Air Travel (Rods)

[Gary]

Pre 9/11 it was possible to carry on a 4 piece fly rod & store it in the overhead compartment. Has anyone flown NWA recently and brought along their fly rods? I don't mind getting separated from my luggage but I like to know my flyfishing equipment will arrive with me. The cust service phone # is a joke. I was on hold forever.

[CtKenC]

I think there are as many various answers as there are responders, each with a similar theme; that being ... "it depends on the TSA Security People as much as it does the Airline Staff and the consitency of interpretation of the Regs varies greatly across the Country.
What might be 100% OK on one day, in one airport, may be entirely forbidden in another city on the same day ... all with the same airline carrier".

Putting aside all that doom and gloom ... I have had no trouble carrying on 9ft 4 piece rods (and reels and flies) but I carry the rods (all 4-5 of them) together in an "Abel Rod Carrier" which is a square shaped PVC tube with a cordura cover so there are no Mfg. metal tubes involved. I have had nothing but great treatment from the TSA people and have had Pilots who turned out to be fly fishermen ask about the rods and the trip.
Good luck.
Ken
PS: If I ever do have to check in the rods rather than carry them on board, I think the Abel Rod Carry is about as sturdy a device as there is.
I carry a photocopy of the Regs with me so I could try to disputethe matter if necessary but I have read elsewhere the when they tried this approach the TSA Rep basically told them where to park there photocopy.

[flygirl]

I generally travel from Bradley to St Paul to wherever west I'm going , been on NWA,Delta, United and carry on my wader bag & my LL Beans' double 4pc.rod/reel carry case. this way if they loose my luggage I can still fish. Yet to have a problem....I keep the reels on the rods & keep covers on them....been going west for the past 7 yrs....the only thing I get is jealous looks.

[Gary]

Thanks for the help. As I writing this I am on hold with TSA. They just answered and I was told I can carry on the fly rods. They will be x-rayed and inspected but are ok to be carried on.

[flytire]

i went from hartford to bozeman last year and had no problem with taking 2 4pc rods on the plane. they were in cordura covered plastic rod tubes. the pilot in bozeman asked me where i was headed and wished me a good trip. I'm sure they see lots of fly rods on that route

I did have all of my other equipment in my checked luggage. didn't lose a thing.

[Todd K]

The only troubles I have heard of with carrying on a rod tube is if it was metal. I don't recall the airline. When I went to Norway last summer I brought 2 rods but the went with my luggage. I just crossed my fingers. My bag has a top and bottom compartment made for rods and gear. All worked out perfect.

[pvansch1]

Rods in PVC tube and then in some sort of carrying bag.
I flew to Florida in April with a two piece 8' bamboo rod in this manner. No questions asked. The issue gets sticky with reels, lines, flies and tools.

[Gary]

Just returned and the rods and reels were allowed as carry on to and from Alaska in case anyone is traveling this summer.

[Klinkhamer]

NWA and TSA keep telling me I can't bring my 4 pc rod tube on the plane from Albany going West to Bozeman or Billings. When I get to MN/St Paul, I find dozens of people waiting to get on plane for the last connection carrying all manners of rod tubes and gear. Its been this way for last seven years that I've gone west. When I call them on it, they say its the policy at Albany. This really stinks. If my checked bags ever go missing (or heaven forbid get stolen), my trip is basically over before it starts.

[Smitty]

I just flew to Utah on Southwest to fish the Green and Provo Rivers and had no problem carrying on a 2 piece 9' 5wt in its original Orvis tube. The tube fits fine in the overhead. I changed planes in Phoenix on the way out and Denver and Baltimore on the way back with no trouble. I also flew to California 2 years ago on Southwest with no problems.

With that being said, my next fly rod purchase will be a 4 piece 5 wt travel rod. The full length tube is very cumbersome to carry around airports, planes hotels, etc. I also pack my waders, reels, flies, vest, and boots in my carry-on. I remove the snips, hemos and liquid floatants from the vest and pack these with luggage.

I've heard of other airlines prohibiting fly rods, but Southwest has been great. Avoid Northwest at all costs, they have zero concern for customer service and a horrendous track record for losing/delaying baggage and delayed flights.

[Klinkhamer]

I'd love to fly SouthWest, but I think the closest SW gets to MT is Salt Lake City. I'll have to check again though. 'NorthWorst', Delta, and or United have these MT routes all tied up I think. They beat you with a stick for customer service too.