carry your heavy gear.
What
to say. Avoid the word “Kayak.” The word “Kayak” is an expensive
word that is often charged twice as much as other similar sized
items. I always call my
craft a “surf ski.” What is
a “surf ski?”
“A surf ski is something you sit
on top of and surf in the ocean.
It is like a surf board because of its design and you surf it in the
ocean.” If the person behind
the counter says to you, “that looks a lot like a kayak.” Smile at her and say, “Has anyone told
you have a wonderful smile today?
Yes, I agree. We do sit on
these and surf them in the ocean.”
I keep relating it to a surf board
because I want the surf board rate.
If they charge you $80 be happy, pay your fee, and leave the desk person
with a smile.
4. What if airline will
not accept the kayak? I have traveled internationally with a
kayak for 12 years now and always have been able to nicely convince the desk
person to allow the kayak. Allow
them to be in charge from the start, ask them how you can help move the kayak
to where they need it so they will not have extra work, be excited about your
“surf ski” adventure, and smile.
If they turn you down and say they don’t accept kayaks then
you are going to have to ask them for their help. Going over the top to management is a bad ideal unless
worded correct.
EG- “Can I
speak to your manager?” is a bad ideal.
Try this instead.
“Thank you for your help.
Obviously, you realize how important this piece of equipment is to my
vacation. Is there anything you
can do within your power or someone you can ask or lead me to speak with that
can approve this? My apologies for
not packing this well, being here earlier… Any help you can offer would make me most appreciative and
have a strong positive impact on my vacation.”
Now, you have asked them for genuine help. It is hard to deny wanting to help
someone who has been nothing but kind.
You may have to be persistent. Keep your eye on being the world champion of gratitude and
letting the officials know how much it would benefit your trip. I have stuck out several “no you can
not travel with your kayak.” Only to later be allowed based on barraging them
with kindness and sticking out the situation.
Go Huge Kayaking in your international destination.
Original post by New River Academy and software by Elliott Back
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