Cayman Air - How strict

[NW Dive Dawg]

If there's no weight problem then why do they charge extra for it? Maybe it's fuel thing? Also, if the plane is small and there's a space problem, why not let folks just place their backpack or personal item on their lap? I see parents on these flights with toddlers on their laps..

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

why not let folks just place their backpack or personal item on their lap? I see parents on these flights with toddlers on their laps..

The way the aircraft are certificated...

You can't have anything in your lap in case of emergency. If you evacuate, EVERYTHING but you stays on the plane. You can't carry off your carry on. You can't be dicking around trying to move and then stow your bag out of the way if you need to get out right damn now. You sure aren't needing for any of your stuff in the way of other people, slowing them down. Stand up, move, get out. It is assumed you would take the baby though. Not the laptop, not your regs, not your PC, nor even little Fifi in the carry-on kennel.

 

[AggieDiver]

It all depends on which agent is checking you in. Some are stricter than others, but for sure, your carry on will be weighed. There is a bag sizing thingie at the check in on GC, which I have seen used.

An unsecured bag on the lap is a bad idea. If there is severe turbulence or a sudden stop on landing it becomes a missile that could hurt you or other passengers.

Some of NW Dive Dawg's suggestions are weasel like or frankly dishonest. The Airlines have rules for a reason.

The Saab and the Otter do not have overheads and the space under the seats is tight. Cayman Express will check your excess carry on, usually at no cost. My camera case is almost the same size as the OPs and I have never, ever been allowed to carry it on the Cayman Express planes. In all the many flights I've taken with them they have never lost or left behind my camera gear or carry on.
If the flight is overloaded, you might not get your suitcase/duffle until the next morning; so I always keep my reg, mask, bathing suit in the carry on. That way, I can still dive in the morning with rental BC, fins and wetsuit if I have to.

I know some folks (I used to be one of them) carry camera gear in their backpack, so checking it is just a chance to get it damaged. What I have done when I was flying to LC that way was to not "check" it at the ticketing counter in GC, but to hand it to the guy by the baggage door when I was about to board the twin otter. Never had to worry about it being crushed under duffle bags on a luggage cart.

 

[Doctorfish]

Aggie has a good suggestion here. When I used to have my camera gear was in a back pack, I was able to carry it all the way to the plane and hand it to the guys loading. Seeing your gear on the plane is a reassurance. Now that I have more junk requiring a hard case, I end up checking at the counter, but as I stated earlier, Cayman Express has never lost or delayed my camera gear or any of my other checked carry on type bags. Larger luggage is sometimes delayed until the following day.

At the opposite end, the airline will sometimes ask for your suitcase the evening before you fly back to GC.

Occasionally my total luggage is overweight by 5-10 lb and in 20+ trips, they have never charged. Apart from last minute schedule changes and broken down planes, my overall experience with Cayman Express has been very positive.

 

[AggieDiver]

Yeah, I have been charged for overage about 1 of every 10 flights from GC to LC, but I think they have charged me every time but once on the flight from LC to GC. But even then, it is just 50 cents a pound, so not a huge expense.

 

[staggsSevin]

I carry most of my camera gear in my thinktank bag (what all I can fit). On the way to LC last month they didn't ask for mine or my wife's backpack so we didn't get a charge. However on the way out they wanted to weigh them and I think we got hit with a $27 fee (still carried the backpacks on our selves). It didn't bother us, but a few other people got hit with charges like that on the way out and weren't so nice about it since they didn't get charged on the way in.

 

[Doctorfish]

I find I am a few pounds heavier on the return trip as wet gear weighs more and things don't always dry out completely before packing. I don't have a big problem paying for overweight if I am charged.

 

[AggieDiver]

I carry most of my camera gear in my thinktank bag (what all I can fit). On the way to LC last month they didn't ask for mine or my wife's backpack so we didn't get a charge. However on the way out they wanted to weigh them and I think we got hit with a $27 fee (still carried the backpacks on our selves). It didn't bother us, but a few other people got hit with charges like that on the way out and weren't so nice about it since they didn't get charged on the way in.

That is one of those situations where I would keep my mouth shut and be happy I got off with half the fees I could have paid. I get questioning the inconsistency, but it isn't like it was a surprise fee that they didn't tell anybody about. It was a fee they didn't charge that they could have, and I call that a win.

 

[divezonescuba]

Take the direct 737 in and out of Miami to Cayman Brac on Saturdays and you won't have a problem. Well, the return flight is not exactly direct as they make you temporarily get off and on the plane in Grand Cayman for security purposes. A couple of weeks ago, there was also a problem with some of the 737s so we got off of the 737 in Grand Cayman and had to get on a different 737 to Miami. Normally that does not happen.

 

[RCB1882]

We flew GC-LC on Monday and they weighed everything, including hand luggage, but only charged our weight overage based on the checked items. They didn't size our hand luggage but upon boarding the captain was adamant that it need to be completely underneath the seat in front of you.