I am flying to South Africa soon, through SAA. Does anyone know the cost for taking a kite travel bag across? Is a 'golf'-kite bag worth the additional cost?

Thanks!

I fly back every year and usually find it works well if pack kite gear with wetsuits etc to 23kgs and cram my clothes into hand luggage, as they don't usually weigh that. Certainly when leaving S/Africa they will be pretty flexy if you just mention sports equipment and say the word fragile, things seem to get treated differently and you get extra 10kgs? Just when leaving Aus can be tricky at check in.

You probably won't like the sound of this as I know we do all grow to love our own kite gear, but I actually just rented gear when I went last. In Durban and Cape Town there are so many good kite shops that do gear rental and you get to try the latest kites, boards etc. Then you can pick and choose right kites size each day, they will even pump it for you on the beach and run lines out. You will just need to put your Castle lager down, give the thumbs up and walk into water. Think it cost me about $30 per day but absolutely worth it as I wasn't paying for days we were not in the water. You will save it all back on cheap beer!

I flew through with a golf bag and didn't have any problems, except for a heart stopping moment when the check-in guy asked to see the golf clubs when I flew out... Luckily he was disctracted by something else and just put it all through

SAA sports equipment flies free...

see the SAA website

The following Sport equipment mentioned below will allow an additional 20kg per passenger - this is valid to both the Weight and Piece Concept:
Surfboards/kite surfing/paragliding: smaller than 200cm

www.flysaa.com

Whitters said...

SAA sports equipment flies free...

see the SAA website

The following Sport equipment mentioned below will allow an additional 20kg per passenger - this is valid to both the Weight and Piece Concept:
Surfboards/kite surfing/paragliding: smaller than 200cm

www.flysaa.com

How cool is that! Could you imagine Jetstar grasping this concept? The term 'When hell freezes over' comes to mind......
It even puts Virgin's '10 kgs of sports gear for free' policy to shame.

Never been there before, but looking at a trip early next year from Sydney.

Is SAA the best airline to get you there?

Is it worth staying in Joburg for a couple of days if you are on a kiting trip, or best to head straight to capetown?

wdric said...

Never been there before, but looking at a trip early next year from Sydney.

Is SAA the best airline to get you there?

Is it worth staying in Joburg for a couple of days if you are on a kiting trip, or best to head straight to capetown?

JHB is only worth it if you're planning on doing game reserves, because there are some nearby. If you're not doing game reserves, go straight to Cape Town

I guess he did say "I can", not "I do"

Anyway, what is the point of the clingwrap? Surely they can just cut it. There's no way to prove you put it on in the first place. I can imagine a luggage handler loving picking up a heavy bag with no handles.. "I'll just kick and throw that one cause I cant grab it" ??

Airlines with digital technology should be able to show a pic of your locked bag at 'x' weight at check in. If the lock is removed, or the weight has changed at pick-up then you dont touch it, the airline should then open it.

Bag weight is increased, dont touch it. No more 'Shappelle Corby' incidents as the weight would have changed!

Surely its not that hard??

WTF.. That's handy. Why are you breaking into bags in the first place? Unless your familiar with SOA132/c and your AFP I wouldn't be claiming that you can break into bags at the airport.

Don't need to be, behold my Legislative powers:
70A Power to search goods

(1) A quarantine officer may search and examine any goods which, or
which a quarantine officer believes on reasonable grounds:
(a) are about to be placed on, are on, or have been taken off or
out of, an overseas vessel; or
(b) are on, or are about to be placed on, a vessel or installation in
the Protected Zone or a Special Quarantine Zone that is about
to travel to a place in Australia; or
(c) are on, or have been taken off or out of, a vessel or
installation that has travelled to a place in Australia from or
through a place in the Protected Zone or a Special Quarantine
Zone.
(2) A quarantine officer may ask a person who owns, is carrying or is
otherwise associated with, or appears to the quarantine officer to be
associated with, goods that the quarantine officer is searching or
examining or entitled to search or examine under subsection (1)
any question in respect of the goods relating to matters within the
functions, duties or powers of the quarantine officer.
(3) A person is guilty of an offence if:
(a) the person is asked a question under subsection (2); and
(b) the person fails to answer the question.
Maximum penalty: 60 penalty units.
(4) A person is guilty of an offence if:
(a) the person answers a question asked under subsection (2);
and
(b) the answer contains a statement that the person knows to be
false or misleading in a material particular.
Maximum penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years.
(5) An offence against subsection (3) is an offence of strict liability.
Note: This section is subject to the privilege against self incrimination (see
subsection 79A(3)).

Basically it means if you are arriving in Australia and I have reason to believe you are carrying goods that may, by your own admission or not, be of harmful nature to Australia's Ecosystems, Community or People.

Nope, if something is seized then we would leave an Order in form, otherwise we don't need to leave any information... it's all in the constitution.

What happens if the stuff is damaged whilst being searched, assuming its accidental.

oh **** tough luck!! or is there some kind of compensation? i have seen some custom people be a bit rough sometimes.

I think Infinidie the answers is don't give customs the reasons to search your kit.
Clean your gear before you leave and before you come home. Remove all sand and sea weed (V common in CT.)
Don't try anything stupid.

Interestingly enough, I've heard the states customs can sometimes be pretty nasty. I've heard stories of people finding small drill holes in the board where they've been checking for drugs

destine said...

ahhhh!!! i would break!

thhey must have had a really good reason to do something like that, i doubt they would do that to spike someone with a bad attitude.

Nah, nothing about bad attitude. I think it was just a random check. Might be to do with the way the board was constructed that they thought the dryer foam in some places was powder.

seems a a good sea kite would clear it away. cursed stuff