Just heard from my travel agent that Air Namibia as just imposed new baggage weight limits on Economy Class travelers. She said you could now check only one bag of 20 Kilos (44.092 pounds) and that hunters could bring a gun case with a 10 Kilo (22.046 pounds) weight limit. So instead of two bags at 50 pounds each it's only a total of 66 pounds. I could not find this on Air Namibia's web site. It only states there is a charge for overweight baggage. Doesn't say what overweight is or what the additional charge is. Since my Tuff Pak weighs in at 17 pounds empty, even one rifle with soft case will push it way over the 22 pounds.

Hopefully someone on here from Namibia can expound on this and the Professional Hunters Association there can lobby Air Namibia on the issue. There is no way most hunters can be OK with this situation. I am going the end of April so hopefully something will change by then?? HELP!! Where are you Karl??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

The 20 kilo limit has been in place for a while now but it was for 2 bags and Air Namibia had an unwritten policy as I understand it to allow some leeway on gun cases.

I would suggest complaining to your outfitter as well as NAPHA.

this has always been a problem with Tuffpaks. they are a very sturdy case but sturdy equates to heavy. airlines are now realizing they can make up for revenue shortfalls by charging for things that have always been free. this is why 2 US airlines are now only allowing for 1 free checked bag in coach instead of the traditional 2. get used to it- you are going to see a lot more of this bullshit from most carriers in the near future!!

Tuffpak is a very light gun case only around 17 lbs.

if 17 lbs. is light, what is your idea of heavy? my 2 gun SKB is a lot less than that. if you put 2 scoped rifles with slings in a Tuffpak inside soft cases, you will be over the 50 lb weight limit, if you put clothes in there to keep them from shifting around.( see Russ Gould's post on the rifle case topic post on this forum)

This is where SCI can come into the picture and perhaps help us get this one removed. They have assisted in the past with airline issues. Bring this to their attention and then let's see if they can bring some pressure to bear on Air Namibia.

Unless it's changed recently, (and that's not imossible) commercial airlines had international agreements that said that passengers transitting from the USA or other countries that had the higher baggage weight limit would be allowed that same higher baggage limit on the other flights. All you had to do was show your ticket from the USA etc that stated the higher baggage limit. - Probably the best thing to do is consult your travel agent and the irline that's flying you out of the US and get their reply in writing if possible.

jdollar, please put your SKB case on the scale an let me know what it weighs. Thanks.

For USAir, only one 50 lb. piece of checked in luggage is included in the fair.

For United Airlines currently you're allowed 2 pieces of checked on luggage with an economy ticket. As of yesterday, the extra charge for a piece of luggage weighing between 51 & 70 lbs. is $50 from Ohio to Kimberly, RSA. The charge for going over the 70 lbs. (please sit down and have a couple of beers before you read this) was quoted to me as being over $800.

The charge for taking a third 50 lb. piece of luggage is a bit over $180 according to South African Airways and they said they couldn't guarantee I could even take a third bag.

The moral of the story; be sure you know baggage limits because they have changed a lot.

As for Namibia; I had hoped to go there in 2 or 3 years. If Air Namibia is the only way to go and if they don't rescind their ridiculous baggage rules, it will probably be a deal breaker for me.

I'm beginning to think we'll see a time where it's considerably more practical for a visiting hunter not to bring his own 'kit' for a safari at all, and instead arrange for the safari company to hire him rifles/binos etc instead.

Hell, it might even be cheaper to buy your hunting clothes here, use them for the duration of the trip and then give them away to the staff....... I don't know which is worse, the banks or the airlines...... actually, yes I do. It's the bloody banks!!!!!!

I'll be leaving Albuquerque on United to Denver then Lufthansa to Frankfurt (United and Luft are partners). Then the Air Namib thing from Frankfurt. I can check the bags straight through from Albuq. to Windhoek, no pick up in Frankfurt, so don't see much of a problem outbound as long as I meet United's limit from Albuq. It's the return flight out of Windhoek where they will have direct access to my wallet.

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

I'll try and make contact with SCI today or tommorrow and get their thoughts on this.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Just confirmed with United and Lufthansa it's two checked bags of no more than 2K/50# each on International flights. I can live with that. So I will go with that concept and let Air Namibia chase me down when I land in Windhoek!! As stated it's coming out of Windhoek where I might get the "good news"??

I'll still check with SCI.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I'll be leaving Albuquerque on United to Denver then Lufthansa to Frankfurt (United and Luft are partners). Then the Air Namib thing from Frankfurt. I can check the bags straight through from Albuq. to Windhoek, no pick up in Frankfurt, so don't see much of a problem outbound as long as I meet United's limit from Albuq. It's the return flight out of Windhoek where they will have direct access to my wallet.

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

I'll try and make contact with SCI today or tommorrow and get their thoughts on this.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

That's 23K/50#. Geez I need more coffee this morning!!

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
Just confirmed with United and Lufthansa it's two checked bags of no more than 2K/50# each on International flights. I can live with that. So I will go with that concept and let Air Namibia chase me down when I land in Windhoek!! As stated it's coming out of Windhoek where I might get the "good news"??

I'll still check with SCI.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I'll be leaving Albuquerque on United to Denver then Lufthansa to Frankfurt (United and Luft are partners). Then the Air Namib thing from Frankfurt. I can check the bags straight through from Albuq. to Windhoek, no pick up in Frankfurt, so don't see much of a problem outbound as long as I meet United's limit from Albuq. It's the return flight out of Windhoek where they will have direct access to my wallet.

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

I'll try and make contact with SCI today or tommorrow and get their thoughts on this.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

Why stop there? Go naked, and go as freight.

If you can't take your own gun, what is the point?

I just finished a telephone conversation with representatives from Air Namibia. They are going to contact the main office for clarification.

I will post the response as soon as I receive it.

Will - You are absolutely right. Just a bit or sarcasm on my part. If I can't take my own "stuff" I won't go.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

Why stop there? Go naked, and go as freight.

If you can't take your own gun, what is the point?

Thanks Kathi --I'll put off more coffee until we hear back.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
I just finished a telephone conversation with representatives from Air Namibia. They are going to contact the main office for clarification.

I will post the response as soon as I receive it.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

Why stop there? Go naked, and go as freight.

If you can't take your own gun, what is the point?

I don't hunt with other people's rifles! If I can't take my rifles to hunt with, then I'll simply start hunting in Alaska exclusively!

I have a feeling if everyone simply wrote a letter to the airlines involved in this robbery, and told them they just lost a customer till they changed to a more realistically thought out policy, things would change after one hunting season! As for me, they can keep their seats for someone else!

quote:

If you can't take your own gun, what is the point?

x2

I'm agree with a lot of you. If I can't take my own rifle and my own gear, to hell with it. There are a lot of places to hunt in North America that I can drive to.

Part of the fun for ANY hunting trip is choosing which caliber, which rifle, which bullet and load, etc. Not being able to bring my own would definitely curtail some of my future hunting plans.

RE SKB gun case weight: My old SKB golf club/rifle case weighs 96 ounces, or 6.0 pounds. I can travel with one rifle, ammo, and all my necessary stuff in it and stay under 50#.

I don't have much interest in hunting with someone else's rifle and it wouldn't bother me if I had to pay an extra $50 or $100 to get mine to Africa. Everything I need except for my rifle and ammo will fit in my carry on or I'll be wearing it.

In the old days, hunters spent almost as much money getting to Africa as they did on their safaris.

Hey guys,

I didn't say I relished the thought - I just said I can see it coming sooner or later...... BUT, you guys in the US still get it easier than most other places. UK & Europe allow about 20 odd kgs total weight. - At least you still get about twice that limit.

Forrest,

I can't remember the excess baggage weight limits, but I'd guess at around US$20 per kilo or more. My rifle and case weigh about 12 kgs in total........ That's US$240 each way in excess baggage.

......... Now, I still hate the idea, but what was that I said about borrowing a rifle.

The 20K limit is nothing new. It just doesn't apply if your ticket was purchased in the U.S. as a part of an international flight. This is a provision of international air tarriff agreements.

Passengers originating in the U.S. are eligible for two checked bags, maximum 50 lbs each. Further, there is no specific weight restriction on carry-on luggage, simply a size restriction and you are limited to one carry-on of the prescribed dimension plus a "personal item" such as a handbag or briefcase.

Air Namibia carries a lot of hunters. Judging from the number of guncases at the Windhoek airport off of my flight, I would guess that at least 50 of the passengers were part of a hunting party. Air Namibia has a vested interest in being "traveler friendly" to hunters. Hopefully they will continue to recognize this.

FYI According to a spokesperson at the SKB plant the model 25KB 4009 double rifle case measuring 40"x9"x6" weighs 19 pounds.
The original Tuffpak is 17 pounds and is 52" x 13" outside or 50" x 10" inside.
One will hold two guns and ?.... and the other will hold 3 scoped rifles in their soft cases or 1 gun and lots of hunting gear.
Both will protect your firearms.

my SKB is about 10 years old and has a helluva lot of frequent fliers miles on it all over North Am. and 6 African safaris. weighs 12 lbs but being an older model doesn't have wheels and possibly a few other things the new ones have.

Tuffpak vs. THE OTHERS

WARS have been fought over less!

Gonna tag this one for updates -

I called Shawn at Gracy and asked about this. She said that as long as the bags were checked through from the US to Namibia there was no issue. However, if your carrier from the US to Frankfurt or the UK doess not have a baggage agreement with Air Namibia, you are stuck with the new policy.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

shakari my be right?? Just send your boot, pants and shirt size and rifle/ammo wishes and go with a carry on only.

Why stop there? Go naked, and go as freight.

If you can't take your own gun, what is the point?

+3

Received a response from Air Namibia.

From USA to Windhoek (provided the luggage is checked all the way through to Windhoek on an airline with a baggage agreement with Air Namibia): Response from Air Namibia:Whenever baggage is interlined onto another carrier, baggage in excess of the free baggage allowance must be charged for in accordance with IATA baggage regulations.

Coming home is where you can get charged for any weight over 66 pounds TOTAL WEIGHT.Air Namibia baggage policy is giving hunters with sporting equipment 10 extra kilos allowance. The total for passengers without sporting equipment flying coach is 20 kilos.

The bottom line to remember is do not exceed 66 pounds on your return flight home.

Larry, call me if you want more details.

On a recent (non-hunting) flight to Panama, my wife and I packed carefully and, as usual, got everything into our two carry-ons, which fell within the dimensional limits used in the past. At check-in, we were told that our carry-ons were subject to a weight restriction of 10 kilos. Wound up having to check them, then sat and waited for them for over three hours at the other end. No mention of weight on the return flight, we just waltzed onto the plane with them, no questions asked.

It's incredible how a critical element of an important vacation trip hinges on the whims and powertrips of whichever surly, low-paid counter monkey may be on duty at the moment that you walk up.

Hell I hunted in Mongolia last year and on the internal flight from Ullaan Battor to Hovd on Air Mongolia our baggage allowance was 12Kg or 24 lbs for everything INCLUDING CARRYONS!!!! No joke when you checked your bags they weighed everything and the carryons. Cost us some rediculous amount like $370 between the two of us for excess baggage. So it could be worse.

I echo the guys above a lot of the fun in hunting for me is taking my own rifles. Some guys have rifles that they bought or had made cost more than the hunts they go on including a full bag hunt in Tanzania so, like Will said whats the point. I agree.

quote:

Coming home is where you can get charged for any weight over 66 pounds TOTAL WEIGHT.Air Namibia baggage policy is giving hunters with sporting equipment 10 extra kilos allowance. The total for passengers without sporting equipment flying coach is 20 kilos.

Kathi: My information is that if the return ticket is part of a round-trip originating in the U.S. and purchased in the U.S., that the baggage tariffs (two@50lbs) apply for the entire round trip. Could you check this out?

By the way, you're a jewel and extremely helpful here on this board. I'm absolutely going to use you for my 2009 trip!

Stonecreek,

Information from my telephone conversation with Air Namibia is 66 pounds even if you are making a connecting flight because you are checking in at Windhoek. You MAY be charged for overweight.

As always when traveling, we know how this works. One ticket agent at the airport weighs your bags and the other just tosses them on the conveyor belt.

Once again, from my conversation with him was that you CAN be charged in Windhoek for being over the 66 pounds.

How much this will be enforced we will have to watch.

Good luck on your hunt.

After the hunt shows in February, I flew from Newark with Continental to Gatwick, UK arrived the morning at 10:00am had to pick up my luggage and take with me to the day room (Continental does not have a luggage agreement with Air Namibia). Checking in for Air Namibia flight that evening I took both my bags (50lb x2) plus carry-on with me to the check-in counter, Continental flight tags still attached and had no problem checking them through to Windhoek without having to pay excess.

This is how I understood it from Air Namibia before I left, if you can prove that you came in from an International flight from the US the same day that you are due to fly out to Namibia they will check the 2 luggage pieces (50lb x2), if you are staying overnight in the UK then the 20kg/24lb restriction will be applied.

With the Windhoek flight back home, I have not had a problem in the past when explaining at check in that the bags are checked all the way to the US, by showing the airline tickets. It does simplify the process if you use an airline with a Air Namibia luggage agreement.

I am not aware that any of the Air Namibia luggage limits have changed recently; we would have been informed by NAPHA to advise all our hunters.

My sister & I were charged for over-weight baggage when leaving Windhoek, even after having argued "the fact that we were supposed to be under the American/Internaional baggage rules" .......Their response was ...due to the "fact" that we had stayed in the country for 12 days on Safari and was not..... simply a connecting flight. (We went on to Zim for 10 more days), I paid an extra $366, my sister paid an extra $486.
Our arguments, explanations and platitudes fell on deaf ears, in the end, to make our flight we had NO CHOICE, but to pay up!

My brother-in-law left on Air Namibia for London on a later flight that same day....and was not charged any over weight at all.......even after my sister and I really stuffed his luggage with all of our non-essential gear and souvenirs.

I had posed this exact question of the difference in return flight baggage allowance our travel agent, whose reply was no problem (International rule), but the "length of our stay" was never brought up.

Leaving Zim...nothing was checked.....not guns..ammo..luggage weight...NOTHING but a passport check.

Landing in DFW same.....no check of any kind, did not ask to see guns, or ammo, customs forms or anything, just show passport and leave.

It may be cheaper to pay for an extra bag than pay the overweight charges.

Or, I think SAA still has the 2 bags @ 50lbs each limit.

Les

HAMMER'em: Your flight to Zim was the problem as Zim falls under the 24lb weight limits, if you had flown directly like your brother-in-law then you and your sister would have fallen under the International flight restrictions of 50lb x2 and 2 luggage pieces. They classed Zim as your final destination. All countries belonging to SADC have to comply with the same rules and restrictions.

When you flew from Zim was the US your final destination?

When my wife and I flew with Air Namibia last year from Gatwick we made the mistake of visiting with family for 3 days after we came back from the US and as hard as we tried at the airport they would not let us take more than 24lb, we were on the same flight to Windhoek as some other outfitters who flew into Gatwick the same day as their Air Namibia flight and they had no problems taking luggage (50lb x2). Needless to say, I was the joke of the night sitting, sorting our stuff on the floor in front of the check-in counter. It was cheaper to send the excess as cargo.