Damaged boards durring Flight.....:(

General Discussion
1

Dear Swaylockers,

I need help…

I just got back from CR and a week of great surf, However on the trip down my 9’0" was damaged, not just some little ding, but serious damage on both sides of the nose about a foot back where the rails were crushed in 4" towards the stringer each one about a foot in length along the rail. on top of that my Dakine 3 board bag (with wheels) had many holes and tears, and the padded day bag inside that was also torn.

I have made many calls to American Airlines and had no luck in getting any type of claim filed. They have said that surfboards are “fragile items” and fragile items are not covered for any damage that they might be subjected to. after some digging I found that the only things that are not considered “fragile” are clothes (how convenient). On my trip home I purchased insurance on my boards and they were damaged further, I tried to place a claim on that, and they told me that even with insurance, fragile items are still not covered. So, if you pay the $70 to have them take your boards, they can run them over with a forklift and they are not liable in anyway. long story short your boards are not safe when you travel with AA NO MATTER WHAT!!

has anyone out there had this problem? if so have you had any luck in getting $$ for the repair or replacement of damaged goods?

is this the type of thing where I should get a lawyer to argue my case?

Any help or insight would be a great help to me and all the others out there that have had their surf trips ruined…

2

I had the same issue with American, I got as far as getting the insurance I paid back but that was it."why was I allowed to purchase insurance on something thats not insurable? "I was shown all the contracts where it says they are not liable. Theres really no way around that I would think. You may be able to get an estimate on repairs and file in small claims court, Usually a company that big looking at like a 500.00 small claims file, its not even worth sending in thier lawyers. American should explain thier policy though. South West has explained that to me on 2 trips.

3

Not necessarily, though they will tell you that they don’t cover it and give you all the runaround they can. They are famous for that. What they do cover: http://www.aa.com/content/customerService/customerCommitment/conditionsOfCarriage.jhtml#Baggage

I once got a replacement check for a board and a fishing rod, which had been crushed. But I had to spend the day in the baggage claims office at Logan in Boston and be relentlessly nice but not go away.

What you have is what I’d call egregious damage, a board crunched inside a padded day bag inside a travel bag. There’s no excuse for that, especially as they charged you extra for carrying the board and then had the cookies to charge you for insurance on the return trip on top of that. They accepted it as baggage, charged you extra for it, it’s something you will get paid for if you persist.

Now - have you got documentation? That is, you complained of damage in CR, when you got there and you have a paper trail for that and the further damage on the return trip? Pictures, especially dated pictures would be ideal on top of that.

You will also need your ding guy to write up an estimate for fixing the thing, all of the damage, ideally on a letterhead. Paper trail on that too.

Then, you go down to the baggage claims office in the city you flew out of. Bring the board ( unfixed) and the bags and the documentation. You better plan on spending the day there. Go for replacement of both bags ( this is way over wear and tear damage) and a top-dollar repair or else replacement of your board and refund of whatthey charged you for insurance - hell, they insured something that they then refused to cover? That’s a ripoff. Have the paper trail on what those cost too, board and bags and insurance documentation. If you have ‘before’ photos, then that can’t hurt. Document them to death.

Don’t get confrontational, but do be insistent and do be persistent. If somebody tells you ‘no’, tell them that you realise that they are not authorised/it’s beyond their job description and you want to speak to their supervisor. Keep working your way up. Eventually, you’ll get paid. If you don’t, then it may be time to call in the lawyers, but remember, the airline has a legal department who do thousands of these a year and your guy doesn’t. Also remember that your guy is costing you big bucks per hour and theirs are paid for already, they are on salary. The airlines kinda depend on that to make a lot of cases go away…

And never, ever, ever fly with American Airlines again. Or Continental, by the way, who are famous for losing boards until just before you leave to go home. Non US flag airlines are generally kinder to your stuff than US flag airlines, just as a bit of warning for the future.

hope that’s of use

doc…

4

Same thing here. I returned from a Hawaii “business” trip to find my Dewey had EIGHT new rail dings (craters!). I did find out that if the board was ruined/unable to be repaired that my homeowners insurance would cover a portion of it! You might at least try it and see.

5

Generally you are SOL on these kinds of damage unless you are really, really annoyed (enough to spend LOTS of your time trying to get reimbursed). Usually I find it’s not worth it, but that decision is up to you.

A friend of mine recently had a similar issue and he negotiated (after much work) a $300 travel voucher. It seems a bit easier to get “in kind” reimbursement than cash.

I’ve had problems on Hawaiian Airlines, even with very-well-padded boards (pipe insulation on rails, bubble wrap and cardboard on deck & bottom) in good travel bags. United Airlines (on the other hand) didn’t hurt my boards on a trip to Costa Rica – it just LOST them for half the time we were there. That was even worse.

Really your best bet is a hard case instead of a soft bag. Either that or just accept the fact that your boards are going to get smashed up with some regularity, and it will take $2000 worth of your time to get $200 in reimbursement…

6

thanks Doc,

I have all that documentation that you mentioned, and I have a hefty paper trail going at this point, I did get the supervisor to sign a peice of paper in CR saying that it was their fault. I had one AA rep tell me that I was out of luck though, because it is AA’s policy that it is the destination airport that is responsable for the claim??!! I guess that I will be spending the day in Boston as you suggested. Thanks for the advice.

7

so yesterday two young guys show up at my shop while Im finishing a resurection ding repair on a board I shaped that Cartman insisted on having glassed light,…they just arrived from Califhuntington and both channel Island chippies in a pro-light travel multi bubble wrapped were broken dead in half…clearly not concientiously cared for…they said that the guy at the airport said $200 apiece per board for repair…hmmmmmm Los lunchmeats came by on the way home from court araigning the guy that stole his bike and threatened him with a golf club…his reactiom was :when is surfrider or some organization gonna get this ship straightened out?..we as a group have grown in numbers and stature to have accrued some clout where is the indignant lawyer kook that wants to ingratiate himself with a world wide body of surfes to give him waves at internationally coveted spots on face recognition …"hey youre the guy …go on this one man…class action ? special containers? 75$ could and should go alot farther…lets talk Golf clubs here how many golf club claims a year beforethey adjusted handling how many golf bags go free how many golf bag claims? hemmings wanted tp elevate surfing to golf status in the culture …are we theere yet? these guys are throwing these boards in on the bottom of a pile and pile’in em on …surely you can only go on for twenty years making excuses for these baggage handling scientists the progress in baggage handling has come a long way but this feature is ignored very well >>What air line is going to be the one to pledge good surfboard handling?which one is gonna sponser the world champ to say full face talking head advertizment campagin We Wont Duck Up YoureSurfboard Next Time You Fly Quote Me …surfers fly they pay for tickets …are there simply not enough to matter? I dont tink so…could we go bus boycott on their dairy airs? …ambrose…just a little rumination on the topic…they are still blurring this action under a “maybe we can keep the claims down by making it a hassle” approach…these claims and dammages have been going on for40 years and being well ignored by everyone including Us…does Melvin Belli surf? how bout Johnny cochran…Where’s the 60 minutes hidden camera security cam tapes these duckeers could be caught in the act of damage with intent we have all seen it out the window of the plane when they throw em on the conveyor .lets hear some baggage handlers defend them selves and /or input some handling / packing suggestions

8

You are SOL. Back some decades ago you would get a whole new board. The airlines put the kybosh on that. Now you just get a broken board. I love the whole "we charge you extra since we hand carry your boards blah blah blah. In my whole history of flying I have never seen a hand carried board. They are tossed into the luggage cart, get to the plane, dropped a few times, then thrown onto the conveyor belt. I have witnessed this far too many times to count.

I guess you could always sue the board bag manufacturer. Maybe the airline for fraud if you did in fact see them not hand carry the board to the airliner.

9

Interesting, as ( though it was a while ago, on a Boston-Tampa flight) the AA people told me it was the originating airport that you made your claims to, not the destination. Bear in mind that they will tell you anything to avoid paying. You made your claim in CR already, you just need to pursue it.

And that little bit from the guy in CR may well be your salvation.

On international flights you have more or at least different rights than on domestic flights.

Take something to read, and don’t let the paperwork out of your control until you have a check in your hand.

Good luck

doc…

10

Actually… I knew a guy who went on vacation with his boards as checked luggage and a video camera in his carry-on baggage. Well, he was making a little video of 'Gee, we’re here in _____ ______ and we just landed and… ’ , you know, the video stuff that’s as boring as slides used to be when you have to watch 'em. But, with the video rolling, he pans over and what does he see but his boards in their bag coming down the conveyor…with a baggage handler standing on 'em, doing a quasimodo or something like that.

Damage claims? Oh yeah, you could say that. He owned their dumb posteriors.

11

so I guess (well I knew) that I am not the only one that has had this problem. So what can we do here? Alone, the airlines could give a flying flock about us. Together, We could start to get some respect. Doc, I really enjoy the wording on AA’s page about what the assume no liability for

" American does not accept in or as checked baggage any of the following items: antiques, artifacts, artwork, books and documents, china, computers and other electronic equipment, computer software, fragile items, furs, heirlooms,…"

they never give a list or qualification of what “fragile” is. in truth, it can be what ever they want it to be… golf clubs, boards, skis, vial’s of anthrax…

I know that there are some surfers out there that are also Lawyers I saw one last night on the O.C. Seriously though we have this great forum, and then there is the surfrider foundation, how long are we supposed to keep paying the MAN to destroy our beloved surfcraft, clubs, cameras and the like?

I am not the smartest guy out there, but I am of Irish decent so I do know anger and how to hold a grudge. Is there anyone out there that knows (or know someone who knows) how to get this ball rolling?

Imaging the commercial on your TV…

Come fly with us, We are the ONLY airline in operation that accepts responsibility for your checked luggage…

GODDAMMIT, I think that I need to get down off my soapbox for a bit and get some work done so I can save up for my next bus ticket to panama…

12

This is crazy as I’m heading down to Mexico in august and would LOVE to take my boards with me but now I’m second guessing it as it would kill me, and my lack of money self, to get my customs all dinged up.

They have rental boards where I’m staying (inn at manzillo bay) but typically these things are horrible. Instead of the horror stories, has anyone had any sucess in transporting boards? What other cases are there besides santamonica cases?

13

Be Persistent.

A couple of years ago, they lost my board and wetsuits etc coming from Australia to Hawaii. However they paid for me to rent a board while I was there and then eventually paid for the full replacement of everything that they lost without me being able to produce a single receipt, except for the board rental in Hawaii.

But they had to be hounded.

This Janurary, a good friend had 2 boards f@$#ed up royally coming back from Hawaii to New Jersey, I gave him a written quote for repair and he hounded them, they called me for confirmation, he hounded some more and eventually they cut him a check for the repairs.

My advice is be relentless, make sure you write down the name of everybody that you talk with and what they say and how they treat you. Both of these cases were paid in part because their employees were rude and didn’t treat us correctly ie: didn’t return calls or reply when they said they would, also any admission of fault on their part or promise to pay up should be well documented, even if they later recant or deny.

Most of all you need to be persistent and have some luck.

14

My credit card company is pretty aggressive about pursuing fraudulent charges and other conflicts. If your ticket was itemized showing extra insurance and/or extra handling charges AND you paid via credit card, that might be an avenue to pursue. Contact your credit card company for details.

15

Howzit Jacktrunk, Had the same experience in 95 . Luckally we had brought enough materials (try that today) to fix the board right in our hotel room. Aloha, Kokua

16

I brought the board to every shop we passed, playa grande, tamarindo, playa del coca, nosara,… the damage was bad enough that I needed a lot of foam to make up the volume from the trauma. I even offored to do it myself and fix all the dings in the racks as a show of apprication. What i have learned is this, If you are going on a surf trip, a tube of suncure is not enough of a first aid kit prepare for the worst, don’t through out the rail foam when you cut out your plan shape from a blank, keep some of it saw it up into 1’ sections and toss them into you coffin when you are packing up, they could save your trip.

17

Howzit Jacktrunk, we had enough materials to fix a broken board. we took resin, catalyst q-sel, acetone, SA., fiberglass. That’s what I meant by try taking this stuff on an airplane these days, talk about a potential fire hazard. They’d try you in jail for sure these days. What was really strange was we couldn’t find anybody to take the rest of the materials. Aloha, Kokua

18

This whole thread is why I am working on a three piece flex tail, that will pack into a “checkable” hard case. No extra cost - no extra dings. And, I’ve allways gotten lucky flying, but too cheap to pay anymore.

19

Well, even though I’ve had several boards damaged by airlines, that’s the exception, not the rule. You’ll definitely hear horror stories, but don’t freak out about traveling with boards – MOST of the time they will survive, and most of the dings they get are easily fixed with a tube of solarez or its equivalent. If you bring 2 or 3 boards they usually won’t all get hurt. Don’t settle for a cruddy rental board, bring your own, but make sure it has a decent glass job, pack it well to start with. If it has glass-on fins, pad them with a big block of foam. Put foam blocks on the nose and tail, pipe wrap on the rails. Odds are it will be surfable when it arrives… I would never leave my boards at home just because they might get hurt.

Oh, yea - ALWAYS tip the baggage handler right before he walks away with your board. The more the bag weighs, the bigger the tip.

20

Well, I tend to be paranoid- padded day bag inside a padded travel bag, board inside all of it cushioned by wetsuits, baggage guy duked with a $20, and I will take ding stuff, though not acetone, inside clearly marked factory sealed ding kits. I mean, travelling with an unmarked baggie of Cabosil is asking for trouble.

Ah, Senor, just what ees thees white powder??

You can get polyester resin most anywhere, and I was surprised at how good the over-the-counter generic boat resin was. If your board is epoxy, bring your own.

Fixing your board while travelling for more…