Skis, Snowboards and Airplanes
Do the big airlines flying to Geneva keep changing their baggage allowance and ski and snowboard carriage charges just to confuse us? Yodel's picked through the small print, here's the facts.
BMI Baby - www.bmibaby.com
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Flying from several large airports across the UK to Geneva, the cheapest December flight is on 16th from East Midlands. The return fare is £137.98 including taxes.
HAND LUGGAGE - 1 piece weighing up to 10kg included in fare
HOLD LUGGAGE - None included. £31.98 for 22kg when booked online (25% more at the airport!)
SKIS / SNOWBOARD CARRIAGE - £35.98 per set with an 18kg eight limit
BRITISH AIRWAYS - www.ba.com
Flying mainly our of London airports with connections elsewhere across the UK, the cheapest December flight in to Geneva is from Gatwick on 10th December and is priced at £99.60 including taxes.
HAND LUGGAGE - 1 piece weighing up to 10kg included in the fare
HOLD LUGGAGE - Up to 23kg of hold luggage is included in the airfare
SKIS / SNOWBOARD CARRIAGE - No charge when they are carried as part of the 23kg hold luggage allowance or £40 euros for an extra bag if the total combined weight is more than 23kg.
EASY JET - www.easyjet.com
Flying year round from Londain airports to Geneva, the winter schedule from regional airports commences on 9th December when the cheapest flight from Manchester to Geneva is £59.98
HAND LUGGAGE - 1 piece weighing up to 10kg included in the fare
HOLD LUGGAGE - None included. 20kg of hold luggage is priced at £22.00 when booked online
SKIS / SNOWBOARD CARRIAGE - A flat fee of £25.00 per pair of skis or snowboard, per flight.
FLYBE - www.flybe.com
The first scheduled flights for the winter season start on 16th December when the cheapest flight out of Southampton to Geneva is £85.20 return including taxes
HAND LUGGAGE - None
HOLD LUGGAGE - You can bundle all of your luggage requirements together with 15kg starting at £11.99, going up to £42.00 for 40kg
SKIS / SNOWBOARD CARRIAGE - Included within the luggage bundle
JET2 - www.jet2.com
They start their winter flight schedule on 16th December, flying from Newcastle, Leeds Bradford and Manchester airports. The cheapest December flight from Leeds Bradford is on 16th December and is £108.51 return including taxes
HAND LUGGAGE - 1 piece weighing up to 10kg included in the fare
HOLD LUGGAGE - Up to 23kg of hold luggage is included in the airfare
SKIS / SNOWBOARD CARRIAGE - No charge when they are carried as part of the 23kg hold luggage allowance or £40 euros for an extra bag if the total combined weight is more than 23kg.
SWISS AIR - www.swiss.com
Flying regularly throughout the year out of all London airports, their cheapest December fare is from London City on 10th December and is priced at £108.51 return, including taxes.
HAND LUGGAGE - 1 piece weighing up to 10kg included in the fare
HOLD LUGGAGE - Up to 23kg of hold luggage is included in the airfare
SKIS / SNOWBOARD CARRIAGE - No charge when they are carried as part of the 23kg hold luggage allowance or €70 euros for an extra bag if the total combined weight is more than 23kg.
So there you have it... our conclusion is that flying with the low-cost airlines generally works out more expensive than the likes of Swiss and BA when your carrying winter sports equipment. Being flexible with dates and shopping around can obviously yield big savings but we recommend booking sooner rather than later to get the best discounts!
Next topic... winter sports insurance. Coming soon!
