Airline Letter

[teufelhunden]

Does anybody remember that letter the PSP wrote to send to airlines regarding traveling with paintball gear? I've looked around but haven't been able to find it. If anybody knows where it is or has a copy of it, that'd really be great. Thanks a lot guys.

[Curly]

Its my understanding that the letter was deemed to be inefective and the psp took it off their website.

[MarkM]

It worked fine for me, so much so I reworded it for the Skyball event and got clearence from the Skyball organisors to use it, so if you want it, hit me up with a pm with your proper email addy so I can attach and send it to you.

[mobius]

What's the deal with a letter? Do you need some kind of permission to pack PB gear in checked baggage? I hope not. I'm flying to Phoenix at the end of the month.

[teufelhunden]

I don't believe you do but its nice to cover your bases..

[tribalman]

i'd say call the airline and ask what you have to do. my friend is traveling and he called them and they said you just have to have the marker apart, preferably split between 2 bags. also, keep the bolt in your pocket. this is what i heard, maybe they'll tell you something different.

[MarkM]

Here is the letter as it appeared, the font/layout etc is going to be wrong but I doubt that is the intention here, if you are going to use it change it accordingly to represent the event you are travelling to and get the permission of the event as the letter will have their contact numbers.
DO NOT USE IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE!!

PAINTBALL SPORTS PROMOTIONS
“BRINGING YOU THE BEST IN COMPETITION PAINTBALL”

EMILY MOOD, EVENT COORDINATOR
1655 GLASCO T- PKE, WOODSTOCK, NY 12498
PHONE: 845-679-0609 EMAIL: EMILYRAINE@AOL.COM




To whom it may concern.

Please be advised that this individual is a member of a professional, competition paintball team. This individual is carrying paintball equipment, including the paint marker and air system. The marker is a pneumatic device. However, this marker has been unattached from the air system, rendering it useless. Furthermore, all air tanks are empty – they constitute only empty cylinders.

Paintball is a growing sport, with over 7 million players in the United States last year. This team travels all over the country competing in events. It will not be possible for them to participate without their equipment, which will cause substantial financial hardship to my company, and their team.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.


Best Wishes,



Emily Mood
Paintball Sports Promotions

[MarkM]

i'd say call the airline and ask what you have to do. my friend is traveling and he called them and they said you just have to have the marker apart, preferably split between 2 bags. also, keep the bolt in your pocket. this is what i heard, maybe they'll tell you something different.
DO NOT put the bolt in your pocket as this is something they actually look for in regard real firearms, a real gun without the bolt/firing pin is useless however add the bolt and then you are away...if both parts are in the hold then you are ok...seperate within the case or in seperate case's.
Calling the airlines can work for you, and can work against you, a lot of people say nothing and get away with it, telling the airlines can actaully cause some to react in the way we have seen in Europe so that one airline will not take paintball MARKERS (remember that phrase when dealing with airlines) in any shape or form. At least one american airline will not let you take a tank in the hold even empty with the valve off. I would name names but I honestly can't remember who posted about their problem with the airline, but the result was no tank and in another case no tank when the person got to their destination and no explanation. I tend to find that if I fly in for an event if I leave a couple of days after the event finishes then the check-in staff are all aware of what things are and I get no problems. It also has to be said I have exactly zero problems flying from the UK all the grief I get is when I am trying to get on a plane home and always when I have flown the day after the event.

[durtysoufcraka]

i posted a while ago about United Airlines taking my tank from me. they stole it and tole me that it was banned by the FAA and that i couldnt fly w/a compressed air tank. my gun was right next to the tank and so i can only assume that they found it. but they did not touch my marker. idk. someone told me to show them the marker @ the registration desk and say that this is in there and it is only a paint marker etc. then they will give you a tag saying that your bag was already checked and needs no further inspection. im also not sure what to do.
-durty

[cledford]

DO NOT BOTHER CALLING THE AIRLINE!!!!!

I tried this last year when flying to the AGD factory. I was transfered between at least 5 different people ALL of whom had a different story. The best course of action (if you MUST fly with equipment) is to send a letter MONTHS in advance. That way, if the reply is positive, then you've got documentation when arrive at the counter.

The airline wouldn't let me fly with a compressed air system (although I believe the counter person was in error) but did not bat an eye at the emag in my checked luggage. The funny thing was that TSA did not seem to care either! I declared the item at the counter, they took my bAg to a special xray machine, xrayed it, saw the marker (which looks like a real gun in the viewer) then said OK and threw it on the belt to be loaded. I was kinda shocked at how laid back they were about it. Technically you can fly with real guns if you follow the correct procedures - but I was surprised that at my word ("it's not a real gun, it's a paintball marker") they just passed it through without checking. The real firearm rules are very strict.

Anyhow, the best thing to do is ship it via UPS to your hotel or trusted friend. That way it is insured also. I do not think a paintball gun in a checked bag would be covered without the purchase of some additional, expensive aitline insurance.

-Calvin

[Hasty8]

This has worked for me. It may not work with you.

When I have flown out of either of my three local airfield (LaGuardia, JFK or Newark) I always call the airports security office first. Many will be surprised to know that if the security forces say no the airliens cannot override them. I clearly explain what I am traveling with and actually set up a time for me to come by their office with my equipment and show them.

This always gets me a letter of permission from the security office to then show at the ticket counter. I have never been refused allowance to check my case once I have that letter.

I just make sure of a few things. One, never travel with a CO2 bottle in your baggage. These bottles cannot regulate their pressure and will likely burst once cruising at 35,000 feet above sea level. This also goes for those HPA rigs that do not have an on/off valve. All my regulators have an on/off valve which I always leave open. This way the internal pressure can easily and quickly adapt to the external pressure thereby negating any chance of a rupture.

Second, I make sure that may cases are locked with a really good quality padlock that uses a key, preferrably a magnetic padlock (http://www.ifam.es/src/antbuspre.asp?Cod=1969&nombre=1969&orden=True).

I use a variety of cases from high-impact resistant, injection molded pvc cases (which are also waterproof) to heavy-duty metal cases use for transportating dj equipment.

This is just how I travel with them. I may be a tad over-protective but like my Uncle Olaf used to say "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

[teufelhunden]

This has worked for me. It may not work with you.

When I have flown out of either of my three local airfield (LaGuardia, JFK or Newark) I always call the airports security office first. Many will be surprised to know that if the security forces say no the airliens cannot override them. I clearly explain what I am traveling with and actually set up a time for me to come by their office with my equipment and show them.

This always gets me a letter of permission from the security office to then show at the ticket counter. I have never been refused allowance to check my case once I have that letter.

I just make sure of a few things. One, never travel with a CO2 bottle in your baggage. These bottles cannot regulate their pressure and will likely burst once cruising at 35,000 feet above sea level. This also goes for those HPA rigs that do not have an on/off valve. All my regulators have an on/off valve which I always leave open. This way the internal pressure can easily and quickly adapt to the external pressure thereby negating any chance of a rupture.

Second, I make sure that may cases are locked with a really good quality padlock that uses a key, preferrably a magnetic padlock (http://www.ifam.es/src/antbuspre.asp?Cod=1969&nombre=1969&orden=True).

I use a variety of cases from high-impact resistant, injection molded pvc cases (which are also waterproof) to heavy-duty metal cases use for transportating dj equipment.

This is just how I travel with them. I may be a tad over-protective but like my Uncle Olaf used to say "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Hey man, great advice! I'll be flying out of JFK.

And on this part...


One, never travel with a CO2 bottle in your baggage. These bottles cannot regulate their pressure and will likely burst once cruising at 35,000 feet above sea level. This also goes for those HPA rigs that do not have an on/off valve. All my regulators have an on/off valve which I always leave open. This way the internal pressure can easily and quickly adapt to the external pressure thereby negating any chance of a rupture.


How about hooking them up to an ASA that'll keep them open? Like, just the ASA and tank, obviously not an ASA on a marker.

[jwalker87]

yeah screwing it into an asa would work fine; anything to open the bottle to the surrounding environment.

[crewbe]

u can not bring any type of compressed gas cansiter on an airplane no matter if it is emtey or open with an asa. my team had this problem going down to college nationals last month. we also believed that the old regulations of having an open air canister was ok but we were wrong the TSA found 2 of them in two diffrent bags and took them. good thing the other 10 we had did not get shnached. a few other teams had this problem as well from other airports. we talked to the head of the tsa at jfk and he said that you can no longer carry any types of compressed air canisters on a plane even checked. so if you are going to travel ship them to your destination or you may run the risk them pulling it. we did get them back when we returned from orlando so luckely nothing was lost.

[Hexis]

I just make sure of a few things. One, never travel with a CO2 bottle in your baggage. These bottles cannot regulate their pressure and will likely burst once cruising at 35,000 feet above sea level. This also goes for those HPA rigs that do not have an on/off valve. All my regulators have an on/off valve which I always leave open. This way the internal pressure can easily and quickly adapt to the external pressure thereby negating any chance of a rupture.

Reality check. According to the TSA web page:


Dive tanks or any compressed gas cylinders are prohibited from carry-on and checked luggage.

Realistically, the pressures in flight are nothing compared to what we fill our tanks to. If the tank is empty, the flight pressure is going to do nothing to it.

Regardless, the TSA has decided that no cylinders are ok to fly with. You risk haveing your nice HPA tank taken away if you fly with it. Like others said, ship it to the hotel. You should actually have an easier time flying with the marker if there is no possible power source with it.