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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Downside of Diving
ChrisCrossings · July 1, 1999

Q: Can you clarify the baggage fees charged by airlines? Last March, US Airways made us pay $50 per bag for our dive equipment, for a total of $200. Are they allowed to do that?

- Robert Stern

A: Sure. The airlines can do whatever they want -- even if it makes no sense. US Airways, for example, considers dive equipment "excess baggage" and subjects it to a $50 fee. But it may not charge the fee if you're traveling to the Cayman Islands, according to its internal rules.

American Airlines lets you schlep your ski equipment on a flight for free, but it's not as generous for surfers (unless it's a mini-board) or Scuba divers. Since when is a pair of skis and ski boots less cumbersome than an air tank? I have no idea.

The policies are really confusing when you read the fine print. The US Airways rules state that Scuba diving equipment includes any or all of the following: an empty tank, a harness, a tank pressure gauge, a mask, a pair of fins, a knife, a speargun or a safety vest. In other words, if you pack a mask on your next trip, and you happen to mention that you're going diving, you could be charged $50 per bag.

Well, not quite, according to US Airways spokesman David Castelveter. He told me that gate agents would probably let the little items -- such as the snorkel and pressure gauge -- through check-in and only pay attention to the "big ones."

What a relief.

To be even more certain that I won't get socked with a surcharge, I suppose I ought to make sure that I take my next dive trip in the Caymans.

Let's pause for a moment to consider the political dimensions of the carryon question. Doesn't this picking and choosing of who is charged and who isn't make you wonder about the political pull of the equipment's users? I mean, what does this say about the lobbying clout of golfers, who usually aren't asked to pay for their bags. What does it say about the lack of political pull that surfers have? Or divers?

Similarly, this argument offers a telling insight into the power of a tourist board. I wonder what the Caymans did in order to get a waiver for Scuba gear? I also wonder what kind of a deal the ski industry pulled off for its constituents. Excess baggage policies are inherently unfair because they force members of one group -- like divers -- to effectively subsidize the activities of another, like golfers or skiers.

Fortunately for you, Robert, and all the other divers out there (including me -- I'm nearly done with my PADI open-water certification) it appears that these excess baggage rules aren't very rigorously enforced. Otherwise, I think you'd hear the diving and surfing community screaming bloody murder.

What's more unsettling to me is the possibility that the airlines might someday crack down on checked-in luggage the same way they've restricted carry-ons. That could make a lot of us very, very unhappy.

(Check out the response to the column.)

Christopher Elliott can be reached at christopher@elliott.org. Or visit his home page at http://www.elliott.org.