Flying with a surfboard on United Airlines
Ask the airline · up to 292 cm.
- official page could not be read; secondary summaries say oversize fees are waived for surfboards up to 115 in (292 cm) on United-operated flights, with standard bag and overweight fees
- since 2018 surfboards on United and United Express flights to or from California pay only the regular checked-bag fee
- one older guide says outside California a $150 or $200 oversize fee was charged; unconfirmed for 2026
- bags over 115 in or 100 lb not accepted as checked baggage (secondary source)
United Airlines's sports baggage page · checked 2026-10. Rules and fees change: check before you fly.
What surfers say
- Damaged (2022, LAX-IAH-Brazil): An ISA champion found her board bag cut open on arrival in Brazil, with two boards holed and her wetsuit torn; she said it was her third damaged trip on United that year, and United then offered compensation. source
Surf trips on United Airlines
Morocco (Marrakesh), Madeira, Azores, São Miguel, Algarve, Lisbon, Ericeira, Peniche, West Ireland (Shannon), Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (San José), Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Sayulita (Puerto Vallarta), Mexico, Baja (Los Cabos), Peru (Lima), Puerto Rico, Barbados, Hawaii, Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Tahiti, Sydney, New Zealand (Auckland), Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Okinawa, California, Santa Barbara, California, San Diego, California, Los Angeles, Panama, Chile (Santiago, for Pichilemu).