I called U.S.Airlines this morning - 800-428-4322, Option 4 for International travel, then requested a Supervisor, to discuss two issues that came up on this thread....
bridgenet once bubbled...
Just flew back through Charlotte on USAir from Belize. No problem with regs/computers in carry-on, they didn't even check the carry-on bags, just x-rayed. But TSA openned and inspected my checked suitcase that was full of dive gear only, wet suits, BCD's, fins... They tagged the bag and left paperwork inside to say they openned the checked bag and confiscated my dive knives. Both were just 3" blade blunt tip that we put on our BCD hose. According to TSA web site knives are allowed so have a feeling it is at the whim of the inspector (who don't all know the rules) so be careful. Now have to file a claim and good luck with proving that they were there.
I asked the U.S. Sup about this, and she totally supported my previous response...
dandydon once bubbled...
:fury: There's simply no excuse for that. Knives of any kind have never been prohibited from checked luggage, and they had no right to take those!
If they admitted to taking the knives, you should have support for your claim, and if you have the inspector's ID#, I hope you get him/her fired. That's just basic incompetence and/or theft! :grrr:
You do realize that you paid an extra $10 on your ticket for TSA!! The inspectors are often in plain sight of customers, and they always tell me I can leave for the gate; I always watch them until they turn the bag back over to the airline!
T.S.A's phone number is 866-289-9673, 8am to 5pm Eastern Weekdays. I hope Bridgenet follows up, insisting on the return of the knives, or replacement value. Give them Divers Direct's web site and point out that Oceanic Titatium knives are $100 plus shipping. Since the TSA idiot stole your knives, it's his responsibility to return them or prove they're worth less than that.
Then I asked her about TDunbard's report about her gate agents charging extra on Scuba Gear...
TDunbar once bubbled...
One other point on scuba branded luggage.......
USAirways (perhaps some others) are adding a $50 charge if you have dive gear. On my last trip to Cozumel several in our group got hit with the charge when we checked in in Charlotte, others didn't. Some disputed their credit card bill when it came; some didn't. The agent said it was for the expensive gear inside, but when asked if the charge included some insurance, the agent said no.
She consulted the Charlotte desk by phone and confirmed that the U.S. agent
should not have charged extra for Scuba gear packed inside bags that met their rules and policies for linear deminsions and weight, and that anyone so charged should file complaints. The problem seems to lie in their
vague polices as published in their web site: :upset:
"Special items such as pets, surfboards, bicycles, scuba equipment, etc. are not included in the customer's free baggage allowance and are subject to an extra charge." Flights to the Caymans are exempt from this, by the way.
I hope that you U.S.Air Frequent Flyers will object tothe airlines Consumer Affairs that the phrase is not only redundant but open to interpretation of the agent. A surfboard, bicycle or Scuba gear that fits inside an otherwise allowed bag should not be charged extra; of course, the surfboard, bicycle or Scuba gear that does not fit within exisiting paramaters can be charged extra under other parts of their policy, so these do not need to be covered in the vague way. Only pets need to be covered in that statement. :fire:
And I worry that if you U.S.Air flyers put up with this, other airlines hungry for income will see it as a way to boost revenue.
thanks,
don
