Posted on 06/21/2006 2:15:20 PM PDT by neverdem
Some gun and hunting groups are boycotting Air Canada after the airline imposed a $50 surcharge on passengers who check their firearms as baggage.
The one-way handling fee went into effect on June 5 for tickets purchased on or after April 14, adding $100 to the cost of a return trip.
Air Canada says the surcharge will cover the cost of making sure firearms are declared, unloaded and secured in a case that cannot be easily broken into during transport.
The country's largest airline charges the same fee for bulky items such as bicycles and surfboards, but other sports items like golf clubs and skis are treated as part of a passenger's free baggage option, as long as they do not exceed weight and dimension limits.
Gun enthusiasts say they are being unfairly targeted, since unloaded firearms and their cases are often no bigger than a standard piece of luggage. "It's pretty clear they're discriminating against firearms owners," said Sheldon Clare, the B.C. president of the National Firearms Association.
"I'm basically ramrodding a boycott of Air Canada to get them to see the error of their ways," Clare told CBC News. "I think you'll find that we're a bit more unforgiving than some of the boycott efforts in the past might have been."
'A cash grab'
Dale Drown, the executive director of the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia, called the fee "nothing but a cash grab."
The fee has also irked two U.S.-based groups, Safari Club International and the powerful National Rifle Association, who say they'll urge members to book with other airlines.
In a recent letter to Air Canada president and CEO Montie Brewer, the two groups pointed out the fee would have an impact on thousands of hunters, shooters, guides, outfitters and other passengers who travel with firearms, including Olympic athletes scheduled to visit Vancouver in 2010 to compete in the biathlon event.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has launched a review of the airline's firearm fee after receiving several formal complaints, including one from the NRA.
While that review is underway, the Canadian regulator has ordered Air Canada to drop the fee for international flights.
I thought it was a Canadian govt thing. They hit you with the same fees when you cross the border by car with a firearm. I think they're trying to destroy their hunting tourism industry.
Air Canada been privatized and sold off yet ?
I'll bet a few hunters can find places other than Canada until that non-sense stops. It may well dissuade tourism from people who aren't hunting just on general principles.
Solution: CARRY ON BAGS!
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