Delta Air Lines says it is eliminating its $150 fee to check golf clubs, surfboards, bicycles, scuba gear and other large sporting equipment, starting today.
Atlanta-based Delta's decision follows a move in May by competitor American Airlines to eliminate oversize bag fees for a variety of sports and music equipment. And United Airlines last year eliminated its $150 or $200 service fees for checking a surfboard, wakeboard or paddleboard to and from California.
Southwest Airlines, the second-largest carrier at Hartsfield-Jackson, already allows passengers to check golf bags, scuba equipment and small bicycle boxes as baggage without charging a special fee for sports equipment. Dallas-based Southwest allows passengers to check two bags for free. It charges a $75 fee each way for larger bicycle boxes, surfboards and some other equipment.
Delta said its new policy eliminating its $150 fee for sporting equipment is effective for travel worldwide.
But passengers traveling with sporting equipment will still need to pay any regular checked baggage fees.
On domestic flights, Delta charges $30 for a first checked bag and $40 for a second checked bag. There are different rates for international flights --there may be higher fees for checked bags on some international routes, while on other international routes passengers can check one or two bags for free.
There are still overweight bag fees on Delta for items that weigh more than 50 lbs, and in many cases the airline says it won't accept items with length+width+height totaling more than 115 inches.
Also, policies on Delta Connection regional flights may be different -- those flights are operated by regional partner airlines on smaller planes.
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