BA ends free snowboard and ski carriage

Sad face alert as our flag carrier airline has only gone an introduced charges for the handling of sporting equipment on all flights as of the 7th October 2009.

In the halcyon days of air travel, British Airways allowed even lowly economy class passengers to check in one hold bag and a piece of sporting equipment for free. Now you can still take your hold bag, but if you want to take skis or a snowboard as well, it's an extra £35 each way if you pay at the airport, or £28 in advance.

And don't think you can get round this charge by taking one big bag with all your clothes and skis or board in - you'll still have to pay, as this is now considered outsize baggage and a charge of £25 each way to be paid at the airport will be levied.

The airline is, of course, citing the economic downturn as the reason for the change in policy and the fact that most other airlines are already on the pay for baggage bandwagon. However, BA's charges are even steeper than those charged by easyJet (currently £18.50 each way in advance or £26 at the airport).

As it stands, Swiss is still offering free ski and board carriage, but we're wondering how long that will last. Low cost airline SnowJet was offering free ski and board carriage, but this is set to change in the autumn with a more modest charge of £14.99 and your hold bag is still free. The worst offender is (no surprise) Ryanair. If you choose to take your skis or board with you and check in a small suitcase, it'll add a staggering £80 to the price of your return flight.

The answer might be to wear your ski/board boots on the plane** (and clomp purposefully up and down the aisle) and then hire skis once you're in resort. Gone are the days of ropey old hire skis, as most skis shops now pride themselves on offering current-season skis and even specialist ranges such as freestyle twin tips, fat powder skis and ski touring gear.

Have a look at this table of charges across the airline courtesy of welove2ski and click here for full details of the new BA baggage policy.

** Please note that Chambéry airport does not allow ski boots or helmets as hand luggage.