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Swiss Air free to $240 each way for ski bags!

gnarkill283

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Jan 15, 2019
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So I've been flying Swiss Air to Switzerland to ski for the past 6 years primarily because they offered free checked ski equipment. This year I went to purchase our tickets again like I normally do and didn't think the promotion was gone because they still advertised it. A week later I decided to double check with Swiss Air that ski equipment flies free, and much to my disappointment, they tell me it will cost me now 50 dollars each way to check in my skis because I bought a "light" ticket - a new international ticket fare that doesn't include checked-in luggage - REALLY?! I've been traveling to Europe throughout my entire life and never have I had to pay for my 1st checked bag.


Here's the best part. I then notice the price of my tickets dropped over 200 dollars each after having bought the tickets 2 months ago (so much for buying airplane tickets earlier for the best price...). I call them up to see if they offer price change vouchers like other airlines. They don't and not only that but to check in skis one way per person is actually 240 DOLLARS! The representative before was wrong - because its a light ticket its not 50 bucks for an additional bag including ski equipment (thats for flex or better tickets) its 240 for ski equipment with a light ticket. I spent an hour with a supervisor begging to make a one time exception after all the business we've done with them which included losing our skis during one trip. They wouldn't budge. So if I had just picked a flex ticket for 160 dollars more during checkout I could have saved 480 dollars per person but now they won't let me even pay the flex price difference. Our trip is screwed...
 
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DanoT

RVer-Skier
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Sun Peaks B.C. in winter, Victoria B.C. in summer
We get tons of Aussies coming for fairly long stays at Sun Peaks and more of them every year are leaving their skis at home and renting skis locally. IMO the OP should do the same on his trip to Europe.
 
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gnarkill283

gnarkill283

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Posts
2
We get tons of Aussies coming for fairly long stays at Sun Peaks and more of them every year are leaving their skis at home and renting skis locally. IMO the OP should do the same on his trip to Europe.
We are thinking of doing that but it would be awfully hard to put all of our equipment into a carry on. Also the rental equipment available is pretty low end stuff while our own gear is some of the best. The fact that Swiss Air refused to budge makes me never want to fly with them again. I've even had something similar happen when we flew Lufthansa - it was 200 each way with them and we only found out on our way back - so we got away with not paying 200 on the way out. I'm kind of hoping the same things happens again...
 

graham418

Skiing the powder
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Mar 25, 2016
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Welcome to the modern age of airfare :doh:. There is no free anything anymore. I would have thought you could rent some high end gear in Switzerland though. Doesn't Kastle and Stockli have big rental programs?
 

Swiss Toni

Out on the slopes
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Aug 26, 2016
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586
Swissair, the national Swiss airline was declared bankrupt in 2002. Swiss International Air Lines AG, commonly referred to as Swiss is a subsidiary of the German airline Lufthansa. They clearly state in their FAQs that there is no free baggage allowance for light fares.

Swiss.jpg

https://www.swiss.com/ch/en/customer-support/faq-help/baggage

You can rent high end skis in all the major Swiss ski resorts.
 

Jim McDonald

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Nov 15, 2015
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Tokyo
I'm flying Tokyo-Zurich on Swiss in March. Have done this route twice before and no charge for skis; rules show one ski bag/passenger is free, but notes this doesn't apply to "light" fares.
Plenty of high-end ski rentals everywhere I've gone in Switzerland & Austria...Stockli, Fischer, Kastle, etc.
 

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