Just wanted to give a heads up on the gun check in procedures flying out of Denver Colorado. The last two years I have almost missed my flights due to their firearms check in procedure. When you declare your firearm at the check in counter, a courier is called to transfer the rifle, you yourself must follow this courier with your rifle to the TSA firearms room. The problem is there is usually a long line of hunters and couriers who are awaiting there turn to process your firearms. The first time it took me an hour even. This last time departing in early September it took an hour and a half. Numerous hunters missed their flights, if you leave without signing the firearm check in ledger to make your flight, your gun is not making the flight. This is the only airport I am aware of with the procedure here in the states. Thought this might be helpful to some. Allow lots of time for Denver. Am curious if this procedure takes place in any other US airports.

I live in Denver and I must be lucky because it has never taken me more than 15 minutes.

quote:

Originally posted by 500 bull:
Just wanted to give a heads up on the gun check in procedures flying out of Denver Colorado. The last two years I have almost missed my flights due to their firearms check in procedure. When you declare your firearm at the check in counter, a courier is called to transfer the rifle, you yourself must follow this courier with your rifle to the TSA firearms room. The problem is there is usually a long line of hunters and couriers who are awaiting there turn to process your firearms. The first time it took me an hour even. This last time departing in early September it took an hour and a half. Numerous hunters missed their flights, if you leave without signing the firearm check in ledger to make your flight, your gun is not making the flight. This is the only airport I am aware of with the procedure here in the states. Thought this might be helpful to some. Allow lots of time for Denver. Am curious if this procedure takes place in any other US airports.

It's basically the same procedure at San Francisco but there are less hunters and shooters there so the lines are smaller.

500 bull,

Denver is a PITA. Very cumbersome procedure. Excellent advise to allow a lot of time there for checking in with guns.

Mark

I love Colorado, but this is just one more reason to stay away.

Doesn't surprise me
Look at their hunting regulations. Ridiculous
What a sad state of affairs. Used to live there, now it would be cold day in hell to even think about it
How quickly some states can turn on us

One more reason to avoid that airport

That's nothing. Two years ago, while checking in with Lufthansa. On my way to a Croatian Driven Boar hunt. The guy who is suppose to take your gun to TSA , with me in tow, took off with the gun case before I had my boarding pass. Seems he thought the case was skis and took the gun case outside to the large checked item conveyor. Sen the gun case to the plane before TSA looked at it. Thanks to the automated baggage system in the bowels of the airport. It took an bout an hour and half to get the bag back and on to TSA. Lucky, I arrived at the airport with time to spare. I learned that lesson the year before. The Lufthansa counter people deal with few or no guns, they didn't know what to do. They spent an hour on the phone with Corporate to find out the right buttons to push on the keyboard, dealing with guns. JFK airport , to me, is the hardest to fly through with a gun. Consider yourself lucky with only having to walk a few yards to the central TSA gun check in room. It's a long walk if you are checking in with United or Lufthansa. Just around the corner from Delta, maybe 100 feet...

I don't know anything about the procedures at JFK if you fly through the airport but flying from JFK isn't difficult at all. I flew SAA from JFK to Joberg this past May. When you check in with SAA they call the Port Authority police and they send an officer. The officer checked my gun to make sure it was unloaded and then we walked together to TSA where they checked in my guns. Not very difficult. On the return I dealt only with customs who just checked the serial #'s on the guns to my 4457's and I was on my way. Since I took a shuttle from my home to JFK I didn't have any connecting flights.

quote:

Originally posted by 500 bull:
Just wanted to give a heads up on the gun check in procedures flying out of Denver Colorado. The last two years I have almost missed my flights due to their firearms check in procedure. When you declare your firearm at the check in counter, a courier is called to transfer the rifle, you yourself must follow this courier with your rifle to the TSA firearms room. The problem is there is usually a long line of hunters and couriers who are awaiting there turn to process your firearms. The first time it took me an hour even. This last time departing in early September it took an hour and a half. Numerous hunters missed their flights, if you leave without signing the firearm check in ledger to make your flight, your gun is not making the flight. This is the only airport I am aware of with the procedure here in the states. Thought this might be helpful to some. Allow lots of time for Denver. Am curious if this procedure takes place in any other US airports.

Checking firearms in at Austin-Bergstrom is almost as easy as your local gun shop. They ask if they are loaded-you say no and TSA runs them through the explosive sniffer-POOF you are done and on your way to your gate.

So does anyone know what the deal with guns is IF you are simply making a connecting flight thru Denver on the SAME airline. The guns will have been checked in at the orginating departure airport (SEA) and Denver is simply a plane change/connection on the SAME airline to the final destination within Texas.

quote:

Originally posted by rxgremlin:
I live in Denver and I must be lucky because it has never taken me more than 15 minutes.

I've had the same experience.

quote:

Originally posted by bisonhunter1:
So does anyone know what the deal with guns is IF you are simply making a connecting flight thru Denver on the SAME airline. The guns will have been checked in at the orginating departure airport (SEA) and Denver is simply a plane change/connection on the SAME airline to the final destination within Texas.

You won't have a lick of troubles. Your gun case will be transferred to your connecting flight along with your other luggage.

quote:

Originally posted by Lhook7:

quote:

Originally posted by rxgremlin:
I live in Denver and I must be lucky because it has never taken me more than 15 minutes.

I've had the same experience.

I went thru Denver last week with two shotguns. Likely took no longer then about 10 mins. I've probably flown out of Denver a dozen times over the past seven years and haven't had the slightest hiccup. Having said that, I typically fly out of CO Springs the vast majority of the time (>90%).

quote:

Originally posted by mominer:
That's nothing. Two years ago, while checking in with Lufthansa. On my way to a Croatian Driven Boar hunt. The guy who is suppose to take your gun to TSA , with me in tow, took off with the gun case before I had my boarding pass. Seems he thought the case was skis and took the gun case outside to the large checked item conveyor. Sen the gun case to the plane before TSA looked at it. Thanks to the automated baggage system in the bowels of the airport. It took an bout an hour and half to get the bag back and on to TSA. Lucky, I arrived at the airport with time to spare. I learned that lesson the year before. The Lufthansa counter people deal with few or no guns, they didn't know what to do. They spent an hour on the phone with Corporate to find out the right buttons to push on the keyboard, dealing with guns. JFK airport , to me, is the hardest to fly through with a gun. Consider yourself lucky with only having to walk a few yards to the central TSA gun check in room. It's a long walk if you are checking in with United or Lufthansa. Just around the corner from Delta, maybe 100 feet...

You may have done this but in case you didn't, call Lufthansa prior to your trip and let them know you'll be flying with firearms. This is in fact per their website a requirement. I had done this months in advance prior to my last trip.

When I showed up at LAX in May this year, they had it on my "file" and the agent had no problems. Once the bags were tagged, they just said to head down the hallway to TSA with the rifle case. Now once I got there, the TSA guy I first talked to just about went into a fit, apparently he'd not seen a gun case before. The other more experienced guy calmed him down and off we went. Time from check-in at the counter to rifles on their way to the airplane, maybe 10-15 minutes.

July '11 I flew AA from: Co/Spgs, DFW, JAX & return ten days later.
One gun case, four rifles four revolvers.
Gun case wasn't even opened anywhere either direction to or from.
TSA did search my suitcase. I wasn't aware of the 11# ammo limit and had at least double that. I had to call my buddy to come back and pick it up from TSA. No problem, told 'em who I was and what I wanted, they handed it all to Mike and he was on the way.

In JAX on return I told the man in charge I had the key and gun case was coming, could I use the rest room first? "Sure, down the aisle". When I got back he said: "no problem I x'rayed the gun case and it's fine to go have a good hunt". " I did, I'm on the way home now". Just smiled.

What had me concerned I'd lost the key to the case itself and wrapped a chain and padlock around it. I'd called SKB for new keys. They sent more locks without keys. Got them two days before I left. I called them again from Steve's place in JAX, they sent keys asap to my house in Pueblo----Jeeze!


AA misplaced or misent the gun case. Took two days but, they delivered it to Steves house by courier some 60+ miles from the airport. Delayed our trip two days, but, got a chance to see Jacksonville I'd never been to before. Even made a big gunshow and several shops n bought another Single Six to make a matched pair.

First I've been on a commercial plane since about '75 and never with guns before.
George