Has anyone had any experience flying withn their SUP to Fiji and what the airlines charge etc?

I intend on taking a 9'6" Allwave + paddle and my 6'8" surfboard.

I have heard that Jetstar are a deffinate no (anything over 6'2"!!!).

If you have, who did you fly with? Were there any charges?

Or

Shall I just hire one when there?

I suppos eexperience flying with a SUP elsewhere would also be worth hearing about......

Cheers.

Thanks Piros for the response, I appreciate it.

Anyone else had experiecnce with airlines and their SUPS?

On the Virgin website it says the max length of checked in baggage is 3M (9'8") for international short haul (Fiji).

I call them to confirm and the say no it's 2.77m (9'), when I point them to the website they said the website was incorrect. When challenged they conceeded well if thats what it says then you can try your luck at the airport.

I just want an answer good or bad so i dont turn up with a 9'+ SUP for them to say no and have to look the wife and kids in the eye and explain why I have to fang it home and possibly miss the flight.

Any advice?

To Bali Air Asia and Virgin no probs with 9 7 board. Packed it in a 10 4 board bag. $25 each way Air Asia, Virgin as baggage.

To Hawaii with Qantas and Hawaiian 10 ft board in same boardbag no probs as baggage no charge.

I stuff clothes in with board so no suitcase.

That reminds me I have to book another bag with Virgin for Fiji in August :) taking kite stuff as well just to make sure it does not blow

This is interesting to read, am off to Samoa from Adelaide via Sydney. Wife & bubs are staying in Sydney while away. Booked Premium Economy from Adel to Syd, it was only slightly more & you get 3 pieces of luggage each at 32kg/piece. Was then informed that surfboards/SUP are not treated as normal baggage & I need to buy additional for boards.

Flight to Samoa, was the same deal.

It certainly sounds like it is left to who you talk to at the airlines.

Virgin

Whhooooaaaaa Leroy13!!!!

I sent this post out when I was considering the 9'6" and figured if I can find an Airline who'll take the 9'6" then they'll take the 9'2". As the magic length allways seems to be around 2.7m to 3m.

Since your very persuasive post in the other thread about my board choice, I am now leaning to the 9'2".

With that many smiley faces you may as well put a gun to my head, I cant argue with that!

However.......now you seem to be impartial saying there's little difference? What about all those smiley faces....you seemed so sure!

Yes Hooda, but I didn't pull the trigger. I'm sure!! I'll buy you a kebab and a stubby of VB if i'm wrong!!! You can obviously surf so therefore the 9'2" being smaller fits into tight places (Barrels) just that little better. The 9'6" in my opinion is as stable as a dining room table but slightly bigger. I certainly think that the 9'2" is the board for you and if your'e a good prone surfer I'd be going the 8'10". I also certainly didn't mean to disrespect you. I also like using emiticons way too much!. You're going to have a ball whatever you choose.

Hey!!!!! Half a case!!!!!! Oh damn, one too many emoticons

airsail said..
Jetstar containerise their baggage hence the length limit, Virgin do not

Yes correct - the JQ A320 aircraft are containerised hence boards will not fit, whereas the 737 aircraft (Qantas, Virgin, Air Pac) are not

Short story:
After reading this post I took my 9'6" SUP together with my kitesurfing gear to Fiji.
As others stated previously, it was well worth. I bit of a hassle and expensive, but very doable.

Long story:
I had two destinations, Natadola and Malolo which made it a bit more difficult and expensive. I had to call both resorts to organise special transfers and for my surprise there was a truck and a van waiting for me at the airport.
The transfer company to Malolo explicitly says they don't cater for SUPs(even though it is a large catamaran) and I decided to take the risk. Luckily they took the board after complaining a bit.

In addition, as expected none of the resorts had decent SUPs to rent. Also, I quoted with some surfing companies and the rental price for a week was around A$200.

Regarding the locations, I started from Natadola because there is no need to catch a boat and the waves are small, so my wife would also have some fun. Bad idea. The place isn't that bad, but compared to the island it is a kids playground. I wouldn't recommend it, not even for beginners.

Malolo Island was a completely different story, I managed to score 3 to 6 foot waves every single day in 3 different places, Cloudbreak, Namoto Lefts and Restaurants. In the afternoon the wind would pick up, perfect for a kite session.
Cloudbreak was great below 3 foot and above that, the crowds would make it impossible for SUPs and agro is a certainty.
On the other hand, Namotu was a much more SUP friendly, with a good solid 5 foot in the series.

Here is what I had to pay so other can have a reference.
Costs:
A$110 Virgin excess luggage (if you take only one boar it is free)
A$190 for 15 days parking at Sydney International Airport. (Later I figured out that those taxis large enough for well chairs can take de board)
I normally spend $90 in taxi from my place to the airport, so the real cost for taking the boar was $100.
FJ$80 truck from airport to Natadola.
F$80 truck from Natadola do Port Denarau.
F$48 Port Denararau to Malolo
F$48 Malolo to Port Denarau and to the airport.

Total cost: $110(virgin) + $100(airport parking) + $150(FJ$256 transfers) = A$360