Has anybody had experience taking windsurfing gear with them on a Qantaslink dash 8? Can't seem to find a length limit on Qantas website.

Cheers
James

There is a dash 8 -200, a dash 8-300 and the newer dash8-400.

The 200 is about a 35 seater and the 300 about a 50 seater. There is a reasonable difference in size but they are pretty small, hand luggage space is not much in any of them.

But my experience is that they will all take up to 2.5m+, but it will always go standby no matter how much you pay or what frequent flier level you are. To be fair it is not an easy fit, but it does go in. Often they have post and freight as well, so you can have half empty seats on a plane and your gear still doesn't get put on.

So if you go somewhere for a week there is a fair chance your gear doesn't turn up for 8 days anyway.

And, like all luggage and no matter what anyone tells you it is always up to the check-in staff at that point in time. They all have different opinions and standards and good days and bad days. The only rules are what they make up. Get there early, be polite, dress nicely and be polite. And be polite. You may be OK.


I fly one route quite often and 50% of the time I am allowed to make a certain connection and and 50% of the time I am told there is not enough time and I have to wait for the next plane. When I point out I made the same connection fine five days ago the airline staff stand there and tell me no way, I must be lying. Five days later it is all OK again. I have given up arguing and just go with it either way now. If they don't let me connect I just go sit in the business lounge with my T shirt and thongs, farting and drinking the free piss. I am sure it costs them more.

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jamesf said..

Has anybody had experience taking windsurfing gear with them on a Qantaslink dash 8? Can't seem to find a length limit on Qantas website.

Cheers
James

I think a few of the people that went to Lord Howe Island would know what they were able to take on the dash-8s that fly there.

Thanks for the responses guys. Was hoping to use QF points, but might just pay the $$ and fly virgin E190 jet instead.

cheers
james

I fly my gear regularly between Melbourne and Launceston on a Q400, haven't had an issue yet, although as Carantoc points out, this is the larger of QANTAS's turbo-prop fleet

I flew one from Hobart to Melbourne with all the windsurf gear for GI last year, no worries what so ever...Kaleb with all his gear was on that plane too.

Yeah unfortunately from Newcastle they fly the smaller 300 carantoc was talking about. Good to know the 400 is OK though. See you at GI!