(1) checked firearm per gun case per customer ?

[jrdoran]

Quote

Spirit Airlines will allow customers to transport firearms in accordance with applicable regulations. Except for personnel authorized by the federal government, the following conditions must be met: (i) firearms are accepted as checked baggage only, (ii) firearms must be packed in a hard-sided container specifically designed for the firearm; a locked hard-sided gun case; a locked hard-sided piece of luggage. A handgun packed in a hard-sided gun case may be packed inside a soft- sided piece of luggage. A Conditional Acceptance Tag must be used in this case. Firearms may not be checked curbside. No one under 18 years of age may check a firearm. A customer who presents baggage containing a firearm must declare that the weapon is unloaded. Baggage containing firearms must be locked at all times and the key or lock combination retained by the customer. A Firearm Declaration form must be signed and placed on the outside of the locked case containing the firearm. Ammunition must be packed in the original manufacturing package or metal/wood box, with a maximum of 11 pounds per customer. Loose ammunition or clips will not be accepted. Spirit Airlines allows only one (1) checked firearm per gun case per customer.
NOTE: Firearms are NOT permitted to/from international destinations.

 

I'm traveling via Spirit to a Steel match and want to bring 2 guns.   Does anyone know if Spirit enforces the 1 firearm per gun case Per customer ?

 

 It is the 'per customer' part that I'm worried about.  Happy to put my guns in separate locked plastic boxes and even in separate checked bags ( I'm checking 2 bags );  

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by jrdoran

[Hi-Power Jack]

When I travelled with my two TruBors, to the Nat'ls, I went directly to the airport a few days before

and went over all the regs with the airline (not Spirit), and ensured that I understood and

complied with all their regs.

 

I didn't want to wait until my flight was about to leave for Vegas, and discover some new

reg I didn't know about.

 

It all went very smoothly, the day of the flight itself      

[stick]

When I traveled to some matches for 3gun, I would have 3 guns in one case.  Like Jack stated, I called the airline several times and spoke with them to ensure that I wouldn't have any problems the day of travel.  Do all of your legwork in advance and you shouldn't have any problems.

[jrdoran]

I've traveled from CT to FL and back via airlines several times (4x ) with multiple guns in a single locked hard case inside a larger regular suitcase w/o issue.  Frankly, it was almost too easy. I also brought 9lbs of ammo per checked bag coming down ( including my 2 kids bags ) .   Always keep ammo out of the locked gun hardcase;  .  

 

This subtle constraint of 1 gun per case per customer is my question;  I'll call spirit today and report back. 

 

*** Purchased my ticket last night;     Ticket = $52 ; 1st bag = $30; 2nd bag = $40;   

Edited October 26, 2018 by jrdoran

[jrdoran]

To help bring some closure to any reading this thread, I reached out to Spirit airlines customer service and got this response;

 

Quote

Thank you for reaching out to Spirit's Guest Relations team.

Please be advised of the following guidelines when bringing firearms as checked luggage:

1. The customer checking the firearm is at least 18 years of age.
2. The customer is not traveling to an international destination.
3. The customer declares the firearm to be unloaded and signs a Firearms Declaration tag.
4. The firearm is in a hard-sided container which is locked, and only the customer retains the key or combination.
5. The customer must place the signed Firearms Declaration tag(s) as follows:
 

• If the hard-sided locked container is inside another piece of luggage, the tag shall be placed inside the luggage next to the locked container.
• If the firearm is a rifle or shotgun, the tag shall be placed inside the locked hard-sided rifle or shotgun case.
• If the firearm is contained in a locked hard-sided suitcase, the tag shall be placed inside the suitcase next to the firearm.

As for ammunition. small arms ammunition (up to 19.1 mm for rifle and pistol cartridges, any size shotgun shells) for personal use is accepted provided that all of the following provisions are met:

1. The customer is not traveling on an international flight and is not under the age of eighteen.
2. Amount of ammunition must not exceed eleven pounds (11 lb.) per customer.
3. Ammunition must be securely packed in boxes or another packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ammunition clips and magazines must also be securely boxed.
4. Firearms and properly packaged ammunition may be carried in the same hard-sided container. Or, the ammunition may be carried in a separate piece of checked baggage.

That being said, there is no specific amount of firearms that be put inside a case, as long as it complies with both Spirit Airlines and TSA guidelines. Also, a customer checking multiple firearms must complete a Firearms Declaration tag for each firearm checked. You can request for these tags by approaching our ticket counter.

Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision rests with TSA, not the airline, on whether to allow any items on the plane.

Here's a helpful link for your reference:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

I hope you find this information helpful.

Guest Relations

 

[Hi-Power Jack]

2 hours ago, jrdoran said:

I reached out to Spirit airlines customer service and got this response :

 

"...no specific amount of firearms ...inside a case".

 

Great - thanks for checking     

[ClangClang]

On 10/26/2018 at 7:36 AM, jrdoran said:

  Always keep ammo out of the locked gun hardcase;  . 

 

I have never encountered this policy in the 50+ flights I've taken with a checked firearm.  Where else would I put my ammo? It simply can't be packed loose. But I always put it inside my Pelican. The best option is to pack it in ammo boxes (factory, or plastic reloading trays) however TSA regulation will also allow you to pack ammo in magazines as long as there is tape over the top (or they are in a completely separate compartment) so that they can't make the miraculous journey into the magwell during transit.  Note: a handful of airlines, notably Delta, do not allow you  to pack ammo in magazines at all.

[jrdoran]

On 10/27/2018 at 2:35 PM, ClangClang said:

 

I have never encountered this policy in the 50+ flights I've taken with a checked firearm.  Where else would I put my ammo? It simply can't be packed loose. But I always put it inside my Pelican. The best option is to pack it in ammo boxes (factory, or plastic reloading trays) however TSA regulation will also allow you to pack ammo in magazines as long as there is tape over the top (or they are in a completely separate compartment) so that they can't make the miraculous journey into the magwell during transit.  Note: a handful of airlines, notably Delta, do not allow you  to pack ammo in magazines at all.

Quote

• Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 caliber for a rifle or pistol and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as long as it follows the packing guidelines described above.

 

Your right that you don't need to keep the ammo separate, but from some of the drama I've read ( particularly at NY airports ) often it is related to the ammo relative to the gun or mags.   I just play it safe and put the ammo  ( factory boxes ) into a plastic ammo box from walmart with a small lock.   Putting the ammo in magazines just seems like asking for trouble even if locked in Pelican.  

[Youngeyes]

American Airlines has a ridiculous rule. They attach a red tag on the outside of your bag. That's correct. They announce to everyone that there is something of value or a gun in your luggage. You must go to the baggage office to get your luggage. To make it even more crazy, the baggage guy gave me my suitcase without asking for ID in Kentucky Bluegrass airport. 

[MemphisMechanic]

@youngeyes that’s right. Every time I’ve flown AA with a gun I’ve gotten a big red “SEND TO BAGGAGE OFFICE” tag on my bag.

 

However I’ve also gotten my bag flawlessly each time, and before the others hit the conveyor.

[m3g4]

 @jrdoran how did the spirit flight end up going? Did they allow more than 1 firearm?

[jrdoran]

Flight went great and I packaged 2 firearms in the same locked container and in the same larger unmarked suitcase.   I didn't tell them and there was no issue nor did they ask.    I also had 15lbs of ammo each ( total 30 ) in 2 separate bags.     Only thing I noticed was I had 3 boxes of CCI patriot pack .22LR in unopened original bulk cardboard boxes.  The ammo was apparently opened and retaped with tape from the inspection.  I should have known they don't like bulk ammo in boxes.  It wasn't an issue, I just noticed that all 3 boxes were opened and resealed.   My 9mm individually  boxed ammo was fine.

[MALEX36]

As of March 19th, 2021 their policy changed and they removed restrictions on the number.  I traveled March 28th, 2021 with 3 pistols secured in a single hard case inside of my soft side checked luggage, completed 3 declaration forms and taped them to the box.  I did have one issue that you should be aware of... Spirit is a bottom tier carrier and they lease/use the major airlines space/equipment so this adds time to them getting your luggage to the plane.  Where I can show up 40 minutes before departure on any other carrier and check my weapons with no issue, Spirit refused to let me board when I arrived 40 minutes before departure.  Their excuse was the time it would take them to process the luggage, saying my weapons would not make the flight.  I believe this to be partly BS and figure they oversold the flight and did not want to provide me compensation, but none the less I was out an additional $400 for a hotel for the night.  They demanded I get there 2 hours prior to boarding which is 45 minutes prior to departure if I were traveling with Firearms.   

[Gale]

Have 2 guns in hard case to be checked. Is there a specific lock required on case or any lock with owner having key

[shred]

Generally any secure lock is good.  Doesn't have to be TSA-approved (actually non-TSA locks are better).  Sometimes they'll try and open the case with the locks locked to see if they can get in while it's locked, so locks without a lot of slop are good and you'll want a lock on both sides if your case has two lock holes.  I like to run a cable lock through the handle of the case and the frame of the bag to keep the gun case from leaving the outer luggage as well.

 

 

[Johnh0121]

I just traveled on Spirit today and had no issues I traveled with 3 firearms, 2 in 1 case etc follow the rules  and you have no issues  read the contract of carriage, print it out take with you. I also called spirit ahead of time and notified them so when my boarding pass came up it was also note in their computer.   Had NO ISSUES WHATSO EVER 

[Boomstick303]

Tickets agents rarely even know their own rules. Always have a printed copy of the airline and TSA’s regulations on your person. When leaving from CO Nationals the ticket agent was incorrectly informed by her supervisor that each gun had to be locked in its own case which was incorrect for that airline. She called TSA to the counter to verify I could do locking two guns in one case. As for this airline and the TSA agent everything was correct on my part. 

 

I always allow an extra 45-60 minutes to make sure if something like this arises I have the adequate time in my schedule to ensure I do not miss my flight. The better prepared you are the more smoothly things will go. 

[Johnie24]

In Spirit Airline, you can transport one gun per checked bag as of yesterday. Now, if you want to transport more than one, you must have the same amount of checked bags.  Suppose you have two guns; you have to check two bags. Also, ensure your weapons are on a hard case with a lock unloaded.  Make sure you mention that you want to declare the weapons as soon as you approach the counter. This is a lengthy process; it took me 40 minutes to finish.  Give yourself an extra hour because it is a tedious process.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Johnie24
add pertinent information