Flying with a surfboard on Southwest Airlines
Counts as a checked bag · 45 kg.
- standard checked bag and overweight fees apply; oversize fees waived
- surfboards over 100 lb not accepted
- keels and fins must be removed and packed in other bags
- carried only with a limited release of liability (no compensation for damage)
- Hawaii residents (Hawaii mailing address) do not pay the standard bag fee for surfboards
- no length limit stated
Southwest Airlines's sports baggage page · checked 2026-10. Rules and fees change: check before you fly.
What surfers say
- Smooth (2025, Hawaii interisland): A Hawaii reader said Hawaiian always charged for boards, so they switched to Southwest, which checked their surfboard for free. source
- Smooth (2023, Oahu-Maui (interisland)): After Hawaiian turned his boards away, a big-wave surfer made the same interisland trip with them on a last-minute Southwest booking. source
- Refused (2023, DEN-LIR): A traveller with a 9' and an 8' longboard was told by phone it should be fine, paid the oversize fee at the airport, then was told by two staff that the boards were too long to fly. source
Surf trips on Southwest Airlines
Mexico, Sayulita (Puerto Vallarta), Mexico, Baja (Los Cabos), Hawaii, Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, California, Santa Barbara, California, San Diego, California, Los Angeles.