As you know, it has been challenging to travel nationally or internationally with our gliders due to outdated airlines guidelines.
I have been writing to American airlines including AA, United, Delta, asking them to update their guidelines.
I am writing this email to ask for your support on that matter. Hopefully, if many pilots from our club and other clubs kindly ask these airlines to be more friendly to us, they would update their guidelines.
Currently, the guidelines are the following:
- AA: 70 lbs. and 126 inches based on airplane size and load factors
- United: The combined weight for all hang gliding equipment components cannot exceed 99.9 pounds (45.4 kg). The maximum dimension allowed is 115 inches (292.1 cm)
- Delta: Does not list hang glider. However, windsurfing equipment are accepted. “Windsurfing equipment exceeding 115 inches in length (292 cm) will not be accepted.
- LATAM: HG should be sent via LATAM Cargo. However, windsurfing and kite surfing equipment are allowed. With the caveat, that “in exceptional cases, a length of 320 cm (125in) is permitted, regardless of the width and height
- Copa Airlines. HGs are not listed. Windsurfs are listed. “ The maximum weight allowed is 100 pounds (45 kilograms), and the maximum size allowed is 115 linear inches (294 linear centimeters).
You could write to these airlines asking them to update their guidelines and explicitly ask them to accept
• “short packaged hang gliders” up to 155 inches, 70pounds (Do not forget to mention “short packaged”
AA: https://www.aa.com/contact/forms?topic= ... /INTL_TRVL
United: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/customer/customercare
Delta: https://www.delta.com/contactus/commentComplaint
Latam: https://helpdesk.latam.com/hc/en-us/req ... _id=237298
Copa Airlines: 1 844 287 0304