Airlines Want Bad Karma
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 8:09 pmToday is a semi-sad day for surfers. If you want to surf California you may have to pay a hefty price if you fly out here. Airlines aren’t doing too great recently. Maybe it’s fuel, the economy, or maybe they just want all of your money. Probably a combination of the three.
But now airlines are charging up to $300 to take a surfboard on the plane. Especially on cheaper domestice flights, this will be a damp cloth on anybody’s good times. In some cases, taking the board on the plane may cost more than the actual ticket!
There are a few alternatives, but how useful they are depends on your situation. Some surfers are considering shipping their boards out to where they’re flying, though this can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars, as well as all the hassle of making sure it gets there.
The extra cash these new regulations bring in might persuade some to go for that extra-long trip by the car out to California- though with gas prices as they are, this is also a delicate balance. Especially when you take into account all the Doritos you’re likely to buy on the journey.
Some surfers are just going without boards and renting them. While this is a good option for beginners, for experienced surfers this is just plain wrong. In some locations surf boards can get expensive to rent, and if you’re going out for a few weeks by the beach the price may make you feel a little dizzy.
I would normally understand if airlines had no other option, but some surfers have accused airlines of targeting surfers. Maybe they don’t like the hygiene of the average surfer. More likely they just want to squeeze some more money out of them.
Surfers point out that most airlines don’t require money for golf bags. Dedicated surfers can bring around four surfboards on a trip which can result in a crazy $2,000 for a whole trip. This seems like a desperate move by a industry in trouble. Scaring away customers with new charges isn’t the initiative airlines need to succeed. But they’re doing it anyway.
In one word: bummer. I hope for your sake you already live in California. This won’t affect beginner surfers too much, but those golden oldies who want to trip out to Costa Rica or where ever will feel the bite.
Category: surf california
Tags: airline, surf california
