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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Current Travel do's & don'ts
Larry Lawson, Photographer
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Portland | OR | USA | Posted: 2:34 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> I'm having to travel late summer within the US, and was hoping some well versed travellers could lend tips for the photo equipment I'm taking (in a TT international roller). I read an article where photo equipment isn't counted as carry-on baggage. Anyone ever hear of that? |
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Michael Granse, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 3:42 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> I just returned from a trip to Portland, Oregon, and I am not sure what Continental Airlines policy is on this because my camera bag was my only carry on so there was no need for me to explore the rules.
Spirit Airlines, however, is another story. Spirit charges for carry on luggage, and makes exceptions for medical devices, cameras, folding strollers, and other such items. When I flew to Costa Rica in December on Spirit Airlines, I was not charged for my camera backpack which had two pro DSLR bodies, a 17-35mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8, 1.4x and 2x converters, battery charger, five batteries, two strobes, a Quantum Turbo battery, and some various cables and gaffers tape. This is a fairly large and very heavy bag, but because it contained cameras they did not charge me for it. In fact, the airline never asked me to prove that there were cameras in the bag but the bag was later hand searched by TSA. It might not have been a great idea to pack the coiled Quantum Turbo cable in the same compartment with the five large DSLR batteries. A flat X-Ray image may have made those look as if they were wired together as opposed to being in a pile in the same bag, because the guy got really serious when asking for permission to open it and TWICE asked me "is there anything in this bag that will hurt me if I try to open it." After answering "no" twice, I offered to open the bag myself and he did not seem to like that idea.
There were no more issues with any of this until I tried to leave San Jose, Costa Rica and my Gaffer's tape was confiscated by security. The tape, incidentally, was absolutely ruined anyway by spending a week in the rain forest so there was no real harm done. I can not imagine what threat my no longer sticky tape would pose to my fellow passengers, but I guess one can not be too careful.
To answer your question, though, it seems that every airline has its own rules on what is and what is not a bag or item that is subject to fees. I make no pretense of being an expert on this subject, as I am not a travel blogger or anything of that sort, just a photographer who occasionally gets on a plane with a bag full of cameras. |
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Israel Shirk, Photographer, Assistant
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Boise | ID | US | Posted: 4:03 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> They always count as carry-ons just due to space requirements; I just act like there's nothing in my 60 pound carry-on and nobody has ever asked me any questions. Usually try to board as early as possible since sometimes the bins get filled - they'll try to get you to gate check larger bags on many airlines, and gate-checked baggage gets sent through the airport luggage system on connections on everything I've flown recently. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 4:23 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> Michael I too ran into the gaffing tape issue when going from Dublin to Boston in March. I was told tape wasn't allowed and asked why I had it. I showed the agent the SB900's and how I taped the battery doors etc.... Then I innocently asked why tape was an issue. I was told that it could be used to bind or tie up people. I looked at my waist and asked if the 6+ (2 ply leather belt) feet of leather wouldn't be better suited to that task. The Irish gent put the roll of tape back in my bag and wished me a safe flight.
Gotta love security theater, next time I have to fly I'm planning on a speedo and a bathrobe. |
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Michael Granse, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 4:25 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> I should have tried the belt thing, Eric. Absolutely brilliant! |
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Thomas Campbell, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 5:05 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> If only we had a photography/travel expert that was a member here that could let us know how to pack, what to carry and the secrets of each airport and TSA checkpoint.
Since no one here fits that description, I guess we should just do our best to guess. |
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Jason Myers, Photographer
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West Palm Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 5:17 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> I have always been of the understanding photography equipment does not count as your carry on. I've had a carry on plus a TT Airport Intl and once I've established it as photography equipment I've never had a problem.
Check the TSA website. Also Chase Jarvis did a video review of traveling with gear a while back. |
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Max Waugh, Photographer
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Bothell | WA | USA | Posted: 5:25 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> I second the "try to get on as early as possible" suggestion. Southwest may still have their early boarding allowance for photographers, but otherwise you could get in trouble if you're caught in one of the late-boarding "zones" other airlines use.
I was on US Airways recently and got stuck waiting for Zone 5 to board. They cut off all rolling bags before I could get on, and they refused to make an exception for my TT Airport Security even when I showed them my gear.
Naturally, when I got on board with my pockets stuffed full of lenses, there was still plenty of room in the overhead. I shouldn't have been surprised, since US Airways pretty much blows... |
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Scott Evans, Photographer
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Bay Village | OH | USA | Posted: 5:26 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> I recently got back from St. Lucia and had a bag much like Michael's. Delta allowed it on no problem and never checked size or weight. That said, I did everything in my power to make it look more like a lightweight student backpack. I took it off my back and held it by the handle, low, down near my side. Made it tough for the gate agent to really see it. I did the same as I boarded so the flight attendant didn't try to make me gate check it (which wasn't about to happen). FYI, I flew a small jet to Atlanta and a large one into and out of St. Lucia and it wasn't an issue on either plane. Be discrete about it and you likely won't have much of a problem. |
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Israel Shirk, Photographer, Assistant
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Boise | ID | US | Posted: 5:38 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> Agreed, Thomas. |
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Gabe Souza, Student/Intern
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Boston | MA | | Posted: 6:04 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> Continuing with the getting on as early as possible, I recommend trying to secure a seat in one of the first zones of your flight. With such high baggage fees now more and more people are cramming as much into the overheads as possible. So, if your seat is in the back of the plane, good luck cramming that backpack or roller into the already filled bins. I had to fly to LA and back from Boston a couple of times this spring, and each time had a Zone 1 assignment (by selecting seats ahead of time). This ensured I had plenty of room for my Think Tank bag. |
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Mark Peters, Photographer
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Highland | IL | USA | Posted: 7:43 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> The last two flights I took on American, they were offering early boarding (and seating closer to the front) for a $14 upgrade fee if you checked in early enough. It put you in boarding group 1. |
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Juliann Tallino, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 8:22 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> Southwest used to have a media pre-boarding policy, not sure if they still do. I used it once when I missed a flight in Houston while on a shoot and ended up getting a C boarding pass for the next (and last) flight back home. They let me pre-board with my camera bag (roller bag) to make sure I had bin space. Although the gate attendant did point out that this was for media photographers (I didn't have any credentials to show her, this was a commercial client) because they have "big cameras". :) I had to bite my tongue at that one, since I really needed that pre-boarding pass.
Now Southwest has an early boarding pass deal where you pay 10.00. But since you can check-in on your Iphone, it seems a waste of money.
They also state that camera gear need not fit the the standard carry on size, just has to fit in the bins. |
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