Another flying with guns question

[Fireant]

Is any one company better than others to fly with? Are there some to avoid? I'm ready to make reservations for the nationals, but I might not want the cheapest if they are a hassle with guns.

Thanks.

[outerlimits]

southwest always seems to not care much. last time i flew with 3 guns to a match, they didn't even want to look at them...just fill out the card, drop it in the cases and check 'em. got more hassle dragging on my cart than anything

[CSEMARTIN]

AVOID NORTHWEST AIRLINES LIKE THE PLAGUE.

[Will Abrahams]

i had no problems recently flying with American Airlines.

maybe i am looking at this wrong but...

as far as problems go, isn't the potential problem more with the TSA person on duty (which i am assuming is not specific to an airline) than with the airline itself. the only interaction you have specific to the airline is the ticket check in person, who has nothing to do with inspecting baggage (right???). so as long as you comply with what the airline posts on their website, isn't TSA the only one that can give you a trouble?

someone correct me if they have experienced otherwise...

[Putty]

SW was cool. Going to AK on AK air this sept so will see.

[chrisa006]

Never had trouble with Delta or American. I always print out the rules they have posted on their web site and have it with me at the airport just in case. To date have never needed them but the counter people do not always know them.

[mpolans]

I never had any problems with Southwest.

[Micah]

Airtran fingerbanged all of my stuff flying out of Dayton, but the flight back from Atlanta was smooth.

[shred]

IME, there's far more variability within the carriers than differences between the carriers.. unless you can go on Horizon or Alaska, which rock.

Also don't fly a foreign carrier. Don't do that if you can possibly help it-- they have numerous bizzare rules unto themselves and really don't want to deal with it.

[Fireant]

North West, Delta and Contenental seem to be my choices.

[bgary]

+1 for Alaska. They rock.

[CSEMARTIN]

as far as problems go, isn't the potential problem more with the TSA person on duty

TSA has never been a problem. In fact, I've noticed that once you say the phrase, " I have a gun to declare", you suddenly get their undivided attention.

Northwest lost my luggage going to IDPA Nationals last September. I realize mistakes get made. People are human. My real beef was how they handled it. You haven't experienced anger until you try and find something they lost.

Coming home from Nationals, I got a printer paper box from the hotel to put the clothes in that I purchased while I was supposed to be shooting. When I got to the ticket counter, my lost luggage was waiting for me. Now I had a range bag, my "box" and my lost luggage. Then they tried to charge me extra because I had extra luggage!!! When I arrived home, they lost my box full of clothes. There was nobody at the ticket counter. I walked behind the ticket counter an wrote down the phone number (which apparently is top secret because up until then, I wasn't able to get anyone at Northwest to give it to me). Believe me, it was a real delight to call the lady at the ticket counter. No phone menus....no 800 numbers....just a direct line to a Northwest agent.

I think I'm on some kind of list because this is the not the first problem I've had with Northwest. I went to Vegas a few years ago for a conference. I missed my flight, but my luggage made it on the plane. When my luggage made it to the connecting flight, but I didn't, TSA in Detroit confiscated my luggage because they said this was suspicious. Once I had checked my bag, I had no control over anything so how would this be suspicious. Retards?? They held my bag for a week before releasing it.

I'd stay clear of Northwest, but if you can't, I do remember something potentially helpful. I spoke with Manny Bragg a few months ago. His advice was to fly direct. Avoid connections. He said that in all of his travels, he has never had a bag lost when he flew direct to his destination.

[shred]

I'd stay clear of Northwest, but if you can't, I do remember something potentially helpful. I spoke with Manny Bragg a few months ago. His advice was to fly direct. Avoid connections. He said that in all of his travels, he has never had a bag lost when he flew direct to his destination.

FWIW, I had a bag lost flying direct from Austin to Dallas. The baggage handlers sent my Box-o-Glocks (and ammo, and mags) to Tokyo .. and didn't even know where it was for almost 36 hours.

I still prefer direct flights. I also now try to watch the baggage loading/unloading if at all possible.

[racerba]

Airtran has a one gun policy. When I fly Airtran, I would take one gun apart and claim that it's spare parts. Southwest has the least hassle. The most problems comes from the counter person who is uninformed and wants to enforce their own rules. They like to play god - if you don't do it my way, I won't let you check in (even though I show them their company's policy). As long as I feel it's not against federal laws, I usually comply - no big deal. It's usually something stupidly simple like 'you can't have ammo in the same locked box as the gun'. I just grab it and throw it in my other bag. They usually tend to worry about something stupid like this and forget that there's a weight limit on the ammo itself.

[davidwiz]

No problems (gun wise) with any airline. No one ever asked about ammo or wanted to weigh it.

The problem was with the rocket scientists that they hire at TSA. One brain surgeon looked in my gun case, and then proceed to put the case on the luggage conveyor belt without locking the case back up!