Airline ever asked you to check Camera Bag?

johnandbentley wrote in post #15452173
never been asked. have flown all over the globe with my camera bag and tripod and always able to carry on and put in overhead compartment

I can say the same, with over 1 million total miles (mostly business)... it was not until my wife and I flew on Air New Zealand to Auckland, with connection to Melbourne, Australia, that I ran into the weight compliance issue.

Many airlines have and enforce the same 7Kg limit. Three even have a 5Kg limit! http://boardingarea.co​m …rt-for-65-world-airlines/

I flew 48 out of 52 weeks in 2012 and I've never been asked to check or gate check my camera bags even on the tiny CRJs. Billingham 445 & TT UD 60.

I strongly recommend that you check out airlines self exemption from any liability for ANY photographic equipment before you hand your gear over to their care. Personally, I wouldn't check a bag unless I had an AUTHORIZED airline's rep warranty in writing that any damage would be covered...and there's not much chance of that! Pointing out the person doing the request for you to check that your reluctance to do so is based on THEIR policy specifically on photo gear generally gives them pause....and a better understanding.

How have some got away with not weighing their gear? everytime i got the checkin desk they "always" ask if i have any carr on bags with me.

Surely they do the same to u?

Surely they ask u if u have any carry on bags or do u simply hide your camera bag away from teh checkin person or simply lie and say no dont have any carry on bags because once u do say u do have one 10/10 they will ask for ut weigh it especially if you are carrying a back pack or a large shoulder bag(which many of u do to fit your gear in).

i do not know how u guys get away with it. care to give us some hints and tips please?

Wilt wrote in post #15452131
I have been told to LIGHTEN THE CONTENTS of my carryon camera bag, to achieve a 7Kg limit imposed upon carryon luggage. At the check in counter I had to transfer items from camera bag to my checked bag, and only after I was down to 7.5Kg was the check in processess allowed to proceed!

Likewise. The ridiculous thing is that I was told to hang the camera round my neck and put stuff in my pockets - despite all the signs banning photography at Manchester Airport.

At check-in, it always strikes me as ridiculous the way they ask "Did you pack these bags yourself, Sir?". Do they really expect someone with dire intent to stand there and say, "No, actually my Ordnance Dept packed them."? Sheer tokenism.

I don't go to the check-in desk if I'm carrying on.

This doesn't work for international, by the way. But it sure does in the US and possessions. You have your boarding pass already or you get it from the kiosk (automated) and you go through TSA and check in at the gate.

I learned this back before there was a TSA; if you can avoid the front desk do so. There is never an advantage to stopping there so unless you must, you don't.

Nowdays I avoid flying whenever possible as I find being sexually assaulted (virtually or for real) an unreasonable requirement for air travel. Before that time however I was in the air a LOT, sometimes 3 or 4 days out of the week, and I always had electronics of some form with me -- camera gear, laptops, sometimes other computer gear or proprietary stuff (boards for embedded systems, etc.) I learned most of the tricks but the best ones (including the fact that tickets can be franked between carriers) no longer work with the death of the paper ticket and "e-ticket" nonsense. Most people don't realize exactly how badly that change has rammed them, especially when there's a weather or equipment problem. Over countless air miles across well more than a decade in the world of paper tickets I only got actually stranded and unable to get out ONCE. I flew standby on a ticket from a carrier other than the plane I was on more times than I can count and never paid a fee for it either.

I've been "sized" several times with carry-on items but never had a problem with being weighed.

Only time I've had to weigh carry-ons has been with Hawaiian Airlines to see if my stuff was below 25 pounds. My two bags were about 20 pounds each, haha. Could have put stuff in my jacket if I had to as well since apparel/clothing is basically a free for all.

jonneymendoza wrote in post #15452372
How have some got away with not weighing their gear? everytime i got the checkin desk they "always" ask if i have any carr on bags with me.

Surely they do the same to u?

Every time And I've never been asked to have it weighed. It's all a matter of social engineering.

First off, be friendly. The poor check-in clerk has a horrible job (all jobs involving interaction with the public are horrible). Be cheerful, make eye contact, treat them like a human being, make them like you.

When I'm asked if I have any carry-on baggage I swing my ThinkTank Airport Antidote (with around 12kg of gear) off my back with just one thumb holding it by the shoulder strap and say "just this". Then I swing it back.

Once, at Jo'burg queuing at the Air Botswana check-in, the guy three places ahead of us in the queue had his bag weighed - and it was easily half the capacity of my bag. My travelling companion was very nervous and was convinced we would have a problem. I reassured her that we'd be fine - and we were. He'd been a miseable git, we were rays of sunshine excited to be travelling to the clerk's home country.

I always travel with a vest of many pockets, just in case I have a problem. So far I've only used it once - when friend's bag was overweight coming back from Portugal.

Whortleberry wrote in post #15452460
At check-in, it always strikes me as ridiculous the way they ask "Did you pack these bags yourself, Sir?". Do they really expect someone with dire intent to stand there and say, "No, actually my Ordnance Dept packed them."? Sheer tokenism.

No. What they expect is for you to say 'Somebody else must have put that there' when they find something illegal. If you've already stated that you packed the bags yourself then you'll find it very difficult to use that defence when it comes to court.

aegid wrote in post #15453030
Only time I've had to weigh carry-ons has been with Hawaiian Airlines to see if my stuff was below 25 pounds. My two bags were about 20 pounds each, haha. Could have put stuff in my jacket if I had to as well since apparel/clothing is basically a free for all.

Only time I have every had a carry on placed on a scale was with Hawaiian as well. I have flown with Hawaiian from PDX to Kauai and never been checked. But on my last trip we had round trip tickets from PDX to O'ahu, and booked another RT from O'ahu to Kauai. On the return from Kauai to O'ahu we got asked. Now they only put our rolling bags on the scale, which all were over weight (we were on our way home, and the girls had all been shopping for two weeks lol). Funny thing is my back pack was twice the weight of the rolling bag. But I am a big guy and carry it with no problem. We laughed as we walked away with my 45lb back pack.

I've had a couple of gate checks when I fly on prop planes, but never an issue on bigger planes... my main bag is a lowepro x450aw

Russ61 wrote in post #15452371
I strongly recommend that you check out airlines self exemption from any liability for ANY photographic equipment before you hand your gear over to their care. Personally, I wouldn't check a bag unless I had an AUTHORIZED airline's rep warranty in writing that any damage would be covered...and there's not much chance of that! Pointing out the person doing the request for you to check that your reluctance to do so is based on THEIR policy specifically on photo gear generally gives them pause....and a better understanding.

This ^^^

Some airlines will ask you to gate check your bag if the overhead bins are full already.

mikeinctown wrote in post #15456179
This ^^^

Some airlines will ask you to gate check your bag if the overhead bins are full already.

If you're willing to check your bag (ie give it to THEIR gorillas) AND allow them to retain THEIR exemption from damages to your photo gear, then that's on you. I was just pointing out that airlines DO exempt themselves specifically from liability from damaged photogear...under any/all circumstances.

hollis_f wrote in post #15455517
Every time And I've never been asked to have it weighed. It's all a matter of social engineering.

First off, be friendly. The poor check-in clerk has a horrible job (all jobs involving interaction with the public are horrible). Be cheerful, make eye contact, treat them like a human being, make them like you.

I have a million miles of being friendly during business travel. I was equally friendly when travelling with my wife to New Zealand and Australia. Nevertheless the ANZ check in agent almost immediately asked to weigh my wife's purse and my camera bag before even weighing our checked luggage.

While rudeness can cost you, even being friendly has NOTHING to do with airline enforcement of its published limitations. Being friendly netted a bit of leeway, as the gal told me that 7.5Kg was sufficiently low (in spite of the 7.0Kg limit) that she would proceed to check our luggage and give us boarding passes.

As a former airline employee (US Airline)

You are allowed one carry-on and one additional item - like a "purse".

If the flight is oversold or they run out of overhead bin space, they will ask you to check anything that will not fit under the seat in front of you - so if it fits under the seat, you're good.

To avoid the above situation - if you're flying Southwest, check in early. Boarding groups A&B are usually good. Flying an airline that assigns seats - if you are not a pre-boarder - (small children, families, special needs, and frequent fliers) - then try to get a seat somewhere around halfway. Boarding is from the rear of the a/c towards the front, so the people in the back of the plane get their stuff, and the people in the first rows may or may not.

That is also where being nice to the tkt counter agent comes in. If you're nice... we'll try to get you a better seat hollis_f is right - the job is really bad when someone is yelling at us for weather delays in a city 600 miles away.... (Among other complaints)