If you flew to nationals, please share your flying experience

[Emfuser]

In particular, I'd like to hear the following:

Airline flown:
Type of fencing bag(s): {ex: hard golf case, wheeled fencing bag, carried fencing bag, etc)
Point of origin:
Reason for choosing airline:
Cost to check a fencing bag:
Positive/negative experiences:

This can serve as a search-able thread that people looking for this sort of information can use as reference, and will also allow us to compare experiences.

[Emfuser]

My gf and I both flew out to DFW.

Airline flown: Continental
Type of fencing bag(s): Both of us have wheeled, stiff-backed fencing bags
Point of origin: Columbia, SC
Reason for choosing airline: Specific allowance for fencing bags in baggage policy
Cost to check a fencing bag: Same as normal bag
Positive/negative experiences: Everything went without a hitch

[Inquartata]

American.
Hard golf case.
Phoenix.
Frequent flier miles about to expire.
$15
Standard flying experience: no real problems, no real high spots.

[AndrewH]

Airline flown: US Air and Delta/Northwest
Type of fencing bag(s): Small weapon bag, everything else carried on
Point of origin: New York (JFK)
Reason for choosing airline: Cheap fare
Cost to check a fencing bag: $15
Positive/negative experiences: No problems at all.

[tkexi991]

Airline flown: Delta
Type of fencing bag(s): wheeled fencing bag
Point of origin: ATL
Reason for choosing airline: Medallion status
Cost to check a fencing bag: Free
Positive/negative experiences: Positive.

[Army Fencer]

Airline flown: American
Type of fencing bag(s): wheeled fencing bag
Point of origin: National (DC)
Reason for choosing airline: Direct flight/Time of departure and arrival the best for my schedule
Cost to check a fencing bag: Free (military)
Positive/negative experiences: Mostly positive experience. I did have to reschedule my flight going back. They were accommodating, though expensive.

[eac]

It should include number of stops and whether you got off the plane, and total cost. Southwest, for instance, often has apparently slightly higher fares, but lets you check two bags for free, and generally has no hidden fees. And, the cost to check a fencing bag can be zero, but if you're a normal person and require a suitcase along with the fencing bag to stay somewhere for a week, the suitcase can be $25.

So,
Airline flown: Southwest
Type of fencing bag(s): wheeled cloth fencing bag
Point of origin: Pittsburgh, PA
Destination: Dallas Love Field. This ended up costing me an extra $60 in taxi/shuttle, which I didn't predict, and may have ended up making Southwest an unprofitable choice over somebody that flew to DFW.
Reason for choosing airline: Brand loyalty because of good service, generally low prices, general efficiency, and also the general incentive to pick an airline and stick with it for miles purposes.
Total cost: About $400 roundtrip, including taxes, fees, and everything (I'm missing the receipt.)
Cost to check a fencing bag: Free
Stops: Two stops each way, didn't get off the plane.
Positive/negative experiences: Nothing was late, all my luggage got there, nobody was an a**hole. I think the pilot was funny at one point. The two stops were annoying.

Airlines on my blacklist due to inefficiency, hidden fees, incredibly hostile service, stupid policies, or losing luggage, in decreasing order of hatred:

Delta
US Airways
American
United

I think I vaguely remember having a problem with Continental, too, but not bad or recent enough for it to be definitely blacklisted.

I've never gotten my stuff badly damaged; I think that's probably because I mostly fly Southwest. I love JetBlue, but the problem is that its hub is JFK, which is way out of the way for Pittsburgh to anywhere else in the country. I think it also doesn't fly to Oakland, which is closer to my house than San Francisco.

[fencer92]

American
Durham,NC
DFW
Schedule, Fare, Direct Flight
260.00 round trip ea.
15.00 to check bag
No hassles; all flights departed and arrived on time.

[Greybeard]

Airline flown: American
Type of fencing bag(s): Hard Shell golf case and wheelchair
Point of origin: San Diego
Reason for choosing airline: Non stop, Lifetime status as a million miler
Cost to check a fencing bag:$0 (due to status and Chair flies free too. (always does)
Positive/negative experiences:Gorilla baggage handler. I think they bent my chair frame.
Flying is just a huge hassle as I travel with a CPAP machine that gets double screened too.

In dallas curbside check had no idea how to get chair to the plane so they taped the wheels and every moving part. Scratched frame, not happy.

[contre-Sixte]

Airline flown: American
Type of fencing bag(s): I never carry fencing bags on planes anymore. I use unmarked black duffle bags. Same size but less scrutiny and no surcharges.
Point of origin: SFO
Reason for choosing airline: Cheapest Direct Flight ~ $286.00
Cost to check a fencing bag: $15.00
Positive/negative experiences: Flight arrived early, both directions. Baggage arrival a little slow at SFO.

[Sukinator]

Airline flown: Continental
Type of fencing bag(s): wheeled fencing bag
Point of origin: EWR
Reason for choosing airline: frequent flier, cost
Cost to check a fencing bag: $15
Positive/negative experiences: when I arrived, I was told the bag was on the next flight, would be in at midnight, and they'd deliver it to the Gaylord at 3-4 AM. Fine, I said, and half-slept half-worried all night in vain. Called at 8 AM, and they said it had arrived, was going out for delivery now, and they didn't know why it wasn't on the earlier delivery run. 11 AM, bag arrives at Gaylord. 1:30 PM, my check in closes. Phew. All the Continental representatives I talked to sounded friendly and sympathetic, but this might have gone differently if I had an 8 AM check-in.

[lindajdunn]

Airline flown: American
Type of fencing bag(s): wheeled fencing bag
Point of origin: Indianapolis, IN
Reason for choosing airline: Most direct flights and cheapest fare.
Cost to check a fencing bag: $15
Positive/negative experiences: no problems on the way out. Two gate changes and a flight delay of about 1 hour on the way back. Note this means landing about midnight. [I had selected a late flight because I purchased the tickets about 36 hours before they posted the time. Both flights were non-stop and leaving a little earlier would have required a layover so I decided it wasn't worth it. I slept most of the way back.

[dberke]

Airline flown: Alaska to DFW, American to home
Type of fencing bag: Hard golf case
Point of origin: Seattle
Reason for choosing airline: Had the best price on Travelocity at the times I wanted to fly
Cost to check a fencing bag: Free to DFW (I bought my ticket before the cutoff for Alaska's new 1st bag fee), $15 on the return home. Took all non-fencing clothes in a carry-on to avoid the second bag fee.
Positive/negative experiences: Flight left and arrived early on the way to DFW. Return flight left 2 hours late, but otherwise was fine.

[ballisticmonkey3]

Airline flown: Alaska Airlines
Type of fencing bag(s): normal carry bag down, cheap roll bag back up.
Point of origin: Alaska
Reason for choosing airline: Cheapest, best service, and home airline.
Cost to check a fencing bag: Nada.
Positive/negative experiences: I got bumped to first class on one flight and found a cheap ($67 for two nights) hotel five mins from the venue. The only downside was the heat! (But props to the Gaylord for the copious amount of A/C)

[seak]

Airline flown: Delta
Type of fencing bag(s): fencing roll bag (checked), small duffle and a backpack carry one
Point of origin: Durham
Reason for choosing airline: Had the flight times I wanted at the cheapest price, and I needed to fly into DFW not Love
Cost to check a fencing bag: 15 each way
Positive/negative experiences: My bag actually made it there, which was remarkable since I dropped it off 30 min before the flight and then had a 45 min transfer in Atlanta. On the way back I hung out with the pilots and got to sit in the cockpit while we were in a 2.5 stop at the gate (most people left the plane) due to a ground stop in Atlanta. And learned that they were also schedule to change planes in Atlanta and fly my flight to Durham, so I'd be able to make the transfer. The downside was I got home at 4:30am instead of midnight and my bag didn't make it (the plane being held for you will do that). It should be getting dropped off now.

Only real negative was the 45 min wait for the shuttle to the park and ride. Way to go RDU. Between that and having to fill out a bag claim it took me two hours from when my plane landed to get the 20 miles home.

Honestly I was pretty happy with how Delta handled the delay, and there's not much you can do about thunderstorms.

[bob46]

Airline flown: American
Type of fencing bag(s): Small Fencing Bag (Guitar case!)
Point of origin: SFO
Reason for choosing airline: Cheapest on the only day we could fly out
Cost to check a fencing bag: $15
Positive/negative experiences:

1) MD80's suck.
2) Never fly American again. i checked the oversize baggage fees cuz i was gonna bring a hard golf case and it was $150. wtffff?
3) Fly Southwest.

[bob46]

oh right. delays both ways too.

[Inquartata]

You worried in vain. I always fly with an "oversized" hard golf case and have never been charged extra for it, including this last round trip on American. Although coming back out of DFW I was constrained to take it to a remote TSA checkpoint for oversized bags ( because there was a handgun in it; maybe that's why they didn't try charging me extra? ).

[AndrewH]

( because there was a handgun in it; maybe that's why they didn't try charging me extra? ).

I've heard that's actually a very effective way to make sure your bags don't get lost.

[anotheranon]

2) Never fly American again. i checked the oversize baggage fees cuz i was gonna bring a hard golf case and it was $150. wtffff?

Airline flown: American
Type of fencing bag(s): hard golf case
Point of origin: IAD
Reason for choosing airline: cost & Direct flight
Cost to check a fencing bag: Ultimately $15, though American tried to charge me $150 on the way back on the grounds that it wasn't *golf clubs* in the golf bag (I was foolishly honest when they asked what was in it). When I complained, they gave in.
Positive/negative experiences: See above. Otherwise good - flight uneventful and happily direct.