Japan Airlines baggage policy for skis?

[rainy512day]

Traveling to Japan on JAL this winter. It looks like they don’t make any allowances for checking skis. There is a $200 fee to check a bag that is greater than 203cm overall dimension, which pretty much includes any roller bag. If anyone has travelled on JAL with skis can you confirm that this is true? Thanks.

[pow_pow~]

travelled JAL several times with an armada double ski bag that fits my 191 on3ps. its the biggest ski bag I could find at the time to fit those skis. its definitely over that 203cm limit however I've never had an issue

[54-46]

Anyone have an update on JAL ski bag policy?

Charge $200 each way or no?

[telepariah]

Never been charged myself on JAL or ANA.

[El Chupacabra]

Anyone have an update on JAL ski bag policy?

Charge $200 each way or no?

When I searched on this late last year, before our Jan trip to Japan, everything I found said yes - JAL does impose that $200 charge. I remember finding a lot of info on Australian ski forum.

We flew Singapore Air between US and Japan. No ski bag surcharge, it was counted as one of your checked luggage pieces.

[dongy]

Flown JAL and ANA. ANA domestic did not charge me anything for bags, and I had 3 bags. 2 were 50lbs, one was 65lbs. That was Haneda to Sapporo.

I flew JAL from the US to Narita and from Haneda back to the US. I did not get charged anything even though I should have been charged a $100 overweight fee.

Here's the key: Your JAL flight has to be booked as a codeshare with American Airlines or whatever other airline. They will honor the codeshared airline's baggage policy. If you just booked JAL directly, decent chance they might impose that baggage fee. So if you want to fly JAL (recommended, best seats and food I've found on any long haul flight), book through American Airlines or any of the other One World partners who have a ski baggage policy.

I've also found the Japanese check-in staff really do not like to cause confrontation or unhappiness, so if you are polite and patient with them, they will kindly take care of you and, in my case, waive the overweight baggage fee I should've been charged.

[Jack Burton]

we didn't have extra charges to get to Tokyo or home (i think we flew ANA but through an american carrier as dongy mentions). Be careful when you fly domestically in Japan, pre-pay for luggage in both directions. Our baggage fees for the return to Tokyo from Hokkaido was obscene, i screwed up and only pre-paid baggage to Hokkaido, it was ~ $300 for baggage on the return.

[54-46]

Thanks a lot for the info!