APH compares airline charges for winter sports equipment

With the ski season upon us, Airport Parking and Hotels(APH) is offering updated information on the cost of transporting winter sports equipment on airlines. Skiers and snowboarders can visit the ‘Know Before You Go’ section of the APH website which provides travellers with an updated comparison table of charges for ski equipment and excess baggage allowances on eighteen airlines flying from the UK.

The table is available at aph.com/news/knowbeforeyougo.

It’s pretty good news for skiers and snowboarders travelling on many airlines as ski and snowboard equipment is included in the ticket price, however travellers are limited to only one pair of skis or a snowboard, plus one set of poles and one boot bag each. Skiers and snowboarders should also be aware of the escalating excess baggage costs, as exceeding the limit of some airlines can result in fees as high as £70 with Air France and £66 with Alitalia.

Low cost airlines such as flybe, easyJet, BMI and Ryanair do not include ski equipment in the general baggage allowance with some airlines having more than doubled their winter sports charges in the last 14 months. It’s not all bad news though as Jet2.com is currently helping skiers by offering free ski and snowboard carriage for flights booked through the operator until April 2010.

Nick Caunter, managing director of APH, says “with the ski season ahead of us, we felt it was important to update our research to help savvy skiers and snowboarders heading to the slopes decide on their best options. For example it may be more economic to hire in the resort rather than pay £100 to take your own skis there and back on certain airlines.”

Airport Parking and Hotels Ltd is one of the UK's leading booking agencies and has over 29 years' experience as a retailer of pre-booked airport parking and travel extras. APH offers parking at all major UK airports, ports and Eurotunnel terminals plus airport hotels packaged with parking, airport lounges, travel insurance, car hire and holiday taxis. APH is also a carbon balanced company and has through the World Land Trust helped purchase more than 1,000 acres of Belize rainforest.

For further information visit aph.com.