Experience flying with a rifle?

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fowkes

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Hi all,

I'm planning a hunt next fall that involves flying. Flights have been booked with Westjet and according to their website taking a rifle with me seems fairly straight forward. Locked hard case, gun unloaded (take the bolt out), trigger lock, ammo not with the gun. I had assumed they would want me to show up early, or go to a different check in area, etc. None of that is mentioned though. I plan on giving them a call closer to the date just to make sure I don't run into any problems, but I wouldn't mind hearing from people with personal experience about what I should expect.

Thanks.
 
I never did but was going to at Christmas as well.

I believe they wanted me to call the day before.

Apparently past that ya, just bring it over to the oversized luggage thing after u check in.
 
Flying with West jet and firearms is as easy as it gets. I've done it more than a dozen times. Show up at the airport, gun in a locked hard case, unloaded and with trigger lock on. Ammunition packed separately from the gun, in original packaging or packaging designed for ammo (mtm box etc,) and packed in your regular luggage. Show up a little early, check in at the regular counter and sign the firearms declaration then go to oversize baggage to drop off your baggage. I always print off the info from the website just in case there is a rookie at the desk and they aren't sure what to do. Any time I have had a west jetter ask to see my gun was when they were hunters and had to look for themselves.
 
Air north doesn't even blink at a rifle case getting load on they just ask what bag the ammo is in and the put a sticker on it. Air Canada on the other hand is bad. It will cost you $175+ just because its a rifle.

I've neve flown west jet with a rifle but make sure you have your papers and every thing is locked up. Don't fly air Canada if at all possible.
 
Sask_Hunter said:
Air north doesn't even blink at a rifle case getting load on they just ask what bag the ammo is in and the put a sticker on it. Air Canada on the other hand is bad. It will cost you $175+ just because its a rifle.

I've neve flown west jet with a rifle but make sure you have your papers and every thing is locked up. Don't fly air Canada if at all possible.
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Good advice ! big time Air Canada Sucks !
 
redmist25 said:
Flying with West jet and firearms is as easy as it gets. I've done it more than a dozen times. Show up at the airport, gun in a locked hard case, unloaded and with trigger lock on. Ammunition packed separately from the gun, in original packaging or packaging designed for ammo (mtm box etc,) and packed in your regular luggage. Show up a little early, check in at the regular counter and sign the firearms declaration then go to oversize baggage to drop off your baggage. I always print off the info from the website just in case there is a rookie at the desk and they aren't sure what to do. Any time I have had a west jetter ask to see my gun was when they were hunters and had to look for themselves.
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What he said, I've flown both Westjet and Air Canada, both times with Air Canada (both ends of the same trip) the fellow didn't know the rules, nor did the baggage handler in Toronto.
 
Air Canada $50.00 for having a firearm, fill out the paper work 1 with the rifle one with the ammo and one with you. Ammo in separate luggage from firearm
 
I just got back a few weeks ago from the West Indies Fullbore Champoinships in Barbados. Half the team travelled by Air Canada and the other half went WestJet. Air Canada guys paid $85 each way for their rifles. Those of us that went WestJet paid $28 for the second piece of baggage on the way there. One the way home the people at the WestJet counter in Barbados were so worried about getting the paperwork straight, that they didn't charge us for the extra piece of luggage and they didn't weigh the gun cases either.

We did not notify WestJet ahead of time that we would be travelling with firearms. This was not a problem.

One curious thing though. When the flight attendent was bringing the drink cart down the isle she noticed my team shirt with the Canadian Rifle Team crest on it. She said, "that must be one of your rifles down in the belly of the plane". I knew that the pilot and 1st Officer would be aware of the firearms on board but wasn't aware the whole flight crew would be aware.
 
One curious thing though. When the flight attendent was bringing the drink cart down the isle she noticed my team shirt with the Canadian Rifle Team crest on it. She said, "that must be one of your rifles down in the belly of the plane". I knew that the pilot and 1st Officer would be aware of the firearms on board but wasn't aware the whole flight crew would be aware.
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They're more gossipy than nurses or an old ladies sewing group!

Westjet is fine. Walk up, "Hi I need a Firearms Declaration form please."

Sign it, go to drop bags.

To the customs/security, "Hi, this is me [PAL in my hand], rifle's here, ammo and bolt is in this other bag. We good?"

Reply, "Yeah, thanks. Wow, you know your stuff."

Somebody said locked case. Not sure if this is airline rule, but recall is NOT firearms act requirement for TRANSPORT of a NON-RES firearm.
 
If you have the choice, West Jet every time over Air Canada domestically. Air Canada has a standard firearm fee. I always find it interesting how when returning to Canada from overseas how very few of the CBSA agents have a clue what the temporary export permit is and that they are required to sign it. I don't blame them personally but you think that they be trained on that aspect of the law as they are the ones inspecting the firearms on your return to Canada. And they expect the average Canadian citizen to know all the firearm/temporary export laws.

As for locked firearms/ammo, it's all up to individual airlines so be sure to read their rules...they are all different. I typically pull my bolt and tape to sling, trigger lock and then lock rifle case. Ammo is in a locked pistol case in my regular baggage. Very few airlines allow ammo and rifles in same case.
 
Just for clarity (as I have never had to fly with my FA) what was the charges for that people paid with Air Canada. Was it a fee for extra baggage/oversize or a fee because it was a rifle? If there is a fee for it being a rifle and not extra baggage I take issue with that as the locked, unloaded and cased (and case locked?) is an inert piece of metal and wood. And if so that charge, and or even getting charged differs from airline to airline? I think I would probably make a lot of noise about that.... Is there some extra security they have to install for that one flight because there is a rifle on board, that justifies that charge? Do they pay an air marshall to fly on the plane to ensure no one sneaks down to the baggage compartment and finds your rifle, your bags and digs out your ammo to load and use it to seize the plane? Do they use this money to now heat the baggage area so that an extra security guard can sit on my bags in the luggage compartment for my flight to ensure the safety of my bags? I am just curious if any one asked and what sort of explanation they tried to come up with?
But I am sure if you tried to really source out a good explanation they would just ban you from the flight and make sure you can't get where you are going, and then loose your bags on a flight to Uganda or something. Like many other things in life, questions just cause you inconvenience.
 
It is a firearm fee of $50 each direction so basically $100. If you had golf clubs in the same bag it would be free. They charge it because they can.
 
redmist25 said:
Flying with West jet and firearms is as easy as it gets. I've done it more than a dozen times. Show up at the airport, gun in a locked hard case, unloaded and with trigger lock on. Ammunition packed separately from the gun, in original packaging or packaging designed for ammo (mtm box etc,) and packed in your regular luggage. Show up a little early, check in at the regular counter and sign the firearms declaration then go to oversize baggage to drop off your baggage. I always print off the info from the website just in case there is a rookie at the desk and they aren't sure what to do. Any time I have had a west jetter ask to see my gun was when they were hunters and had to look for themselves.
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My experience also. Wesjet is the most firearms friendly airline I've ever flown with.
 
Where you going? I know that transiting thru the UK with a firearm to get to Afrika is a PIA! Transiting thru Frankfurt is better.

Also, get a robust case. Pelican, or something similar. Flying thru the US with AA the baggage handlers seem to go out of their way to beat and abuse your stuff.

Finally, use a TSA approved/compatible lock.

P.
 
patricksbb391 said:
Where you going? I know that transiting thru the UK with a firearm to get to Afrika is a PIA! Transiting thru Frankfurt is better.

Also, get a robust case. Pelican, or something similar. Flying thru the US with AA the baggage handlers seem to go out of their way to beat and abuse your stuff.

Finally, use a TSA approved/compatible lock.

P.
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I flew British Airways, Toronto - London- Johannesburg in 2007 with no problems. In fact BA was great, the idiot baggage handler dropped by large golfclub case stuffed with two soft cased rifles in the conveyor without attaching the firearm sticker. BA made sure they were on the plane and the cheif Steward came and told me it was good, the rifles were on the plane. I just checked my rifles all the way through, no problem. It's only an issue in Britain if your guns are not checked all the way to your destination.
 
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