Mini's and Air Travel...

[Kuhlbert]

So this isn't just a 40k question - but I didn't see a general "gaming" area, and since it's 40k I play...

So my son and I are going to our first long-ways-away tournament this summer (BOLSCon, yay!) - and since we do not want to drive from Nashville (12-13 hours...yuk) - we are having the fine people of Southwest Airlines deliver us.

So my question is - how do people get their miniatures there? Both my son and I use Battlefoam cases (me, a 432, him the upper half of a 1520). They're very nice cases, quite sturdy, the slots are fitted to our figs, and they will fit on carry-on luggage. So...

1) Take as carry on. Should be a no brainer - but I'm wondering if anyone has done this and gotten grief from TSA. Sure, we'll leave the razors and paints and glues out of these bags - but I'm wondering if the checkpoint guards will understand that the little metal men with the sharp pokey swords (like my son's bloodletters) are _not_ weapons... If I can get them past the checkpoint without an incident, this would seem to be the best way...

2) Check on the flight. The Battleforce bags are sturdy, and I've heard of other people doing this... but I've also heard horror stories, and I know how those bags can get thrown around (my brother was a luggage handler for United)...

3) Ship to the hotel UPS/Fed Ex/USPS - probably a little safer - but cost more money, and then having the hassle of getting them home (need to find a shipping station)...

4) ??? Other ideas?

So any ideas, suggestions, or experiences to share would be appreciated!

Thanks, Andy

[Sparda]

I would go with taking them as carry on luggage, it seems like the safest way to make sure nothing happens to them, and if there is a incident at the airport I'm sure other people will be bringing there minis so there shouldn't be much hassle and you could always just quickly explain to them but either way It shouldn't cause a incident.

[DrLove42]

I would go with taking them as carry on luggage, it seems like the safest way to make sure nothing happens to them, and if there is a incident at the airport I'm sure other people will be bringing there minis so there shouldn't be much hassle and you could always just quickly explain to them but either way It shouldn't cause a incident.

You obviously have a much higher opinion of the security services intelligence than i do...Would have to be bloodletters wouldn't it? Something plastic and round and you might have gotten away with...they don't let you take metal spoons, tweezers or water on planes these days chances of getting through security with a bag full of pointy metal is slim. And then you might have to bin the "offending" item and no one wants that fate for their minis...

IMO consider shipping...but then are the flight crew on the UPS plane going to be any easier on them? I've thought about it in the past (i'm from the UK so going to BOLScon would be even worse for me). Is there no way to re-enforce the bags so they don't take a beating? Cos if the slots are fitted to each mini moving around shouldn't be too bad its just getting squashed etc. Could consider putting the trays or the box itself into a "hard" suitcase to reduce the risk?

[Fizzics]

I am driving down from Nashville.. You and I should talk, perhaps we can work something out.


=)

[Lord Azaghul]

Just to be safe you may want to pack your armies in a shipping box, with foam bubbles, and 'check' it at the gates. OR get a hard case. You could also find a largish suit case and pack the armies in there for a little more insulation.

I would not, ever, take the super glue/plastic clue, files, or blades on your carry on, not these days.

[Wise Ol Bird]

cheaper and easier
and you have a car in Texas.

[Kuhlbert]

cheaper and easier
and you have a car in Texas.

Not really an option - I'd need to take another 2 days off work, which I can't do right now. Plus, I hate driving long distances

[R3con]

If you cant manage to get them on the plane through carry-on, then shipping them wont be much more than what most airlines are now charging for extra bags. And UPS has a much better replacement policy when it comes to damages than any airline out there.

Plus how horrible would it be to land and have your armies be one of the millions of bags that gets routed incorrectly every day?

[LadasN]

If you cant manage to get them on the plane through carry-on, then shipping them wont be much more than what most airlines are now charging for extra bags. And UPS has a much better replacement policy when it comes to damages than any airline out there.

Plus how horrible would it be to land and have your armies be one of the millions of bags that gets routed incorrectly every day?

Lol, funny story, the airlines lost our bags for a couple days when we went to Florida from Ontario for Universal Studios... @_@

I really can't say which is best (because i've never tried it) but shipping seems like the best one to me simply because carry-on sounds like it wouldn't work out (pointy metal= to airlines) and, well, i don't trust storing them in the cargo of a plane because of that story at the top there .

[Splug]

I tried to carry on my army when I went to Adepticon, and was not able to fit the box into the overhead - so it ended up being valet checked at the gate. A falcon got a bit roughed up, but in general it wasn't that bad. On the return trip, security asked me to check it just on grounds of the size of the object (again, it wouldn't have fit). Neither direction did I have problems with the wall of plastic space marines being "dangerous objects," just the physical limitations of putting a box into a container that is too short.