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- Jan 1, 2013
Yes, Andrew was just tweeting this morning that apparently their bags might still be in Chicago with no word on when they'll actually get there. :hopelessness:
2015 Nebelhorn Trophy General Chat
- Thread starter Alex D
- Start date
Yes, Andrew was just tweeting this morning that apparently their bags might still be in Chicago with no word on when they'll actually get there. :hopelessness:
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2014
This is why airline need to let skates be carry on! Like seriously.
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- Jun 22, 2015
Oh my goodness, that's so wrong.
I can't imagine the skates will get there by Thursday, could they? And the skaters have to practice before competition. So, so unfair--how many thousands of dollars did they spend for all of them to fly there, stay in hotels, eat out constantly, and to have it all squashed by an airline who couldn't be bothered to send the bags with the right plane...
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
Is that the problem?
TSA currently allows ice skates on carry-on baggage:
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/prohibited-items#8
And IIRC, Andrew tweeted that Delta had lost their luggage (with skates inside):
http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/travel-tips-and-tools/at-the-airport.html
"TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
When packing your bag, it’s important to know what flies.
Bring It On
Ice skates"
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2013
Oh my goodness, that's so wrong.
There's a double whammy in the offing. Andrew, Paris and Matthew were also assigned to Ondrej Nepala next week. If the bags don't arrive by the time they leave Oberstdorf...
But they were flying internationally after the hop from Salt Lake City to Chicago, and I'm pretty sure skates aren't allowed in international carry-on. Plus, whether planned or not, I gather from Andrew's tweets that they ended up on Air Berlin, who probably have different regulations.
And skates are not allowed as carry-on in Australia, so they would be used to putting the skates in their checked bags. The costumes are in those bags too. And it is a bit stupid that the bags are apparently in Chicago but no-one seems prepared to stick them on a plane to Germany.
The logistics of this start to the season always were ambitious, but more than that, they would have been expensive - it's not like Australian skating has cash to splash. That Andrew, Paris and Matthew are now facing forced withdrawal from not one, but TWO international competitions because of Delta's incompetence is unacceptable.
Thank goodness Brooklee appears to have taken a separate and different route to her teammates and has all her gear.
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- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
Well, we know that it's highly unlikely that an American airliner would have denied the ice skates from luggage, and they shouldn't have denied Andrew from boarding his flight. I cannot speak for all airlines worldwide, though. It's possible that other countries are even harsher on airline luggage than the USA post-9/11 -- do you have any links or sources that would confirm that Air Berlin would deny these items, or are you just speculating?
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- Jan 1, 2013
I'm speculating. As far as I know, the US is one of the only places in the world where skates are allowed as carry-on. Pretty sure it's not allowed in Europe.
Are you seriously trying to blame Andrew and Paris and Matthew for Delta's incompetence?
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- Nov 30, 2014
I'm trying to figure out which airlines would deny someone from boarding an airplane because they are carrying ice skates. Anyone with information, please jump in here.
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- Jan 1, 2013
You still have to go through security before you get to the plane. I would think that security to go to the international gates would deny ice skates.
And even if not so, this is still not Andrew and Paris and Matthew's fault.
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- Jul 13, 2014
Maybe they should tweet out the color of the bag and what it looked like so people could find it and bring it to Germany....
If not....I hope a men's singles skater or pairs skater would kindly lend them their skates.
If not....I hope a men's singles skater or pairs skater would kindly lend them their skates.
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- Nov 30, 2014
Security, as in TSA in the USA? They don't pull out a different list of instructions based on the origin of the flight. Whether or not a passenger is passed through the security gates of a foreign country is the determination of the country that the airplane ultimately lands in. Do you want specific examples of when passengers have passed security in one country, and then were denied passing the security gates in a different country?
I agree, there is no excuse for an airliner 'losing' luggage. In fact, I don't believe luggage is ever really 'lost', the airline is probably just too lazy to go through the steps to return it properly...
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- Jun 9, 2014
I know someone who has insider knowledge and they tell me that 90% of the time, "lost luggage" could be avoided if travelers would just arrive at the airport and check in your bags early. Luggage takes a relatively long time to get from your hands to the back loading deck where it gets transported onto the aircraft/plane. If you arrive moments before boarding, chances are your luggage probably won't make it there in time and gets "lost". But you are correct in that luggage rarely get returned even though the airlines are in possession of it, but its mainly due to the lack of money and the amount of time it requires to cross check and send them back.
All that aside, I feel terrible for them and hope everything works out in time....
Based on what I read on the Air Berlin Website, anything that could put someone else in danger is not allowed, including sports equipment.
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- Feb 27, 2012
My general comment is that needing to put figure skates in checked baggage obviously remains a big issue for skaters in general -- not just for these Aussies (for whom my fingers are crossed).
Two very recent cases in point (within the last week or so):
Plus I would note that the TSA page has a clear notation/warning that basically says that the agent at the checkpoint has ultimate authority over whether something is allowed or not.
In other words, the agent is not required to adhere to the rules on the TSA webpage.
And I imagine that some TSA agents are ignorant of the TSA rules -- analogous to the Canadian agents who were ignorant of the Canadian rules, as experienced by Jeremy.
(Sorry that I am too lazy to go back and click on the TSA link again to get a direct quote. And too lazy to look up the tweets that I had seen within the last few days.)
Two examples of rules that I found:
I was nosing around earlier (before your post) and found the examples above on the airlines' respective websites.
(But I closed the pages ... so sorry that I am not attaching links.)
Two very recent cases in point (within the last week or so):
(1) Adam Rippon's luggage (including his skates) was lost when he flew on American Airlines. Domestically, IIRC. Adam understandably was upset, and he tweet-shamed AA several times (over at least a couple of days) about his missing luggage. (I think he mentioned something about Las Vegas being the problem, IIRC?) I don't know whether Adam's luggage ever was found ... I'm guessing that it was not.
(2) Jeremy Ten sent a series of tweets about the persistence required to keep his skates in carry-on luggage for a domestic flight within Canada. (Sorry, I forget which airline was his carrier.) He said that three different security agents (Canada's equivalent of TSA) told him that his skates were not permitted in his carry-on luggage -- although Jeremy could recite chapter and verse the official language that said that skates are allowed in carry-ons (for domestic flights within Canada). Jeremy finally had to get a supervisor involved to override the three agents.
(2) Jeremy Ten sent a series of tweets about the persistence required to keep his skates in carry-on luggage for a domestic flight within Canada. (Sorry, I forget which airline was his carrier.) He said that three different security agents (Canada's equivalent of TSA) told him that his skates were not permitted in his carry-on luggage -- although Jeremy could recite chapter and verse the official language that said that skates are allowed in carry-ons (for domestic flights within Canada). Jeremy finally had to get a supervisor involved to override the three agents.
Plus I would note that the TSA page has a clear notation/warning that basically says that the agent at the checkpoint has ultimate authority over whether something is allowed or not.
In other words, the agent is not required to adhere to the rules on the TSA webpage.
And I imagine that some TSA agents are ignorant of the TSA rules -- analogous to the Canadian agents who were ignorant of the Canadian rules, as experienced by Jeremy.
(Sorry that I am too lazy to go back and click on the TSA link again to get a direct quote. And too lazy to look up the tweets that I had seen within the last few days.)
Two examples of rules that I found:
United has different policies for domestic and international flights:
Skates are allowed in carry-on luggage for United's domestic flights -- but not for United's international flights.
JetBlue does not allow skates in carry-on luggage.
Skates are allowed in carry-on luggage for United's domestic flights -- but not for United's international flights.
JetBlue does not allow skates in carry-on luggage.
I was nosing around earlier (before your post) and found the examples above on the airlines' respective websites.
(But I closed the pages ... so sorry that I am not attaching links.)
In response to shiroKJ:
Although your advice about arriving at the airport early is very sensible in general, I think it has nothing to do with the situation of the Aussie skaters.
I believe that the luggage of the Aussie skaters got lost because their first flight had a big delay -- causing them to miss a connecting flight.
I think the luggage did not get put on whatever their new connecting flight was.
The delay in their first flight obviously was not their fault. Totally out of their control.
(I think Adam Rippon's problem also involved a delay that caused him to miss a connecting flight.)
I believe that the luggage of the Aussie skaters got lost because their first flight had a big delay -- causing them to miss a connecting flight.
I think the luggage did not get put on whatever their new connecting flight was.
The delay in their first flight obviously was not their fault. Totally out of their control.
(I think Adam Rippon's problem also involved a delay that caused him to miss a connecting flight.)
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- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
I appreciate the examples, but I was hoping to catch an airliner in a lie. If these examples are unrelated to this specific case of Delta/Andrew, there's not much I can do with that.
Though I do appreciate the mention of other airlines that do create issues for figure skaters.
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- Mar 28, 2012
It's understandable they're frustrated. But I have to defend airlines a bit it's a massive logistics masterpiece. They cannot always wait. It screws up so much down the line. If you have a layover so short you have to basically run across the airport chances are your bags won't make it in time. Unless you're lucky. Otherwise they have to wait for the next flight. Almost always though lost luggage doesn't mean lost forever. Airlines actually do return most lost items, most of them even really quickly and to your front door. I was returned luggage once on a Sunday at a vacation home in the middle of the forest. So let's just cross our fingers!
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- Jan 28, 2015
With the air security issues, figure skates could be tricky objects indeed. :hopelessness:
But I'm wondering, since skaters lost their luggages all the times, what procedures airlines should be considered to help competitive atheletes. From my experiences, Air Asia has seperated counters for sport equipments. My husband travels to Phuket once or twice a month to play golf with his dad and never lost his prized processions on any occasions. It is very impressive services considering we have to transit at least once on most flights. Also during the weekend many Expats fly to the island just to play golf alone. It is a scary sight to see tons of golf bags lining up at the pick-up counters. And I know for certain that they allow skates as a carry-on within the region.
But I'm wondering, since skaters lost their luggages all the times, what procedures airlines should be considered to help competitive atheletes. From my experiences, Air Asia has seperated counters for sport equipments. My husband travels to Phuket once or twice a month to play golf with his dad and never lost his prized processions on any occasions. It is very impressive services considering we have to transit at least once on most flights. Also during the weekend many Expats fly to the island just to play golf alone. It is a scary sight to see tons of golf bags lining up at the pick-up counters. And I know for certain that they allow skates as a carry-on within the region.
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- Jan 1, 2013
And I would agree, except that in this case, the problem wasn't with layovers or connections: their first plane had engine trouble and had to return to Salt Lake City. THAT was where Delta lost the bags, which then did not make it to Chicago in time to go with Team Australia to Germany.
In good news, Andrew tweeted a couple of hours ago that Delta had promised their bags would turn up in Munich at 11am today (local time). Let's hope they do!
