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by nikon_jeff on Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:44 pm
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Hi,

We are traveling to London in late spring to try to photograph some Atlantic puffins off the west coast of England.  This is my first trip to Europe (from USA) with a bunch of heavy photo gear.  Will be travelling with 600 f/4 and 200-400 f/4 as well as other gear.  

Would like to hear your recommendations for who has the least restrictive carry-on rules.  I know, in general, U.S. carriers are more lenient, however a lot of U.S. carrier flights are code-shared with a European carrier, and I believe in those cases the the actual carrier makes the rules, not the carrier you buy the ticket from.

Obviously, I would like to carry on all my gear (two bags total).  The tripod and head will be checked.  We are currently looking at several American Airlines, Delta Air, Canada Air, British Air and Virgin Atlantic options.  I know I can go to their websites and read the restriction myself.  I would just like to have some anecdotal information as well.  

Please let me know if you've had any good or bad experiences in your past travels to London regarding carry-on bags regarding size or weight issues and what airlines you have experience with.

Thank you for your help!
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:02 pm
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When you make reservations, if a flight is a code share it will say so.  For example if you are on American Airlines and the flight is operated by British Airways it will say something like AA 1234 operated by British Airways.  You won't have any problem on AA or Delta and BA is pretty lenient too as long as it fits into a legal sized carry-on.  The bigger problem is not so much the gear but whether there is enough overhead space by the time you board.  This is rarely a problem on wide body overseas flights but can be a big problem on domestic flights if you aren't in the first 2/3 to board.  If you are in the elite levels of an airline's frequent flyer program or if you have their credit card, this won't be a problem.  If you aren't, purchasing an Economy Comfort (Delta's naming) or Main Cabin Extra (AA's naming) will also get you to board earlier and also give you a bit more leg room.  Of course if you go Business or First class you can pretty much bring anything on board.  I can't speak to Virgin as I have only flown their Australian version.

If you are just flying to London, taking American or Delta without having to use a foreign carrier is pretty simple.  Just look at the flights carefully when booking.  (One clue is if it has a really high flight number in the thousands, that is generally a tip-off that it's a code share but like I said, it will usually also tell you which airline is the carrier.)  Here is an example:
 
Image
Now if you have a domestic flight within the UK, things can be a bit trickier especially if it's on Ryan, FlyBe, or Easyjet.

My carry-ons have never been weighed on any of the carriers you mentioned and I have flown them often (except Virgin Atlantic)
 

by nc_killie on Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:57 pm
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I have flown United, American and BA with no issues. Virgin are more strict in applying their carry on rules. Good luck and enjoy, assume you are going to Skomer / Skokholm if it is West Coast(technically Wales).If you are going to Scpotland to see them, do NOT say the west coast of England!!

Enjoy and let me know if you need any help

john
 

by Mike in O on Wed Mar 22, 2017 4:38 pm
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I swore off US international carriers..the cattle prods get old.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Mar 22, 2017 5:23 pm
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Mike in O wrote:I swore off US international carriers..the cattle prods get old.
They do a fairly decent job on International travel but not so much on domestic unless you are a high tier elite member.  But from a standpoint of getting gear on board, you are better off with a US carrier than virtually any other place on Earth. 
 

by dbolt on Wed Mar 22, 2017 6:10 pm
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My wife and I recently had a wonderful flight from Philadelphia to Manchester on American. Much better than going through Heathrow.
Douglas Bolt
Maryland, USA
http://dougboltphotography.com
 

by Mike in O on Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:42 pm
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The last time I flew to Europe was on USair (since adsorbed), no food and luggage handling controlled by the Mob (a 15'high pile where luggage was thrown to the top and which I never saw again). Air New Zealand was the last International and other than seats that were made for people 5'8" or less was quite nice.
 

by Ed1946 on Thu Mar 23, 2017 6:50 pm
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In 2015 did a trip to Tanzania originating in Houston to Amsterdam then on to Tanzania.  Flight was with Delta/Air France.  The agent I got at checkin was Air France and she weighed all bags including carry-on.  Had to shuffle some lenses around.  Another group traveler had a Delta agent 20 feet away on the same counter just weighed their checked bags.  Its up to the agent at that time and carrier.  The rest of the trip no checked my camera bag for weight.  Just security checks. That is why I wear a photographers vest so I can stuff pockets if needed. So far I haven't been weighed on the big planes yet.  I had lost 15 pounds since retiring  before that trip and it didn't matter to the Air France agent, the carry on bag had to be under their published weight.  
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Mar 24, 2017 8:25 am
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Ed1946 wrote:In 2015 did a trip to Tanzania originating in Houston to Amsterdam then on to Tanzania.  Flight was with Delta/Air France.  The agent I got at checkin was Air France and she weighed all bags including carry-on.  Had to shuffle some lenses around.  Another group traveler had a Delta agent 20 feet away on the same counter just weighed their checked bags.  Its up to the agent at that time and carrier.  The rest of the trip no checked my camera bag for weight.  Just security checks. That is why I wear a photographers vest so I can stuff pockets if needed. So far I haven't been weighed on the big planes yet.  I had lost 15 pounds since retiring  before that trip and it didn't matter to the Air France agent, the carry on bag had to be under their published weight.  
Yes, that is a good point, it is good to just observe for a minute before deciding on which counter to go to.  If you a re in a line and your turn comes up and its with somebody that has been militant about bags, just pretend to fumble around with your bag and let the person behind you go ahead of you.
 

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