Friends of mine just returned from an Elk/Deer hunt in Montana, and American Airlines charged them $8.00 per pound, for every pound over 50. They ended up having to pay $1680.00 between 3 guys.

I don't have any experience in that area, but it sure sounds like a raw deal to me. Did you check the AA website regarding charges? Maybe they hired someone from the Fund For Animals to work at the check-in!

Gib

Mike,

They were 210 pounds over weight?

70 pounds per person?

Did that include the weight of their rifles?

AA's website says you get 2 pieces of checked baggage for free (up to 50 pounds per bag). One of those can be a guncase.

Did these guys each have a guncase, a 50 pound bag AND another 70 pounds of luggage?

Regards,

Terry

Besides their luggage and rifle cases, they brought home processed game from their hunt.

When I come back from the Yukon ,I have no choice but to enjoy Canadien Airlines
This time I brought Caribou antlers back with the meat.I had to declare whats in the boxes.
Of course they charge dearly for every extra gram.on top of it they charged "double rate" for antlers.Then they lost all my luggage,including the meat.Took lots of bitching to find it,it was left someplace in Vancouber B.C.
Smile while you are getting screwed

sheephunter

I think the key here is that the boxes were above a certain weight. My cousin just left out of Great Falls last week with a guncase,and a big duffel, his max baggage limit. Then two boxes of meat that were right at their max of FIFTY pounds. They charged him $100 extra per box. They apparently charge that high rate for each pound OVER their max weight.

Horns are another deal as well. We ended up sending them back to Jersey with a trucker who hauls to within a few miles of his home. NorthWorst wanted another hundred bucks to send the horns back. So we said the hell with them.

Sorry to hear this sort of thing.

FN in MT

The airlines had better start pulling their heads out of their arses. They've been complaining since 9/11 about how much they've lost due to a drop in the number of passengers, and cry for another government bailout. If they keep pulling this crap, they deserve to go under.

Mike416, oh hell yes. Let the airlines go under. Then see how much hunting you can cram in a 1 week vacation when a train takes two or three days each way for travel. What would happen if every passenger showed up with two or three extra boxes @50lbs or more each. You're the one with your head where the sun don't shine. If you gonna play, expect to pay. Simple.

I flew united last month... Came back with 140 pounds of meat, a duffle, and a gun case between two of us plus two back packs each...

United charges 25$ for each bag over 50 pounds up to 100 pounds two bags alowed per person. So we had a 50 pound box and a 90 pound box. We then aranged to have our hunting stuff shipped back via Fedex. With the extra meat charge and shipping our stuff it ouly cost us $50. In theroy we could have shipped all our stuff back minus the gun case and brought back 300 pounds of meat for $75... I would recomend either lining up an air freight company or a ground company to ship meat back next time you fly... Or just fly united

rigby416, I think you got most of your info about the airlines from the standup acts on the tonight show. Have you ever been on an airplane?
Perhaps I did come on a little personal but guys like you are an easy read. Take a bus next time.

just got back from kodiak;

american charge me excess baggage for each leg of the trip going instead of just once, to seattle.

then we had to pay excess to alaska air' the last two legs of the trip. but, they were nice and we only had to pay once.

american, broke the wheels on my gun case before we got to seattle and neglected to inform alaska about the 2 seats they sold us on alaska air's plane that was already sold out. (they bought 2 people off the plane to make room for us)

meals are a thing of the past.
flight attendents are rude and address passsengers like they are new employees.

it has been 3 bags and 70 lbs. since the wright brothers started doing it. when there are less people traveling, is now the time to alienate more passengers?

very hard to get everthing u need for a 10 day hunt in one bag under 50 lbs.

i take one gun case for everybody's gun, no more individual gun cases for everybody. cheaper and easier for everybody.

oh yeah, on the way back they lost 2 of the 4 bags.

driving is starting to look better and better.

cold zero

Beemanbeme: Even though you don't agree with Mikeh416, why do you have to be so aggressive towards him. He is just stating something that happened to a couple of friends. It IS OUTRAGEOUS, no matter which way you look at it. If that were to happen to me, I would not of had the $$$ to cover the charge. That is a total rip-off. I have flow excess baggage weight with AA many of times and they have never charged me anything so unreasonable.
Remember that we are all fellow hunters and even though we may not agree on everything we need to stay united.

Bow, it wasn't the report of the excess charges,-did his friends ask the agent how those numbers were arrived at- it was his stupid remark about the airlines going under. If he had traveled one tenth the amount he professes, he would know that the airlines are a profit oriented business just like any other. They offer a service and charge for that service. While there is no way (in cyberspace) that I have travelled as much as he has, I have been flying on airplanes for about 45 years, business and pleasure, and I would have to rate the service I've received overall as pretty damn good. On the one hand, dragging that much stuff (210lbs)up to the ticket counter, if they didn't know there was going to be a charge, they have been living under a rock. Did one of the brain trust bother to call ahead of time and find out what the drill was? Did they look into alternate means of shipping? -on my last hunt to wyoming, I shipped my dirty clothes and gear home via air fright and took only my rifle and meat (frozen, less than 5# dry ice) with me. The gear travelled on the same flights that I did and arrived in Tulsa the same time I did. Cost me about $100 as I remember.
The point is, cost of that sort need to be planned for. As I said, if you're gonna play, expect to pay.
Mike didn't say what line of work he is in, I assume, since this is cyberspace, he is the fee simple owner of a Fortune 500 company. But, if not, I wonder if, down at the carwash, when someone wants a wax job after the wash, he charges for it or just throws it in for free?
You say, as hunters, we should stick together and I agree but if you were in line behind Mike after he showed his ass AS HE SEZ HE DOES, would you like to be the next hunter to step up with excess luggage and a couple of rifle cases????

[ 12-04-2003, 00:07: Message edited by: beemanbeme ]

Beemanbeme-you've got a PM.

[ 12-05-2003, 02:26: Message edited by: mikeh416Rigby ]

Beemanbeeme - You've got issues, man. See a professional.

Anyone that has flown anywhere in the past 5 years will tell you that commercial public air travel in general SUCKS, unless you flying first or business classes. The post-9/11 frustrations are only part of the problem.

These excessive baggage charges are just one example of the arrogance of the airlines - - and they are outrageously excessive. The airlines treat their CUSTOMERS like piss ants. Flight attendants are rude, surly and can't be bothered. There are few if any meals, so I don't what they are annoyed about. Your flight is cancelled if the airline doesn't get their magic number on the aircraft - - screw your vacation plans and connecting flights.

Let them go under. Air travel will not die, but new owners more attuned to their customers will take over. That is called competition.

kuduking;

i think he made a lot of valid points. i have experienced many of the same things myself. it is not just me.

cold zero

Kuduking, I've got issues?? Perhaps. What exactly does that mean? Or is it some sort of babblespeak that is so common today? I guess if I have "issues", one of them is a low tolerance of folks that make extravagant remarks of little or no substance, such as "you have issues".

To begin with, airline baggage charges are high. I am told they are high, not to make money, but to discourage passengers from taking excessive luggage. If you feel they are excessive, do what I do and don't pay them. You can avoid paying the charges by not taking all the crap most folks drag around with them.

Rude flight attendants? You can thank the unions for that, not 9/11. But then, rude folks are everywhere anymore. "In your face" is the style nowadays. Have you read any T-shirts lately? Have you seen any of the ads on TV for the video games that folks are letting raise their kids nowadays? Despite that, I have found most folks will be polite to me if I am polite to them. And, if not, I don't let them ruin my day nor do I take it out on the next guy down the line. Ragging on a airline rep is like cussin' at a clerk in Walmart. All you're doing is venting and showing what size fellow you truely are. If you have a real beef, write to the CEO. I figure that's one of the reasons he makes the big bucks.

Lastly, when I go to my favorite resturant, I never expect an airplane ride. Not even a poor one. When I go to an airline, I expect a plane ride. If I get a meal enroute, even a poor one,(for free) I feel its more than I paid for.

A couple of weeks ago, I had to travel from Pittsburgh to San Diego. I flew US Air. Because of my late arrangements, I ended up in coach. In a middle seat between two (other) lard butts (I'm kinda big myself). Enroute the flight attendant offered beer and mixed drinks for 4 or 5 bucks a pop. And then, a box lunch for $7.00. The box lunch sucked. But I paid it. Do I think those charges were excessive? No, because in both cases, I had the option of refusing the service. Was it the best flight I have ever been on? Not by long shot. But I got what I paid for: an airplane ride. It was on time and my one medium sized suitcase arrived with me. All I took on board was a paperbacked novel. To me, folks that get onboard looking like pack mules are tacky.

BEEMAN/COLDBORE: YOU ARE RIGHT. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET CHARGED FOR EXCESS BAGGAGE DON'T TAKE IT. BUT, GETTING CHARGED $1,680 FOR 210 LBS OF MEAT IS OBSCENE.
YOU GUYS ARE ALSO RIGHT, THERE ARE OPTIONS. UPS, FEDEX ETC. BUT HAVE YOU GUYS EVER SHOT AN ANIMAL ON THE LAST DAY?? THERE'S USUALLY NO TIME AND THAT'S WHEN YOU FALL ON THE AIRLINES.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF CHARGES LIKE THIS AND I HAVE TRAVELED WITH AA, DELTA, US AIR, & SPIRIT SO I FIND THAT WAY OFF THE MARK. ON SPIRIT WE WERE JUST CHARGED $50 FOR AN EXTRA 100LB BAGGAGE. EVEN THOUGH IT MAY SEEM TACKY BEEMAN, I AM TAKING THE MEAT HOME WITH ME. DON'T YOU EAT THE GAME YOU SHOOT?
LASTLY, IF WE PRICE THINGS JUST TO AVOID PEOPLE FROM DOING THINGS, THEN SHOULD WE BE CHARGE $1,500 WHEN WE COMMIT A MINOR TRAFFIC INFRACTION OR $500 WHEN OUT PAYMENTS DON'T GET TO THE CREDITORS ON TIME? AND SO ON...

WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT IF THEY WERE CHARGED $1,680. IT IS EXCESSIVE. EVEN THOUGH WE TRY TO AVOID THINGS LIKE TAKING EXCESS BAGGAGE, THINGS DON'T ALWAYS HAPPEN THE WAY WE WANT THEM.
YOU TELL ME WITH A STRAIGHT FACE THAT THEY ARE NOT MAKING MONEY WHEN THEY CHARGE $1,680 ON A BAGGAGE??????? GIVE ME A BREAK.
IF THIS IS WHAT THEY WILL BE CHARGING, I WILL BE BUYING AIRLINE STOCKS BECAUSE THEY ARE TAKING OFF!!! GET IT TAKING OFF...HAHAHA

Bow, taking off............geeeeeez.
Actually I covered the meat deal in one of my post. I also asked if any of his buddies had asked how the airlines arrived at the numbers they did. Had I been in their situation, it would have been explained to the dollar. Also, in one of my post, I mentioned that if I am not in agreement with what a clerk or rep does to me, I don't get into a hassle with them, I write the CEO of the outfit. I have found that sometimes the clerks will jerk you around 'cause they know nothings gonna happen because very few folks bother to write THE RIGHT PEOPLE when they get screwed around. This is why I am a firm believer in getting names when I get information or receive what I consider a mis-service.