Traveling with tennis rackets

[cleversole]

My husband and I will be traveling to CN in November and it has been a while since I have travelled by air. We are planning on bringing our tennis rackets to play while we are there. I have checked the airline website and TSA.gov and they aren't listed as prohibited for carry on, but I don't know if that means they are OK or just were excluded from the list. Does anyone know if you can carry on tennis rackets or if they have to be checked? We are traveling USAir.

[Crabracer]

We also travel U.S Air. My wife is a teaching tennis pro and when we go, she has her rather large tennis bag with her. It would hold four racquets, balls, and lots of other stuff. Fits in the overhead too.

Richie

[jon1963]

They will need to be checked, but why bring them? I think the resort has them for you to use.

[cleversole]

If you are used to playing with your own tennis rackets, it is hard to use just any. We enjoy tennis and would much prefer our own rackets. They are the right weight and hand grip and the resort may not have one that fits that.

[JohnAmy]

As far as I know they are not prohibited items. We bring our rackets in the tennis bag with us every time and carry them on. No problems... Of course they are pretty strict on the number of carry ons your allowed, just 1 plus a personal item each. Works out ok for us.

John

[IACouple]

They will need to be checked, but why bring them? I think the resort has them for you to use.

If you are a true tennis player, no other racquets will do

[cleversole]

Thanks Richie, Jon and Johnamy.....I was hoping we could carry them and from Richie and Johnamy, it sounds like we can. We don't have a large tennis bag but were talking about getting one for this purpose, so I think that is the solution. Thanks again for helping answer this so quickly.

Lori and Chuck Eversole......CN 11/22-11/27......116 more days!

[ElaineChick]

I'd say ask your airline, but these days, with extra bag-check fees, they'd probably tell you that you need to check them just to make a buck. I'd show up with them as carry-on and hope they let me do it.

[cleversole]

I'd say ask your airline, but these days, with extra bag-check fees, they'd probably tell you that you need to check them just to make a buck. I'd show up with them as carry-on and hope they let me do it.

I had asked US Air and the TSA.gov site. Got an answer from the second today and they do say they are allowed so that makes me feel better, but also said it can be up to the officers at the time of check in, so I think we will get a large tennis bag and put them in that(one like Richie mentioned) and it will work as carry on and if they decide it has to be checked, well, we'll check it. I am just not very comfortable checking the tennis rackets and possibly having them end up "missing" or possibly busted if handled wrong. I would much rather keep them with us.

[JohnAmy]

Just got back from a flight today and there was lady with a carry on racket in a simple single cover case. Our bag fits 2 rackets, balls and some misc other stuff. It's the perfect carry on size. We put some other non tennis stuff in there for the plane as well, books and such… You could put them in a simple small backpack if you wanted. I've seen people in the airport like that with the handles sticking out the top...

[cleversole]

John I did get an answer from both the tsa.gov and USAIR and both did say yes to carry on tennis rackets so that is great news for us. We usually carry them individually but plan to go out and buy a bag to put them both in with the balls, etc and books as well. That is the only carry on we will have anyway so we will use it for the few items we may have in our hands. Thanks for the update. Glad to have some help from others who have travelled.

Only 113 days away....I'm not counting today, since it has already started! I can't wait!