Airline Travel (hockey sticks???)

[Ericnewell18]

has anyone carried on hockey sticks??? i want to carry them so i dont have to check them.

[GoJoin]

Pretty sure it's not possible. I believe your carry-on needs to be able to fit in those little boxes they have near the bag check. If it doesn't fit in there you aren't allowed to carry it on. Let me know if you have any luck though.

[quick_dry]

I'd say you've got no chance in hell... unless

Stragety 1: you can disguise it as a crutch, or..
Strategy 2: if you give the flight hostess your stick beforehand.. she might let you take the hockey stick on later ;)

go for strategy 2 - even if it doesn't work you might still win

How many sticks will you be taking? I usually fly with 3 or 4 in my stick bag - which gets checked in - so that usually makes for a robust enough package. I haven't had any damages to them so far* and I make at least 2 return trips overseas each year, plus 6 or 7 domestic return trips a year with my gear.

*not that it doesn't happen, I've seen a couple of guys have breakages, but not even 1 in a thousand.

[BourneRoller]

work in the biz, wont happen.

[Mlrhnorthfan]

eric sorry my man....they will not let you get on with those....if ya dont have a stick bag, wrap em in trashbags and then use mailing tape around them.

[NLane]

When my boys were playing with the "sissy" sticks (candy cane, field hockey..you know, all those names) we would remove the heads and pack both shaft & head in a cylinder mailing carton. They fit just right into where the coats are hung on the planes. Maybe the sticks of today would be too long. With the Warriors all sticks just went into the "stick bag" and travelled together as check in. I don't recall any getting broken but my memory isn't what it used to be.....

[CUDangled]

You would have to get the sticks past TSA before you could even begin to think about getting it on the plane. Good luck!

Get with a few of your teammates and put all your sticks in ONE checked back. That way you don't all use up your "free" bag for your stick.

[BLowe7]

we just had like 2 stick bags for 10 dudes, and nothing got broke or anything...wasn't much of a problem at all..but you probably won't be able to carry them on

[Ericnewell18]

thanks guys for the help, i was trying to aviod the charge of checking 1 bag..........god i hate airlines.

[William Bourque]

I know you got your answer already but...

...this is the best place to look for this answer...

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

[BLowe7]

I dont remember what airline we used, I think United, but they didn't charge us for an extra bag, I packed all my clothes in a garbage bag inside my hockey bag and then had my stick bag and they didn't charge me anything extra

[GoRangrHky]

All the airlines I've used to fly for hockey (to Colorado, San Jose, Minnesota, Missouri), they've all had a policy that as long as you're checking an equipment bag, the stick bag is free

See American's policy http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/baggage/baggageAllowance.jsp#Sports%20Equipment

Others don't http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/webisapi.dll/,/?St=12,E=0000000000015217345,K=1521,Sxi=12,Case=ob j(2236)#s6

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/sports_equipment.html

But in the case of Southwest, you get 2 free checked bags, so I'd check my gear and my sticks and carry on my clothing (while sneaking plenty of tshirts/ socks/ undies in my gear bag). If you're only going for a few days, you can definitely fit all your clothes in your carry on.

[CUDangled]

Meh...make them hump it all. I make sure my checked backs weigh in as close to 50 lbs as possible. Why lug that crap through the airport if I don't have to. I didn't pay $400 for a ticket to run my happy a$$ through an airport to make a connecting flight that the airlines booked to close together for me to comfortably make WHILE lugging a 30lb suitcase.

Ok...I'm a jerk

[Ericnewell18]

problem is this airline charges 15 bucks a bag to check. Due to rising fuel cost. Though fuel is down about 20 percent.

[quick_dry]

I've never been charged any extra for having my stick bag checked in. My bags are usually pretty close to the weight limit - depending on length of trip, ice or inline...

It probably isn't any help to you now you've bought tickets, but if you shop around many airlines have special rules for sports bags where you get extra weight allowance, and cheaper excess baggage charges once you're overweight.

e.g. my ice league always uses Virgin Blue because they have those features as standard, in addition to cheap tickets. Plus they have the hot young hostesses ;)

Emirates are the only ones who have charged me extra, they were kinda painful to deal with too.

Buy a cheap heater and dry your pads out before heading home, and take your wheels out and put them in your carry-on. That'll knock a fair bit of weight out of your check-in.

[InlineMBA]

Pretty sure it's not possible. I believe your carry-on needs to be able to fit in those little boxes they have near the bag check. If it doesn't fit in there you aren't allowed to carry it on.

Fairly often, some of the InlineHockeyCentral.Com message board threads disintegrate into comic banter and insider jokes. So, I felt compelled to add my 2 cents, since no one else seems to have chimed in.

As for carrying sticks onto a US flight, there's only one guy who's stick could possibly meet the requirements quoted above: John Pinheiro. Now, before anyone jumps all over me for this post, I only have the utmost respect for John. I do not know him personally, however - he's a GREAT player who does his talking (and no fighting mind you) with his skill and speed. However, that stick of his is so.............. short, I don't know how he does it.

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8