Rig as hand luggage on RyanAir ?

[bdev 0]

I've done a search and it seems a few people have managed it in the past, but does anyone know if they allow rigs as hand luggage now ? Reading their website I think they're over the max weight for hand luggage, but I'm not too keen on checking it in !

Off to Empuria in a couple of weeks to hopefully return with my first rig !!
(Liverpool to Girona flights if it makes any difference)

Cheers.

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One life...Use it.

[jas8472 0]

I flew Ryanair to Empuria last time I went, I checked my Rig with my suitcase both ways and had no trouble.
However my rig alone took up my whole baggage weight allowance and I didn't know about the sports equipment allowance, going out was no problem but comming back I had to pay 50 euros extra.

[Plummets 0]

You are only allowed 7kg hand luggage and 15kg in the hold. I think they are on commission at Girona (empuriabrava nearest) as they are very strict and will charge you 6 euro per kilo you are over

"Life is a bowl of deadly nightshade, stay way way out on the rim brother"

[Newbie 0]

when i flew out to Perpignan with Ryanair, i checked my rig in my luggage both times. Going back, for some reason i was weighing in at 37kgs - technically anything over 15kg is chargeable, and the max you can take on one checked back is like 32kg i think? I distracted the check in girl with bad French and made her laugh and she didn't seem to notice/care about the excess weight and just took the bag through.

It's all luck of the draw. I guess if you can, take it on as hand luggage (if not, make sure you have good travel insurance or take a chance like i did). You should be fine.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[bdev 0]

Yeah, but I've seen one person carry it onboard from Girona to Stanstead before....

I know if I ask em, I'll get a 'no' response, just wondered what peoples real life experience had been like....

Do most people check them in then ?? - Gonna have to buy a bag if thats the case!!

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One life...Use it.

[jmidgley 0]

Hi

I've done this very trip a number of times. I stick the rig in an anonymous-looking rucksack who's external dimensions fall within the published limits. Don't volunteer anything to anyone. You haven't seen me, right?

Having said that, I went with a chap who just put the rig on his back, leg straps and hardware dangling - he just sauntered on!

John

[Plucky 0]

My rig-bag is very snug ... I have to wiggle my rig into it, and it looks like a rucksack. It just fits into their hand-luggage dimension specs. (prob more than 7 kgs though)
Carried it on my back as hand-luggage and had no problems. (stansted - emp & back)
Of course it's a risk - I wouldn't like to have it thrown into the hold without being in a hard case, but the hard case is too big for hand-luggage.
Smile, be early, and don't bring it up.

[meatbomb 0]

What he said...has worked for me all but one time at East Midlands with some over zealous security guard who thought the X-Rays of my Vans-a-like trainers were irons??? Being a little embarrassed at finding the trainers, he picked up my rig bag and said Whoa!! You can't take this on as hand-luggage! Too Heavy...but my plane was leaving soon, so a little haggling with the airline rep and I was through!

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Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
Piccies

[piisfish 136]

if you check is as luggage in hold, ask to put the "last luggage" tag on it... The plane will NOT leave without the correct last luggage.
If it's your 1st rig, it might be quite big and heavy, so certainly will not be let through as handluggage...

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Steph2 0]

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ask to put the "last luggage" tag on it...

Ooh, sounds useful... How does that work then? My team is flying Ryanair to St Etienne next week and we're checking 5 rigs in. We're getting a couple of "Sporting Goods Allowances" to cover our excess baggage. Can we still ask them to put the last luggage tag on? - and on what grounds do we need to ask for it?

Cheers,

Steph
-x-
I'm off to Lapalisse - la la la la la

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[piisfish 136]

you just ask for it... but there can only be 1 last luggage !
if you use the sporting goods, should be OK, there should be a special care for these kinds of luggage...

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Zoter 0]

Prob dont help ya right now....but EasyJet have a more generous luggage allowance compared to Ryanair....you can get 'sporting equipment' allowance on both but Im figuring if you ask them for that and your rig is anything other than 'small' ( like most of us <200jump wonders)....you blown ya surprise element and its gonna have to go in the hold.
Last time out to Spain..I checked it in the hold in a hard bag with a couple of enlarged Cypres X ray cards stuck to the outside and a tag around my reserve handle...just saying what it was...dont pull this...and if you need to know any more speak to the bag holder etc ( just in case !)
Have a good trip...!

I'm planning to wear it under my leather jacket and do the best damn impression of the hunchback of notre dame when I fly out to Spain next week....the bells ..the bells...

[bdev 0]

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I'm planning to wear it under my leather jacket and do the best damn impression of the hunchback of notre dame when I fly out to Spain next week....the bells ..the bells...

Hehehee.....I might just be ugly enough to get away with that one !

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One life...Use it.

[piisfish 136]

but AFAIK Easy Jet do not fly to Girona, only to Barcelona...
It is also no problem to travel with your rig on your back, no need to hide it under a leather jacket. Just secure your handles, specially the reserve ripcord (you can do it easily with your chest strap)

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Scoop 0]

OK resurrecting this thread to see if policy is any different now.

I will be flying to Girona from Stansted in August. Dimensions wise not a problem and I don't think weight will be either. Just wondered if people still had positive experiences.

Cypress X ray card / CAA letter been recommended to me. Anything else I'll need other than licence etc?

Thanks

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[bighonestjohn 0]

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OK resurrecting this thread to see if policy is any different now.

Cypress X ray card / CAA letter been recommended to me. Anything else I'll need other than licence etc?

I will be going to Girona tomorrow so i will let you know. I havent had problems in the past though. Last time i went to serville was at christmas and it was fine then too. Never have been asked or questioned about it when it got x-rayed. But always have the Cypress and CAA Letter ready.

Fingers crossed i'll be fine again.

[Scoop 0]

Have good trip then mate, have fun & stay safe

[Zeemax 0]

Ryan airs allowance has gone up ever so slightly... 20KG checked and 10Kg hand luggage.

theres possibly 8 of us going, so if anyone knows any tricks to getting more weight on for less money, id love to hear them!!

How does the sports allowance work? Are the regs about the size of bag? Is it just one bag or can it be many? Does it matter whats in them? Do they check?

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies

[jurgencamps 0]

Three weeks ago: no problem
Yesterday: no problem
Conclusion: no problem ;-)

Jurgen

PS Nobody never has asked me the "cypres card" I bet they have seen more than enough rigs with a cypres, vigil, ...

[G.Anvil 0]

I had some trouble on easyjet trying to get from Bristol to Madrid last year. Well easyjet were fine but the airport security at Bristol wernt happy with us taking rigs on as hand luggage (saw them on the XRay). Having made us go back to easyjet to check the airline were ok with it they finally let us through to only just make our flight - leave loads of time. I suppose this could be a problem on any route because it was airport security and the CAA that were concerned not easyjet.

On the way back I got caught by the 'your hand luggage is too heavy' rule at check in. Luckily my check in bags were a couple of kilos light so I cut away the packed main at check in and put it in my suitcase. I carried the container and reserve through security in a rig bag with no problems.

I'd just say however you take your rig on an airline, try and check in with loads of time to spare!

James
(Ive had no problems with that route on other occasions)

[gofast_ER 0]

That's a great idea to cut away the main to lighten the load a little. Im leaving tommrow morning traveling with my rig for the first time. I have done just about everything I could think of to make it as easy as possible. Hope everything works out good

I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.

[meistwer 0]

Hi buddy,

I've flew few times to Seville, Madrid, Carcassone and Girona with Ryanair and had no problems whatsoever carrying the rig with me as hand lugage. I didn't use any type of bag or whatever to 'hide' it. You're allowed to carry it.

Just remember to have the Cypress switched off just in case it fires althougth it shouldn't.

Have fun in Empuria, I'm off to there next Friday

Blue ones

[Scoop 0]

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That's a great idea to cut away the main to lighten the load a little

Yeah I also like that idea. I'll make sure I got enough space and weight available in my check in luggage as I think rig will be close to weight limit for carry on.

Out of interest, do peopple remember what the actual weight of their rigs were, people must have weighed them or had them weighed at the airports. Mine is still minus a cypress and main at the moment so cant really take it as true weight.

[GreenMachine 0]

I have never flown RyanAir but I have flown many, many times on several domestic carriers, Korean air, and Alitalia with my rig and very little hassle. I once had to chat up a TSA guy to allow me to carry on an allen key, which I had in my camera bag to adjust the mount in my camera helmet.

Half the time they just swab it with a piece of cloth to make sure that it does not have any traces of explosive material.

FYI --- I used to carry the rig inside a bag which can be a pain, now I just wear it and endure the weird looks and funny questions, like "Do you know something we don't?" I usually act real scared and twitchy and reply, "No, just reeeaaal scared to fly and my shrink says its the only way".

Lastly, my rig weight has never been an issue -- it was around 25 pounds or so when I used to fly a 190.

Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

[pincheck 0]

20lbs all in but there was another thread where people where putting on the weight of their rigs

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