Air Canada Refuses to Carry Windsurfing Gear as luggage
Air Canada does not allow people to travel with windsurfing gear!
Typically a traveling windsurfer will have two bags. One for the board and one for the mast, boom and sails. Why does Air Canada not allow it? The airline does allow surfboards, kiteboards but appears to draw the line at windsurfing gear, which is prohibited from all flights. In comparison, direct competitors such as American Airlines and many charter airlines do allow windsurfing gear on board, some for free, and some for a reasonable charge.
Windsurfing is a wonderful sport that attracts athletes from all over the world. The only requirement is wind, water and the correct gear. Windsurfing is also a sport that lends itself to travel as the world over has so many wonderful and unique spots to windsurf in. It is a sport that promotes health, wellbeing, an active lifestyle and the enjoyment of nature.
In essence, by prohibiting carriage of windsurfing equipment on Air Canada flights, the company is doing a disservice to many windsurfers in Canada and around the world.
We hope that by creating this petition, Air Canada will reconsider their windsurf equipment baggage regulations and make appropriate changes to support the sport and its participants.
Please sign this petition to help build awareness and hopefully we can once again travel with Air Canada and our windsurf gear.
We, the undersigned, would like to bring to Air Canada's attention the effect your baggage policy regarding windsurfing equipment has on our ability to travel with your airline.
Windsurfers love to travel and many destinations we visit do not have locations to rent windsurfing equipment. Bringing our equipment along is the only way to practice our sport. Many, if not all windsurfers plan their vacations around the sport and will visit destinations such as Hawaii and Barbados and countless other exotic locations. We travel often and otherwise take pride in traveling with our national airline.
We hope you will reconsider your policy to be inline with what your competitors, such as American Airlines and almost all of the charter airlines do.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/baggageAllowance.jsp#!sports
http://www.airtransat.ca/en/info/what-you-can-bring.aspx?ExitID=25&ContentType=voyageur
We sincerely hope that Air Canada reconsiders this policy and finds a way to fairly accommodate windsurfers on your airline once again.
Sincerely
