Flying with a surfboard on Lufthansa
Checked bag or sports fee · up to 315 cm · 32 kg · 1 board per bag.
Booking: Register at least 72 hours before departure, with the board's dimensions
- shortboard category up to 200 cm, longboard category up to 315 cm
- can count as free baggage on fares that include it (not Economy Light); otherwise a flat rate that varies by route
- within the free allowance some regional pages cap sports items at 23 kg in Economy and Premium Economy
- subject to hold space; some aircraft types may not take long boards
- rules may differ on flights Lufthansa does not operate
Lufthansa's sports baggage page · checked 2026-10. Rules and fees change: check before you fly.
What surfers say
- Paid a fee (2025): In a German surf-forum thread, a member reported having to pay 250 euros for a shortboard even though the bag was within the baggage limits. source
- Smooth (2025): Another member of the same thread said the board had always travelled free so far, sometimes only after a friendly discussion at the desk. source
- Mixed (2025, FRA-CPT): A surfer with a 2 m double board bag got contradictory answers: the call centre quoted 250 euros per long-haul leg because of the 158 cm size rule, while web chat said it could go free instead of a suitcase. Unsure what would happen at the desk, they left the board at home and bought one on arrival. source
Surf trips on Lufthansa
Madeira, Azores, São Miguel, Biarritz, Hossegor, Algarve, Lisbon, Ericeira, Peniche, Costa Rica (San José), Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, California, San Diego, California, Los Angeles.