Jacob Goodwin
08-09-06, 03:01 AM
I have had a recent experience with the good people at Jetstar that might be of interest to anyone who will be travelling on airplanes with their bows.
Flying from Adelaide to Cairns (for a recent Cape York hunt), I was checking my bowcase in when the young guy behind the desk began fretting about my "crossbow". As I had never experienced any problems when travelling with Virgin Blue, I happily answered his questions ("No, it's not a crossbow" and "No, I can't 'take it apart'). Confident in my explanation to the new employee, I enjoyed a false sense of security in the belief that my prospects of a smooth check in process were strong. However, I suspected things would take a turn for the worse when he felt the need to get his manager involved.I was right! :shock:
After a bizarre line of questioning ("Do you have arrows with this?" and "Do you need to bring the arrows with you?") the manager advised that the bow had to be checked in as a firearm, which meant I would need to produce the appropriate "licence" to retrieve it from Cairns baggage. After an unsuccessful attempt at explaining certain nuances of SA Firearms legislation (most notably that bows aren't mentioned in it!), I began to ponder the feasibility of switching to Virgin Blue at late notice. This woman was arguably the most blissfully ignorant, and yet aggressive, airline worker I have encountered (with the exception of the check-in chick in Cairns - who will be discussed later!) Eventually, after much grief and time (and the assistance of another customer who explained the difference between a bow and a firearm) I was able to convince both individuals to check the bow in as normal luggage.
A week later, I am flying back to Adelaide. As Cairns serves as a base for all Cape York flights, where several hunting outfits operate, I assumed that people at Cairns airport would have more exposure to bows. My experience of checking the gear in proved this assumption entirely wrong. The cow at the Jetstar was downright belligerent as I explained the odd shaped bowcase. After explaining what it was and was not (a "crossbow"), I shared my previous Adelaide experience. Unmoved, she threw a "firearms declaration" form in my face and bluntly asked me to fill it out and sign it. I decided to emphatically challenge this request by unceremoniously asking to speak with the manager. After a ****ty look, she complied with this request and "Tony" entered the fray.
After rehashing my Adelaide and Cairns experiences in rather extensive detail, I informed Tony of my concerns regarding the possibility that my bow would spend the rest of eternity in Adelaide baggage claims because it had been classified as a "firearm" and a licence that does not exist would be needed to retrieve it. Looking at the bow case rather pensively, he made the usual enquiries ("Do you have arrows with that?" "What kind of crossbow is this?"), which led me to believe that Tony/Cow did not possess the intellectual capability to completely understand my first explanation of these matters.
As the mind numbing banter continued, my contemplation of a late switch to Virgin Blue resurfaced. Just as I was about to make the move, Tony made a few calls and re-assured me that although I had to check the bow in as a "firearm" I wouldn't have any problem retreiving it (from a special area) in Adelaide as long as I produced photo ID. His explanation for this approach was based on the airline needing to ensure that "someone else didn't take the bow from baggage and commit a crime with it". Dumbfounded, I nervously accepted his deal. After a bit of confusion around where to go when I landed in Adelaide, I was able to retrieve the bow with no drama.
Moral of the story- When travelling with your bow, make sure you show up to the airport a bit early as there is no consistent approach to how bows are treated/viewed OR Fly Virgin Blue
Flying from Adelaide to Cairns (for a recent Cape York hunt), I was checking my bowcase in when the young guy behind the desk began fretting about my "crossbow". As I had never experienced any problems when travelling with Virgin Blue, I happily answered his questions ("No, it's not a crossbow" and "No, I can't 'take it apart'). Confident in my explanation to the new employee, I enjoyed a false sense of security in the belief that my prospects of a smooth check in process were strong. However, I suspected things would take a turn for the worse when he felt the need to get his manager involved.I was right! :shock:
After a bizarre line of questioning ("Do you have arrows with this?" and "Do you need to bring the arrows with you?") the manager advised that the bow had to be checked in as a firearm, which meant I would need to produce the appropriate "licence" to retrieve it from Cairns baggage. After an unsuccessful attempt at explaining certain nuances of SA Firearms legislation (most notably that bows aren't mentioned in it!), I began to ponder the feasibility of switching to Virgin Blue at late notice. This woman was arguably the most blissfully ignorant, and yet aggressive, airline worker I have encountered (with the exception of the check-in chick in Cairns - who will be discussed later!) Eventually, after much grief and time (and the assistance of another customer who explained the difference between a bow and a firearm) I was able to convince both individuals to check the bow in as normal luggage.
A week later, I am flying back to Adelaide. As Cairns serves as a base for all Cape York flights, where several hunting outfits operate, I assumed that people at Cairns airport would have more exposure to bows. My experience of checking the gear in proved this assumption entirely wrong. The cow at the Jetstar was downright belligerent as I explained the odd shaped bowcase. After explaining what it was and was not (a "crossbow"), I shared my previous Adelaide experience. Unmoved, she threw a "firearms declaration" form in my face and bluntly asked me to fill it out and sign it. I decided to emphatically challenge this request by unceremoniously asking to speak with the manager. After a ****ty look, she complied with this request and "Tony" entered the fray.
After rehashing my Adelaide and Cairns experiences in rather extensive detail, I informed Tony of my concerns regarding the possibility that my bow would spend the rest of eternity in Adelaide baggage claims because it had been classified as a "firearm" and a licence that does not exist would be needed to retrieve it. Looking at the bow case rather pensively, he made the usual enquiries ("Do you have arrows with that?" "What kind of crossbow is this?"), which led me to believe that Tony/Cow did not possess the intellectual capability to completely understand my first explanation of these matters.
As the mind numbing banter continued, my contemplation of a late switch to Virgin Blue resurfaced. Just as I was about to make the move, Tony made a few calls and re-assured me that although I had to check the bow in as a "firearm" I wouldn't have any problem retreiving it (from a special area) in Adelaide as long as I produced photo ID. His explanation for this approach was based on the airline needing to ensure that "someone else didn't take the bow from baggage and commit a crime with it". Dumbfounded, I nervously accepted his deal. After a bit of confusion around where to go when I landed in Adelaide, I was able to retrieve the bow with no drama.
Moral of the story- When travelling with your bow, make sure you show up to the airport a bit early as there is no consistent approach to how bows are treated/viewed OR Fly Virgin Blue