Jaunted

For those returning from a dream hunting vacation there comes a time when you’ll need to bring back your animal, uh, trophies. Antlers are going to cost you extra on pretty much all of the airlines. United Airlines will gladly take your animal horns for $175, but please make sure that things are as free of residue as possible—gross. US Airways will take your antlers too, but they’re going to charge you $100 each way. There are all kinds of restrictions regarding size and aircraft type, so you might want to really plan this out beforehand.

Band geeks probably shouldn’t trust their musical instruments to the airlines, but if that double bass won’t fit in the overhead, you might need to send it under the plane. Delta will accept musical instruments as checked luggage as long as the linear dimensions do not exceed 120 inches and don’t weigh more than 100 pounds. However, the best bet is probably to buy your instrument its very own seat. Delta is a good pick for this too—after buying a ticket you may stow your musical friend in any passenger seat with a bulkhead or divider in front of the compartment. It must be buckled-up, and this is probably going to cause you to miss out on an exit row seat—bummer.

Most of the airlines—including bag friendly Southwest Airlines—are totally welcoming of water sports enthusiasts. However, fans of surfing and windsurfing please take note. Southwest Airlines will charge you $50 each way for a surfboard or a sailboard. American Airlines has a similar fee structure charging $100 per board, and even Hawaiian Airlines will charge $100 on flights to Hawaii from the rest of the country. If you’d rather stay dry, but still like the water, bring along your kayak. It will only cost you $250 extra to do so on United, but you won’t be able to take it if you’re flying on a Boeing 737, Airbus A320, or Airbus A319. Despite the fee, at least it’s an option—Delta says no to bringing Kayaks.

There’s loads more luggage information regarding your specific needs at each airline’s website, and we’ve rounded them up below for your viewing pleasure. If you can’t figure out how much it will cost to send a live Christmas tree, or something equally is ridiculous, please just ask in the comments below and we’ll do our best. By the way, Delta will send your Christmas tree, but limited liability means no complaining when the tree loses a couple branches before you make it home for the holidays.

· American Airlines – Baggage Allowance
· Continental Airlines – Baggage Information
· Delta – Special Baggage
· JetBlue – Sporting Equipment Accepted
· Southwest Airlines – Sports Equipment
· United – US/Canada Special Items
· US Airways – Special Items
· Virgin America – Luggage FAQs

Related Stories:
· United Airlines and US Airways Happily Match Checked Bag Fee Hike to $25 [Jaunted]
· Continental is Also Charging $25 for the First Checked Bag [Jaunted]
· Airline Fees coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: D.L.]