Description
This article is from the Sea
Kayaking FAQ, by Todd Leigh with numerous contributions by
others.
31 Can I take a kayak on an airplane?
With respect to airline travel with folding kayaks, it's important to
realize that for international air travel there are two completely
different systems for calculating the amount of allowable free
baggage: the piece system and the weight system.
The "piece" rule applies to flights to, from, and within North America
(the USA and Canada); on other flights included in through fares to or
from North America; and in certina other countries.
Under the piece rule, each passenger is allowed two pieces of free
checked baggage. Size and weight limits are set by individual
airlines, but the weight limit is usually 70 pounds (32 kg) per piece.
On flights covered by the piece rule, excess baggage is generally
charged per piece, with the same weight limit (usually 70 pounds) per
piece, and with a typical charge of US $100-150 for a transoceanic
flight.
The "weight" rule, the international default, applies to all other
flights in the rest of the world (except where overridden by specific
local or airline rules to the contrary).
Under the weight rule, each coach/economy/3rd class passenger is
allowed a maximum of 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of free baggage,
including all checked and carry on baggage, regardless of the total
number of pieces. Business class passengers are allowed 30 kg each,
and first class passengers 40 kg each.
On flights covered by the weight rule, the default charge for excess
baggage is one percent of the full unrestricted first-class fare per
kilogram of excess baggage (even for coach passengers).
Under both the piece and weight rules, passengers traveling together
are explicitly permitted to pool their baggage, as long as each piece
is within the relevant limits per piece, and as long as the total
number of pieces or weight is within the total permitted for that many
passengers.
Many airlines have their own specific rules for certain kinds of
excess or oversized baggage, including in particular "sporting
equipment". Where such rules exist, they are almost always more
favorable than the default rules applicable to other excess,
oversized, or overweight baggage. Sometimes there is a relatively
small charge for the nuisance value of handling oversize or overweight
sporting equipment, sometimes not. (These rules also affect bicycles,
surfboards, golf bags, skis, etc.)
Boats other than folding kayaks are sometimes too large for airlines
to accept as checked bagggage at any price, but the limits and charges
vary from airline to airline. (It's possible to ship larger items as
unaccompanied air cargo than as checked baggage, but the charges tend
to be substantially higher than for similar amounts of accompanied
baggage.) Folding kayak bags are small enough to be acceptable, but
may surcharged if they exceed the limits for free size and/or weight.
There are exceptions to every rule, especially for "very frequent
flyers" with premium memberships in frequent flyer programs. It never
hurts to ask, but you have to plan for the possibility that the rules
could be strictly enforced.
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