Will airlines in Canada charge extra when I transport my handgun?
- Thread starter geologist
- Start date
Quote:
Air Canada says the surcharge will cover the cost of making sure firearms are declared, unloaded and secured in a case that cannot be easily broken into during transport.
which brings another point, how secure is the baggage handling with this airline. Can they not secure their baggage? Is it not safe to be handled by Air Canada employees?
Air Canada says the surcharge will cover the cost of making sure firearms are declared, unloaded and secured in a case that cannot be easily broken into during transport.
joe-nwt said:And just how do you break into the cargo hold at 33,000 feet?
which brings another point, how secure is the baggage handling with this airline. Can they not secure their baggage? Is it not safe to be handled by Air Canada employees?
Isn't this what the customer does when he/she checks in? The customer declares the firearm. The customer shows the agent it's unloaded. The customer provides the secure case then locks the firearm back into it after the verification process.
Air Canada should be paying the customer $50...he/she's the one doing all the work!
The big problem isnt with the care during transport, its from the moment of acceptance until it actually gets to the airplane . The Baggage smashers/monkeys are notorious for pilferage and its pretty freakin' obvious whats in a gun case, both rifle and pistol. Now with the additional markings they are suggesting as part of the procedures, it will be a timesaver for the theiving types to readily identify their prey. ..They should concentrate more on cleaning up the internal problems at their own cost before making the passenger responsible for the additional costs...Gravy sucking pigs have spent too much time at the government trough and having a rough time as an independant(kinda..)
Cheers
dB
. The Baggage smashers/monkeys are notorious for pilferage and its pretty freakin' obvious whats in a gun case, both rifle and pistol. Now with the additional markings they are suggesting as part of the procedures, it will be a timesaver for the theiving types to readily identify their prey. ..They should concentrate more on cleaning up the internal problems at their own cost before making the passenger responsible for the additional costs...Gravy sucking pigs have spent too much time at the government trough and having a rough time as an independant(kinda..)Cheers
dB
When Canadian Airlines went bankrupt, I always felt that the wrong airline bought the farm.
It was never a level playing field as Air Canada emerged from being a Crown corporation debt free whereas Canadian had to compete without the benefit of capital infusions from the public coffers.
Absolutely correct...Oh and lets not talk about the goct contracts that remained with AC even tho CAI had a better bid.. The Lieberals were as sneaky and coniving then as they are now, just nobody noticed it or said anything... Too bad it cost the country a real airline..
Cheers
dB
Cheers
dB
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
Latest I have heard is Air Canada backing off the surcharge because they were inundated by complaints. Not a good idea to piss off your customers.
Frozen Snake
Regular
- Location
- 49°29'28" N 119°35'19" W
This memo just in. They are dropping the charges for domestic flights. but If you fly to the US you will be charged. Also just to clear things up. The bags are not tagged Firearms. They simply have to be in a locked container. If one was to put the rifle in a hard case and then into a large bag, no one would know its a firearm except for you and the customer service agent. Also If they ask to see the firearm, tell them to shove it. They can look to see if it is locked up but thats it!! Also the ammo tags are suppose to be on the ammo boxes. not on the bag. Big no no by the customer service agent who do not read the memos. OH yeh girl friend works for the airline. She used to be with Canadian but got swallowed up in the whole merger. She wishes it was still Canadian airlines.
Re tagging of the bags, unless there has been a change of late to the system , there are Firearms tags(declarations stating firearm was unloaded) and limited release tags which used to be attached to the bag. This may no longer be the case, but I can assure you it was as I was personally involved in the process for more years than I care to remember. No matter what, the bags are easily identified. It is still beyond me how the "airline approved" bags can undergo extreme testing and yet when arriving off an airplane, have the lock broken off. I expect we will be adopting the US policy of NOT locking the bags so the security can easily acces the bag if contents are suspect. If they do remove a lock, a note and your busted lock is placed in your bag explaining it was legitimately opened...With AC, u got an empty peanut bag left by the culprit ...(back when they were still serving peanuts)
Cheers
dB
, there are Firearms tags(declarations stating firearm was unloaded) and limited release tags which used to be attached to the bag. This may no longer be the case, but I can assure you it was as I was personally involved in the process for more years than I care to remember. No matter what, the bags are easily identified. It is still beyond me how the "airline approved" bags can undergo extreme testing and yet when arriving off an airplane, have the lock broken off. I expect we will be adopting the US policy of NOT locking the bags so the security can easily acces the bag if contents are suspect. If they do remove a lock, a note and your busted lock is placed in your bag explaining it was legitimately opened...With AC, u got an empty peanut bag left by the culprit ...(back when they were still serving peanuts)Cheers
dB
Frozen Snake
Regular
- Location
- 49°29'28" N 119°35'19" W
Updated I hand the keyboard to my girlfriend. she gave me the news on my cellphone and I was driving. So I stand corrected. Here is the real version.
.................
Hello
Firearms tags are no longer used. Ammunition stickers are still being used. They are placed on the outside of the bag that contains ammunition, must be a different case than the firearm.
In place of the firearms tags, there is now a form that is completed one paragraph for firearms (unloaded, etc) and one for ammunition (not exceeding 5kg, etc) each has a check. Each box that pertains must be checked. Form must be signed. One form completed per leg of journey.
Airline agents are not required to inspect contents of the case. (Most check-in agents have no idea what end of a rifle is which. Then there are those that think they know everything about rifles, yet know nothing. Both equal an incident waiting to happen.)
The customer copy of the form is presented to security BEFORE it enters the x-ray machine or is manually inspected (airports without x-ray).
As for the lock being broken off, that should not happen within Canada except if it gets caught in a conveyor belt or some thief has tried to get inside the bag.
As for US and International travel, that is different. The locks are not being broken off by the airline. They are being cut off by security and customs. They also cut the locks off of passenger's baggage. The worst part is that they do not always cut the lock, often they cut the zipper pull tabs. The airline has now refused to repair any zippers on bags because of this.
As of today, AC has suspended the weapon handling charge for travel to the US, within the US, International travel. The weapon handling fee is still being charged for travel wholly within Canada. Until further notice.
.................
Hello
Firearms tags are no longer used. Ammunition stickers are still being used. They are placed on the outside of the bag that contains ammunition, must be a different case than the firearm.
In place of the firearms tags, there is now a form that is completed one paragraph for firearms (unloaded, etc) and one for ammunition (not exceeding 5kg, etc) each has a check. Each box that pertains must be checked. Form must be signed. One form completed per leg of journey.
Airline agents are not required to inspect contents of the case. (Most check-in agents have no idea what end of a rifle is which. Then there are those that think they know everything about rifles, yet know nothing. Both equal an incident waiting to happen.)
The customer copy of the form is presented to security BEFORE it enters the x-ray machine or is manually inspected (airports without x-ray).
As for the lock being broken off, that should not happen within Canada except if it gets caught in a conveyor belt or some thief has tried to get inside the bag.
As for US and International travel, that is different. The locks are not being broken off by the airline. They are being cut off by security and customs. They also cut the locks off of passenger's baggage. The worst part is that they do not always cut the lock, often they cut the zipper pull tabs. The airline has now refused to repair any zippers on bags because of this.
As of today, AC has suspended the weapon handling charge for travel to the US, within the US, International travel. The weapon handling fee is still being charged for travel wholly within Canada. Until further notice.
