Difference between revisions of "Air travel"

Revision as of 16:56, 22 December 2017

Warning

No one seems to have found the perfect method. There is always a risk that you can travel with your board to your destination without issue, then run into trouble on your return flight home. However, the tips below are from folks that have successfully made the journey.

Key decision

The community is split as to whether you should a) carry-on the entire board, b) check the entire board, or c) carry-on the battery and check the wheel (the board can go with either one as long as battery is disconnected from wheel).

Many have found success with all options. However, it seems like the only 100% success method is carrying-on the battery and checking the rest.

Tips

*Never* call it a hoverboard. Confidence is everything! Act like you've done this before.
Use a good rollerbag. See below for additional options.
Include documentation for TSA and the airline that the Onewheel is a camera dolly, needed for professional filming
Include airline-specific documentation on their policies:
Battery tips
1. Include documentation on Onewheel battery certification and the battery safety sheet
2. Make it clear that it is *not* a Lithium Ion battery. It's a Lithium Iron-Phosphate battery.
3. Highlight that the battery is protected from short-circuit
4. Drain the battery to < 50%
5. Know how to prove the battery is only 130 watt hours. The label is located on the bottom rail in the center near tire. FAA only allows 100 to 160.
Cover the power port with some tape
Deflate the tire so it doesn't over-expand at altitude (although plenty have traveled just fine without doing this)
Include TSA inspection slips from previous trips

Bags

Buy on Amazon

Removing the battery

Battery removal

Success stories

Date	Airline	Departure location	Arrival location	How'd you do it?	Contact / Thread
Oct 2017	Delta	Seattle, U.S.	Paris, U.S	Carried it on in 2 pieces	Piotr P.
Sept 2017	Southwest	Unknown	Jamaica	Carry-on	Nathan W.
August 2017	Southwest	DC	Denver	Carried on battery. Checked the rest.	Chris J.
August 2017	Southwest	Unknown	Unknown	Checked	Denny L.
August 2017	Southwest	New York	San Diego	Carry-on in hiking bag	Nick S.
August 2017	Unknown	San Francisco	Honolulu	Checked	Yishan W.
July 2017	Southwest	New York	Unknown	Carry-on	Paul M.
July 2017	Southwest	San Diego	Baltimore	Checked	John G.
June 2017	Alaska	Seattle, U.S.	Denver, U.S.	Checked (has worked 13/14 times!)	Joshua S.
June 2017	Southwest	Oakland, U.S.	U.S.	Carry-on	Peter C.
June 2017	Unknown	Neward	Unknown	Denied as carry-on. Worked was checked.	George P.
June 2017	Unknown	San Francisco, U.S.	Austin, U.S.	Carry-on	George P.
June 2017	Westjet	Unknown	Unknown	Checked	David L.
2017	United	Unknown	Unknown	Carry-on battery. Check the rest.	Renato R.
2017	United, Air Canada, Delta, Westjet	Unknown	Unknown	Checked. Worked multiple times.	Rodrique B.

Sad stories

Date	Airline	Departure location	Arrival location	How'd you do it?	Contact
Oct 2017	Southwest	Unknown	Unknown	Checked. They called me as I was sitting on the plane.	Dakota S.
Oct 2017	AirFrance	Paris	Warsaw	I had a layover in Paris traveling from the US. I had the wheel separated from the board in carry-on and the security didn't want to let me go because they couldn't determine by using xray that there is nothing dangerous inside the wheel. After lot of stress they let me go, but it wasn't easy to convince them and they didn't want to speak english, so I would say it was lucky, but it is a good lesson to not take the wheel in a carry-on. They didn't have any problems with the board that I was carrying in hand.	Piotr P.
Late 2016	Horizon	Seattle, U.S.	Bend, OR, U.S.	Tried carrying on. Barely made it through security line (TSA Pre) and then had to lie to the Horizon gate agent who didn't want to let me head to the plane.	Evan B.
Late 2016	Southwest	Unknown	Unknown	They confiscated my friends who tried to put it on checked luggage. I took mine ON the plane with me in carry on, after twenty minutes of explanation, facts material data sheet, and under the 500kwh allowed (according to Southwest) they let me take it with me. On the return flight same twenty minute conversations, they wouldn't let me take it. My cousin shipped it, on an airplane. Go figure. If you try on your carry on, don't let it out of your sight, and be prepared to ship it, should they not allow it.	George P.
Sept 2017	Air Canada	Saskatoon, CAN	Calgary, CAN	I checked the Onewheel in my home city of Saskatoon, but after going through security and arriving at the gate, I was called to the Air Canada desk. It was an agent in the baggage department. The agent said, "you've got some kind of hoverboard in your luggage." I explained that it wasn't a hoverboard and there is was evidence that these caued fires; I had also packed the documentation showing it's safety record and battery testing. For them, the fact that it had a lithium-based battery meant that there was no way it could go on the plane. Fortunately, this happened in my home town and I had someone come by and pick up the bag.	Eddie R. [1]

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 == Removing the battery ==
+[[Battery removal]]
 == Success stories ==