> Do your research! Pick the airline with the best policies regarding sports equipment, weigh your gear and calculate what you'll be paying for each kilo you are over the limit, so you're prepared when you are checking in and don't have to do a last-minute re-pack.
> Make sure your gear is dry when you fly - wet gear adds a huge amount of weight.
> 'Golf bag' if you can, it has worked for me (Depends on the airline though).
> Here's a guideline of the baggage policies of the airlines of the world:
www.oceansource.net/> If you are flying on a regional or small aircraft on any of your flights, be very careful of the baggage limits which can be lower than 'usual'.
> Some airlines seem to have issues if your bag is longer than 160 cms, so if you've got a directional board, there's some more research to do.
> Some airlines encourage you to pre-pay your baggage, but don't allow sports gear to be pre-paid. So if you pay for all of your luggage and kite gear in advance, you could be wasting your money. (In my case, this little piece of information was not published anywhere on the website, not even in the baggage conditions page which I reviewed when making the booking!
)
> Some airlines / destinations have a limit to the number of bags each passenger can check in, so if you show up to the check in counter with say two boards and separate kite bags, you may have a problem.
> If you're heading out of Aus and returning again, make sure your gear is clean and free of dirt / sand - I've had my gear checked by customs when entering Aus.
