Southwest

Southwest Airlines Website

Southwest will fly poles for $50 per container each way. This is not stated on their website, but their internal documentation now clearly states that it is $50 per container, and there is no limit to the number of poles per container (100lb weight restriction still applies).

Official Policy from their website

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/sports_equipment.html
• Vaulting poles may be transported as checked baggage for a fixed charge of $50.00 each way. Rigid covers or containers cannot be used to transport them.

User Experiences

Name: Glen Dickson
Date Traveled: January 2005
Airline: Southwest
Describe your experience: The Dickson's flew on Southwest airlines and we had no problems with
the transport of our poles. We took one 6 inch tube inside our bag
and paid $50.00 each way. San Antonio to Reno

Name: Lucinda Doyle
Date Traveled: July 2004
Airline: Southwest
Describe your experience: We had no problems whatsoever!

Name: Russ VerSteeg
Date Traveled: May 2004
Airline: Southwest
Describe your experience: In May I flew roundtrip from Hartford to Raleigh via Baltimore on Southwest with 4 poles in one bag. True to their word, they charged me $70 for the poles and everything arrived on time and in one piece. I was very happy with Southwest. I think that your efforts in the wake of the Reno 2003 disaster have made all the difference in the world!

Name: Joni Mayes
Date Traveled: Multiple times
Airline: Southwest
Describe your experience: We always fly Southwest and have never had a problem (with the exception of the Reno disaster that has since then been fixed.!) The only time we have had any problem with SW is when we flew to California for Jr. Nationals and the poles made it but not our luggage. We were "who cares...we have the poles!" She had taken her spikes and everything to vault with but the poles as carryon...so we didn't care!

Name: Becca Gillespy
Date Traveled: January 2004
Airline: Southwest
Describe your experience: It's a very long story that you can read here. The short end of is that I was charged $35 per pole flying from Birmingham to Reno. Fortunately Southwest refunded me everything I was overcharged and is rewriting their policy for clarity.

Do you have a Southwest experience to share? Copy and paste the following information into an email. Make the subject "FLYING WITH POLES". Send to becca@polevaultpower.com

Name:
Date Traveled:
Airline:
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