Crossed wires Vandal, although I fully sympathise with you that is disheartening for anyone taking surfcraft onboard ..... Especially if say booking through an advertised surf tour agency....and paying extra baggage costs at checking or before.
my enquiry though was to Ugly's comment about his trip to Fiji from it seems Perth return. I have been researching info from previous tra
ers to Fiji,
and have only had a few negative responses from those coming through Sydney . Generally east coast travellers I have so far quizzed have had good outcomes.

Well it looks like I'm going to have to take Downwinder's advice and pursue this in court. I received an email saying that the damage was due to "the usual and normal rigours of air transportation" and that they considered that the board was insufficiently packed! And there I was naiively thinking I'd overdone the packaging!

Vandals said..
Well it looks like I'm going to have to take Downwinder's advice and pursue this in court. I received an email saying that the damage was due to "the usual and normal rigours of air transportation" and that they considered that the board was insufficiently packed! And there I was naiively thinking I'd overdone the packaging!

Excellent Vandals if you lived on the Gold Coast I'd help you sue the negligent airline.

Go to your local Court House:- Get your hands on = Application for minor civil dispute - consumer dispute.

You'll need three copies, one for you, one for the courts and one for the airline you are going to sue.

It will cost you under $80 dollars in court fees.

1. Fill in the paper work with neat writing e.g. print.
2. Use strong words and get to the point, but never use the word Assume, OK.
3. Get as many receipts as you can as you'll get every cent back, here's a few example:- Court Receipt, Flight receipt to clam your broken SUP, receipt for board bag, Petrol receipt to get to the court, Parking receipt at the court, Postage receipt to send your Court orders to the airlines, Your loss of wages for attending the Court for the day.

90% of the time it'll get resolved outside the Court, so Stand Your Ground.

IF NOT

Make shore your wearing a Suit, I kept my old RSL work uniform from 20 years ago for these kind of occasions, Funerals, Marriages, Job interviews, Courts. But I don't have a pair of black shoes so I wear my Red & Orange VANS they make you stand out from the crowed, hahahah. (and always wear an Australian Tie, because you are proud of your Country)

When you front the judge always speak clearly and straight to the point and say Yes your Honour No your Honour in a calm voice and use the word DUTY OF CARE strongly, But never ever use the word ASSUME the Judge with cut you to shreds if you do.

I won't say Good Luck you've won this case of the particular detail already.



One thing I'll say about the Courts it's a real eye opener when you see all the feral's in there for petty crimes.

Hawaiiheke said..

Vandals said..
I received an email saying that the damage was due to "the usual and normal rigours of air transportation"

You mean like having a head on collision with a car on the wrong side of the road driven by a drunk driver is "the usual and normal rigours of using the roading network"?

that should be put in his reply to the airline, GOLD

Once it gets to this stage get one of the ambulance chasers to represent you as you are entitled to more than just the board. You shouldn't have to go through this sort of crap mentally, time wise and don't forget costs. If they didn't put a container on your board they did the next best thing. I can't believe they are arguing the point. Best of luck. No one deserves this sort of rubbish treatment by airline jerkoffs.

Lordy! I think I'd be strapping two oversized templates of 9mm ply around the board after that!

Ok, I've given Virgin Australia a chance to make amends before I named and shamed them but they've chosen (via their third party baggage claim team) to ignore the facts.

This is the reply I received from Hallmark Aviation, the company Virgin Australia use to handle baggage claims:

"Thank you for your reply. I would like to notify you that our decision was based on the information provided by you. As advised, it appears that your surfboard was insufficiently or improperly packed to withstand the usual and normal rigors of transportation by air. Therefore, we are unable to accept your claim for damaged surfboard on this occasion. Please be advised that it is always recommendable to carry any sporting equipment or fragile item in a hard case during the air carriage in order to sustain the normal rigors of transportation by air."

I pointed out that Virgin Australia's website recommends that boards be shipped in a protective cover and that I had added a further 10mm of high density foam yet they maintain my board was improperly packed. When I commented that even if the board was in a hard case (which I have never seen) the forces exerted on my board would have resulted in the same damage, they simply ignored me.

I don't accept that Virgin Australia can state that my board was insufficiently packed when the 30 photographs I sent to them clearly show the steps I took to protect my property. Sunova boards are as tough as they come and yet Virgin Australia tells me that the damage sustained was a result of the normal rigours of air travel. If this was 'normal' I dare say there would be far fewer passengers prepared to take the risk. Imagine if it was common to find your suitcase contents strewn along the baggage carousel because your case had to endure 'the usual and normal rigours of transportation by air'.

I've been a loyal customer of Virgin Australia but now the gloves are off!

Perhaps if they placed a warning on their online booking system that all luggage needs to be packed in hard cases or else it is guaranteed to be smashed across the tarmac, then we could consider ourselves suitably informed.

Aviation companies are very experienced at being sued and counter claiming. The company mentioned is the wrong business to use the name and shame strategy. Fearsome reputation amongst those in the business.

I suggest the op edit and remove any public reference to the business and pursue the matter using the legal system.

Do you want to end up paying them for the damage to your board because you ran out of money to pay lawyers to defend you?

Ok, on advice from Darryn I will no longer name the airline on this site, although I will continue to pursue the case. You may also notice that my username is what I originally intended before autocorrect changed it without me noticing!
Thanks again for the support, get confirmation from airlines that your board is adequately packed, get their assurance it will arrive safely, list your board separately in your travel insurance rather than it just being a baggage item as mine was and I'll keep you posted on any progress.

I'm pleased to report that persistence has paid off - not quite the cost of replacement but a satisfactory result. Just booked another trip to Bali to celebrate the outcome! Tip: if you're thinking of travelling with a SUP make sure you keep the receipt (SUP) in case you need to claim from airline or insurance. It certainly speeds things up.
Another positive is that the new board is even better than the last!

Fantastic news