A Professional Surfer's Dream Was Dashed by an Airline's Board Policy!
Imagine this: you've trained hard, you're ready to compete on the world stage, and then, at the last minute, your essential equipment is deemed unacceptable by the very airline you trusted. This is precisely the frustrating situation faced by Jon Garmendia, a talented Spanish longboarder, who was all set to compete in the WSL’s La Union International Pro in the Philippines.
This wasn't just any competition; it was a crucial qualifying event offering two coveted WSL longboard tour wildcards. For Garmendia, missing out meant not only a lost opportunity for career advancement but also the potential forfeiture of the €1,000 he’d invested in his ticket.
But here's where it gets controversial...
Garmendia, a 32-year-old who skillfully balances his passion for surfing with his work as a shaper and surf guide in Spain’s Basque Country, took to Instagram to share his plight. He posted a photo detailing his predicament with Air France, a public plea that has proven effective for other professional surfers. For instance, Joel Tudor successfully lobbied Hawaiian Airlines to revise its longboard policy after a similar viral social media campaign.
While the longboard community rallied around Garmendia with messages of support in the comments, his attempts to sway Air France's decision-makers have, thus far, been unsuccessful.
In a conversation with The Inertia, Garmendia explained the confusing sequence of events. According to airline policy, he had submitted an online form seeking prior approval to travel with his bag containing two 9’7’’ longboards. When he didn't receive a confirmation, he followed up with a phone call. Upon finally speaking with a representative, he was informed that while his board bag was acceptable for the Paris to Manila leg, it was not permitted for the initial Bilbao to Paris segment.
“This is a nightmare for all surfers,” Garmendia lamented. “You have an important contest, but you don’t have your boards with you.”
And this is the part most people miss...
Air France's website states that it accepts sports equipment with total dimensions up to 300cm (approximately 9.84 feet). However, the interpretation of "total dimensions" by ticket agents often seems to be a matter of subjective judgment. (I've personally witnessed identical board bags being accepted and rejected by different agents for the same flight, purely based on how they choose to calculate or even measure the dimensions.)
In Garmendia's specific case, the smaller aircraft scheduled for the Bilbao flight meant the dimension limit was reportedly reduced to 280cm. Frustrated, Garmendia pleaded for a solution, especially since he hadn't been alerted to any reduced bag limits when he purchased his ticket.
“They should have given me a solution because I already bought the ticket,” Garmendia stated. “Only after they told me that (my board) was not accepted in the reservation. There’s a problem in that system.”
Air France presented Garmendia with two alternatives: reroute his journey through Biarritz or Madrid, cities served by larger planes that could accommodate his boards. While this initially seemed like a reasonable compromise, the airline was unwilling to cover the associated costs. This proposed solution would have incurred a change fee plus the cost of a new flight, estimated at €1,200.
“I am a professional longboarder, but I don’t earn money with it,” Garmendia shared. “I don’t have sponsors, so I couldn’t buy another flight.”
Desperate, Garmendia reached out to fellow competitors and locals in the Philippines, hoping to find a spare board. However, due to his 200-pound frame and preference for larger boards than most of his peers, he couldn't find a suitable alternative that would make the long journey worthwhile.
Ultimately, Garmendia had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from the competition. While the WSL kindly refunded his entry fee and his hotel also returned his reservation fee, Air France has yet to address his refund request. He remains skeptical about recovering the money spent on the ticket.
Looking ahead, Garmendia plans to be more discerning with his airline choices, opting for carriers like Iberia or Emirates, which he knows have a reliable track record for transporting surfboards. He also intends to confirm aircraft size when booking and has taken advice from two-time WSL longboard champion Edouard Delpero to avoid the Bilbao airport when traveling with a longboard.
“It was a difficult decision, as I prepared a lot for this event,” Garmendia reflected on Instagram. “But that’s life; sometimes things don’t go as planned, and that’s okay too.”
What do you think? Should airlines have stricter, clearer policies for sporting equipment, or is it up to the traveler to meticulously verify every detail? Share your thoughts in the comments below – we’d love to hear your perspective!
