One thing I'm not clear on and would be grateful for comments from anyone who has flown Easyjet with their rifle:

When booking the flight you can select the firearm as, basically, additional luggage. Is that all you need to do or do you need to provide any other info or ring/inform anyone else? I can't see any other way to inform anyone but with flyBE you need to phone them and tell them so I don't want to get caught out.

Also, my reading of the Easyjet site seems to indicate that if you book a firearm on then your luggage allowance rises to 32kg from the standard 20kg. Is that in keeping with what people have seen happen in practise?

Thanks for any assistance with this, I don't want to be left in a tricky situation in the airport!

From EXPERIANCE I would NOT rely on ANYTHING about f/arms from the websites of ANY airlines.

I have been very lucky on a few occasions to actually fly, because checkin staff and the info found on the website do not always agree.

As an example I flew to Canada with rifle and Ammo I informed them verbally that i was traveling with rifle and Ammo,they had a rep waiting for me at checkin, i skipped the que etc without incedent.On the return I was told that it was company policy that you cannot fly with rifle and ammo and that i would have to forfit my ammo if i wanted to travel home! I showed them all my paper work from my outbound journey my ref number for the rep that met me at gatwick,i showed them a print out of the company policy from the web site etc.They still wouldnt let me fly with my ammo, in the end i let them keep the ammo, it worked out in the end because i billed them 4x the cost of the ammo that was confiscated! and they paid it.

I have had other problems this is just 1.
David

I fly with Easyjet and a rifle 2 or 3 times per year.

All I ever do is pay the excess baggage charge on line and turn up at the airport.

I have never had any trouble. ( Touch a large piece of wood ).

Thanks for that Brian, that was exactly the info I was looking for, I was worried in case there was something else I was required to do as FlyBE have been helpful but a little complex and lacking in confidence. My concern was that what I'd done with Easyjet seemed a little simple in comparison.

I've heard lots of bad reports, such as the example David cites, but am hopeful that if I prepare well and know my ground and stick to it then I will have no problems. Airlines like Easyjet depend on efficiency so if you do things efficently by the book they are often the easiest to deal with as they don't want you cluttering up the checkin for one second longer than necessary.

David if you can drop me a note of any flights you intend to take in the near future I will try and avoid them :-) Serious, thanks for the info and I must confess that I've had similar problems with a fishing rod (in a short metal tube) never mind a firearm.

Sorry if this appears slightly off the main thrust of the thread, but I thought it might be of value to mention that Caledonian MacBrayne have some small print about declaring the carriage of firearms, After many uneventful return trips to Arran, Mike & I had a very difficult boarding experience on the outward trip this last fortnight, a young lad asked of me "Had we any rifles", me being honest said "Yes", he then demanded our ammunition!to cut a very long job short, we agreed to let them have the bolts,this only satisfied them after the comments by the local island plod who was present on the ferry himself, So take note anyone who is planning to use the island ferries.

In my experience when travelling with a firearm on a ferry, it is best not to declare you have firearms. Have all the necessary paperwork ready in case but do not go out of your way to say anything. In Steve's case this was obviously unavoidable as he was asked a direct question but otherwise I keep stum.

Funnily enough the ferries are one place where I haven't had a problem and I've always declared the rifle.

CalMac have a stated policy of not carrying any ammo but I have always found them great, given the right approach, though I've never used the Arran ferry. As with anything, however, I think the thing that haunts us all is getting the "wrong person" at boarding or checkin. Whether these people are green/anti nutters or just being plain difficult I don't know but luckily I've never (yet) encountered them on the CalMacs.

In saying that in situations where passengers have access to their vehicles during the crossing or in the case of foot passengers then I suppose it is reasonable for the ferry company to take steps to ensure that such firearms can't be used, the arrangement used to be that the rifle was kept on the bridge during the crossing.

There are a few 'oddities' travelling with firearms and ammunition on trains.

The contradictory information I have read varies from it is illegal / not allowed by train company byelwas and operating procedures through to permitted, providing written permission / notification is obtained /provided.

Obviously, you have to provide your name and address, which the police are n't happy about, as it affects the security of the firearms in your keeping.

I believe if you are travelling over night to Scotland, you are forced to pay for single occupancy of a sleeping compartment, unless the wife / mistress or hunting partner are travelling with you.

I just drive now, it cuts down on the BS and alleviates the problems faced when you arrive at either Fort William or Inverness and need to travel the final stage to the estate.