# Flying with downwind boards **URL:** \ **Category:** Travel Info\ **Created:** [December 2, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291 "2025-12-02T18:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eriefoiler](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/eriefoiler/32/7741_2.png) [@Eriefoiler](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Eriefoiler)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/1 "2025-12-02T18:13:16Z")
Anyone have any experience flying with a longer downwind board? It seems most airlines limit the total size of a bag to 115 in (L+W+H). I have a 7-7” board I’d like to fly with but in a bag this is more like 122 in. Worth just going for it? ---
**Author:** ![Maxipadd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/maxipadd/32/1754_2.png) [@Maxipadd](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Maxipadd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/2 "2025-12-02T19:22:30Z")
Who ya flying with? ---
**Author:** ![shep](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/shep/32/3630_2.png) [@shep](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/shep)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/3 "2025-12-02T19:26:31Z")
I fly with Alaska and Hawaiian all the time. When they ask how long the board is, I tell them 7’6", its a 8’8". So far so good. ---
**Author:** ![Eriefoiler](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/eriefoiler/32/7741_2.png) [@Eriefoiler](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Eriefoiler)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/4 "2025-12-02T19:35:49Z")
Unsure yet - have a few trips planned. Probably Delta or American, and Southwest. @shep good call haha! Might be in Maui in Feb - would love to link up. ---
**Author:** ![Maxipadd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/maxipadd/32/1754_2.png) [@Maxipadd](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Maxipadd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/5 "2025-12-02T19:55:28Z")
All depends on the counter person in my experience. Some couldn’t care less and some like to give you a hard time. Iv flow American with longboards before and had no problems but Iv also heard of them turning away a friend before. Cant speak for delta or southwest but the only way to know for sure is just go for it haha ---
**Author:** ![Eriefoiler](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/eriefoiler/32/7741_2.png) [@Eriefoiler](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Eriefoiler)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/6 "2025-12-02T20:08:10Z")
Leave time to drop it back in the car and bring a smaller parawing backup board I guess ---
**Author:** ![808sup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/7ea924/32.png) [@808sup](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/808sup)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 4:57am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/7 "2025-12-03T04:57:11Z")
I have found that having the porter take your gear is worth the $. ---
**Author:** ![Kurtis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ab992/32.png) [@Kurtis](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Kurtis)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:09pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/8 "2025-12-03T12:09:02Z")
This. If you are severely overweight or length, the curbside guys work on tips and can usually push it right through. ---
**Author:** ![Matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@Matt](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Matt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/9 "2025-12-03T13:10:23Z")
> [@Maxipadd](#): > > All depends on the counter person in my experience Also depends on the airport. Flying _from_ LHR they are strict, flying to LHR from CPT the check in people dgaf at all. (BA strictly don’t take boards over around 7’ I think) ---
**Author:** ![Eriefoiler](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/eriefoiler/32/7741_2.png) [@Eriefoiler](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Eriefoiler)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/10 "2025-12-03T14:32:10Z")
Mostly scared to get somewhere and then be told “you cant fly with that“ on the way home. But I guess you could make the argument that it came with me and theyd probably let it slide ---
**Author:** ![noripplez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cdc98d/32.png) [@noripplez](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/noripplez)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/11 "2025-12-03T17:12:58Z")
I flew with Alaska last winter (La Ventana) with my 7’7”. Had the board in a bigger padded bag, and didn’t even get a question at check in either way. I think the size limit at that time for a surf board was 9’, but could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![J\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/j_l/32/770_2.png) [@J\_L](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/J_L)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 5:58pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/12 "2025-12-03T17:58:58Z")
I used to fly with boards a lot and Air Canada is the only airline I have ever been given a hard no, they won’t fly anything over 6’ at least on trans pacific routes. Singapore is best, I once flew Bangkok to SF with two full size SUP boards in cardboard boxes no charge (a board counts as a bag). I’m heading to La Ventana over winter break and Southwest has recently updated their board policy to count a surfboard as a bag and oversize fees are waived. The key is that it needs to be under 50 lbs and 1 or 2 checked total or fees go way up. I’ve flown to Hawaii several times on Southwest in the past several years and they are either by the book or once in a while they will “forget” to charge you. ---
**Author:** ![LaPaloude](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/lapaloude/32/7841_2.png) [@LaPaloude](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/LaPaloude)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/13 "2025-12-04T00:59:42Z")
Didnt Joel Tudor had a go with Hawaiian/Alaska Airline lately ? I heard that you can now fly with a 10.5’ longboard for free. You might check on that. ---
**Author:** ![shep](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/shep/32/3630_2.png) [@shep](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/shep)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 5:23am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/14 "2025-12-07T05:23:23Z")
Yes hit me up for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Jonnpow](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/jonnpow/32/10_2.png) [@Jonnpow](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Jonnpow)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 5:52am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/15 "2025-12-08T05:52:23Z")
Read the airline’s sport luggage policy and have it ready to show the counter agent, many have exclusions for the L+W+H terms when checking boards, but some do not. I flew with Fiji recently, they allow sports to count as standard checked item up to 30kg and surfboard up to I think 2m length(not L+W+H). Agent tried to charge me $250 for my 6ft bag, but I persisted multiple times, showing their own policy until they caved. Many airline’s will fly golf bags free if not surfboards, so might be able to swing that for a midlength ---
**Author:** ![Eriefoiler](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.progressionproject.com/eriefoiler/32/7741_2.png) [@Eriefoiler](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Eriefoiler)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/flying-with-downwind-boards/13291/16 "2025-12-08T15:35:33Z")
Yea I’ve flow with a ML multiple times - just never a DW board. Gonna hope for the best I guess