diveski01
Contributor
I like the Columbia pants with zip-off legs. Very light weight and they dry fast so you can wash and wear during the trip. I also wear my teva sandals with fleece socks to/from so one less pair of shoes to carry.
USA3000 Airlines - Warning
- Thread starter teamheatwave
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I like the Columbia pants with zip-off legs. Very light weight and they dry fast so you can wash and wear during the trip. I also wear my teva sandals with fleece socks to/from so one less pair of shoes to carry.
Tim Ingersoll
Contributor
Ewwwww! Don't be that guy.
teamheatwave once bubbled...
Hi Ya'll. I am headed to Mexico in 7 days. I am flying USA3000. Before I booked my trip several months ago I intentionally checked the airline website and called my travel agent (Liberty Travel) on two separate occasions to verify luggage restrictions. I did so before I booked.
Did you get that in writing? You know what they say....if it's not in writing it didn't happen. I would probably try to bluff, and tell the agent that you are going to stop payment on credit card and file a complaint. May or may not work, but it would certainly motivate the agent to TRY to help you.
"How many of you can fit 8 days worth of clothing plus your gear into a bag weighing no more than 25 pounds?"
Hmmm... lets see, vacation...don't need underwear, maybe a couple t shirts and a couple pair of shorts, sandals and SCUBA gear. Carry on all the heavy stuff (regs, lights, log book, camera, etc). A challenge but dooable.
" First, that the travel agency I booked my package with sets the weight restrictions because it is a charter. "
Hard to believe, probably a lie. In the future I suggest avoiding charter flights all together. I flew with a charter company once (GWV). I think my fingerprints are still embedded in the seat...scaaaaary flight. First it was an old plane (some major airline had retired & sold). As we boarded we were handed a plastic bag with our "meal" inside. Before we even took off we were delayed as they had trouble closing cargo doors. The whole plane shook as we could hear them repeatedly slamming the door til it stayed shut. In flight: the attendant opened the curtain in the front of the cabin and it fell to the floor (frame and all), when my girlfriend went to use the rest room, the door handle came off in her hand. The seats are comfortable and spacious (if your legs have been amputated). The plane rattled and shook more than the 78 chevy chevette than I drove during college years.
"the luggage allowances is less because most people opt for an all inclusive package. Can anyone, please, ANYONE explain to me why the location of where I dine dictates how much luggage I am allowed?"
hmmmmmmmmm, maybe they think you will eat a lot and gain weight during your stay.
"But I guarantee you if I get hit with the fees, I will be marching the travel agent and airlines into small claims court for re-imbursement."
Go get em, take no prisoners
"I have also made it a personal mission to make sure I let as many people as possible know of this. If they get away with it, other airlines may follow so let's nip it in the bud.
Do they have an 800#, lets all call em, innitiate a reservation, then ask about luggage & say faagettaboutit
In my experience they do enforce the lbs per bag and not total weight. Once on a flight that alowed 2 bags of 70lbs, I had one bag that weighed 72lbs and the other was just 40lbs. Agent tried to charge me $50. I said "no friggin way, i'll just shift a few items into my lighter bag". Her response (snotily), it's against faa regulations to open your bag in the airport. So I went outside to do it. When I returned She was pulling the same stunt with an elderly couple (easy target), I nicely suggested to the couple that they could do as I had and shift some of the weight. This sure pissed off the agent. She turned to me with the look of the devil in her eyes and said, " you stay out of this or I'll call security and have you arrested. The other 7 people in my party all started in on her & she backed down.
Good luck! Hope I didn't scare ya too much with my stories
IndigoBlue
Contributor
Becki, I have seen those in my Lands End catalog, but I have not actually bought a pair of them yet. Seems like a great concept for tropical travel.
I like the sweat pants because they are comfortable. And I like the levis because they are durable. Substituting zip-off pants for the levis may actually be a great idea.
I have found that sandals on airline flights can get you a lot of mosquito bites on the return trip from the tropics. Tennis shoes are a little bit better protection. Insect repellant is probably the best solution, although sweat pants and tennis shoes works well too.
chrpai
Contributor
Why anyone would fly a charter instead of regularly scheduled commericial aviation is beyond me. Just to save a few bucks and give up all your rights....
Damselfish
Contributor
I'm not big on charters either, mostly because of the usual sardine thing and inflexibility on travel days. But some are better than others, like anything. I haven't flown one in a long time but the ones I have seemed pretty well run and safe. I've been on at least one where it turned out to be a major airline operating the flight with their plane and crew. Maybe I've been lucky.
One thing charters are sometimes good for is a more direct and quicker trip - fly direct from A to B either nostop or a quick changeover, on a route that may otherwise require long layovers. The ones I've been on left at obscene hours of the morning, but you went straight to your destination and were in the water by lunch!
I wonder if there is anything in the fine print to force them to honor the luggage rules in effect at the time they sold you the ticket. I know this sounds silly, but what's to stop them from changing their minds and saying you can have 5 pounds of luggage, or no luggage.
Not to be harsh, but you often get what you pay for. I don't like spending more than I have to, but there's a reason why the charters are cheap. You can't be the best for less.........
So chalk one up to experience, have a great time, and book you flight elsewhere next time.
Todd
So chalk one up to experience, have a great time, and book you flight elsewhere next time.
Todd
chrpai
Contributor
Anyone considering a charter must read
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/charters.htm
1) charters generally do not carry the consumer protection provisions
2) you cancel you normally can't credit the money to a future flight
3) The charter operator or airline can cancel a Public Charter for any reason up until 10 days before departure.
4) Signing a contract does not guarantee that your fare won't be increased before departure or that the itinerary won't change.
5) If your luggage gets lost during your tour, there may be a dispute over who is liable
6) flight can be delayed up to 48 hours before the charter operator must offer you the option to cancel with a full refund.
7) You might find seating space for your charter plane to be more crowded than you're used to.
8) Check-in deadlines are lengthier on charters than on scheduled-service flights.
9) Charter rates are relatively low, but might not be the cheapest fare to your destination.
10) Charters and scheduled flights operate independently of each other.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/charters.htm
1) charters generally do not carry the consumer protection provisions
2) you cancel you normally can't credit the money to a future flight
3) The charter operator or airline can cancel a Public Charter for any reason up until 10 days before departure.
4) Signing a contract does not guarantee that your fare won't be increased before departure or that the itinerary won't change.
5) If your luggage gets lost during your tour, there may be a dispute over who is liable
6) flight can be delayed up to 48 hours before the charter operator must offer you the option to cancel with a full refund.
7) You might find seating space for your charter plane to be more crowded than you're used to.
8) Check-in deadlines are lengthier on charters than on scheduled-service flights.
9) Charter rates are relatively low, but might not be the cheapest fare to your destination.
10) Charters and scheduled flights operate independently of each other.
diverlady
Contributor
A lot of pkgs from travel operators here (Ontario, Canada) use charters as "regularly scheduled commercial aviation" does not fly to many popular destinations. In fact, to take a major airline would mean making a connection somewhere in the US. For example, Air Canada just began offering flights to Coz this month so previously you either took a charter, a connection from the US or the boat from Cancun. Our charters are reputable airlines. True enough though, smaller seats/legroom etc. but for a few hours it's not a big deal to me even though I am tall.
I've never had a problem with a Canadian charter. Pretty much all allow for sports equipment to be taken at no charge so when I was overweighted it was chalked up to my divegear and there was no extra charges. Carry-on is limited to 10lbs and I have had mine weighed before (not every time) so bringing all kinds of diving extras like flashlights in carry-on, doesn't work. Computer in carry-on is about it for dive stuff. I have managed to get my regs in carry-on too as the first security guy thought I was carrying a laptop. Needless to say, the scanner proved otherwise.
Also, the weight restriction might be more strictly enforced if the aircraft is fully booked. When returning from Ft. Lauderdale last May I was overweighted and didn't even need to explain about the divegear. Turns out the flight was less than half full so really, what weight everyone had wouldn't come anywhere near meeting any limits.
I guess the overall characteristics of "charter flight" is different here.
Diverlady
chrpai
Contributor
I can't speak to the legal, contractual status of charter flights in Canada. I'm sorry that I only had an American audience in mind.
Similar threads
