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Ryanair charging to check poles in Santiago

BiggBlue

Robin
Time of past OR future Camino
17 Frances 18 Portuguese,
19 Primitivo 22 Norte
When I flew back today from Santiago to London, as I had done many times before, I went to check in my walking poles (which historically had been free of charge) only to discover there is now a charge of €40. In the past, it was complimentary, and even though I can disassemble them and fit them into my backpack, which I take us to carry on, that is not permitted.

I then decided I would have to leave my polls behind simply, and when I went to put them in a recycling bin, I saw another excellent quality set of telescopic walking poles had also been left there. In the meantime, I saw other pilgrims going off to pay the €40.

Before leaving them behind, I went online to see how much it would cost me to buy a new pair of the same brand, which was €29. I appreciate that airlines are commercial endeavours and look at ways to maximise their charges and profitability, but €40 is more than the cost of a large suitcase booked in advance. It does seem a bit harsh.

Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
When I flew back today from Santiago to London, as I had done many times before, I went to check in my walking poles (which historically had been free of charge) only to discover there is now a charge of €40. In the past, it was complimentary, and even though I can disassemble them and fit them into my backpack, which I take us to carry on, that is not permitted.

I then decided I would have to leave my polls behind simply, and when I went to put them in a recycling bin, I saw another excellent quality set of telescopic walking poles had also been left there. In the meantime, I saw other pilgrims going off to pay the €40.

Before leaving them behind, I went online to see how much it would cost me to buy a new pair of the same brand, which was €29. I appreciate that airlines are commercial endeavours and look at ways to maximise their charges and profitability, but €40 is more than the cost of a large suitcase booked in advance. It does seem a bit harsh.

Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
When flying the low cost airlines it is cheaper to book hold luggage when you initially buy the ticket. I agree that airlines are really piling on the fees and have been now for several years. We always just ship our poles as luggage now because we like the ones we have and have used them for many years now. We also ship our pocket knife in the same bag along with any clothes we don't want to carry that will fit in the bag. It is one of these and it has worked now for several years without much wear. Also folds up super small and light and we sometimes use it as a laundry or grocery bag on the Camino. Says it is 8 ounces, but that is for two of them. We just have one.

 
Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
I could not agree more!

I sent an email to Santiago airport to enquire whether this was a mistake by Ryanair ground staff or whether they no longer adhere to the agreement of checking walking poles for free at Santiago airport. If I get a meaningful and useful reply I'll share it.
 
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I had a similar experience with Ryanair as well. With the Spanish equivalent of Ryanair I had a very different one.

I flew to Barcelona with KLM, taking my backpack as cabin luggage. I must mention that KLM has (had?) larger size requirements for cabin luggage.

In Barcelona I changed flights, flying to San Sebastian with Vueling, knowing that my backpack did 't quite match their size requirements.

On a previous occasion with Ryanair I had to pay extra. But not with Vueling. The lady at the counter looked at my backpack and said it was too large to take as cabin luggage. I looked somewhat helpless and said that I couldn't possibly make it to Santiago carrying a smaller one. She gave me a lovely smile and said she couldn't make a peregrino pay an extra fee when I still had to walk that far.
 
similar experience with Ryanair
The special agreement between airlines to check walking poles for free is specific to Santiago airport. Not at any other airport, be it in Spain or elsewhere in Europe.

Let's keep this thread free of disappointing experiences with Ryanair at airports other than Santiago - I am sure we could tell many Ryanair tales of personal disappointment. :cool:
 
I sent an email to Santiago airport to enquire whether this was a mistake by Ryanair ground staff or whether they no longer adhere to the agreement of checking walking poles for free at Santiago airport. If I get a meaningful and useful reply I'll share it.
I got a reply from the Oficina de Informacíon at the Aeropuerto de Santiago de Compostela. The content did not surprise me: they told me to contact Ryanair. I will of course not do such a silly and futile thing 😅. I will try to contact the company that does the ground handling for Ryanair at the Santiago airport. I did this already a few years ago in 2018 - see this post - when their ground handling company at the time confirmed that, yes, checking poles was free of charge for all. When I was at Santiago airport in 2019 or so, I asked again about the agreement at the airport's information desk: the staff had never heard of such a thing 😅. I then went to various check-in desks (I think Iberia, Ryanair, and easyJet) who all confirmed that checking of poles was free of charge for all tickets.

If I get a meaningful and useful reply I'll share it.
I am still committed to this. In the meantime, is there anyone else who has had the same recent experience at Santiago airport as @BiggBlue?
 
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When flying the low cost airlines it is cheaper to book hold luggage when you initially buy the ticket. I agree that airlines are really piling on the fees and have been now for several years. We always just ship our poles as luggage now because we like the ones we have and have used them for many years now. We also ship our pocket knife in the same bag along with any clothes we don't want to carry that will fit in the bag. It is one of these and it has worked now for several years without much wear. Also folds up super small and light and we sometimes use it as a laundry or grocery bag on the Camino. Says it is 8 ounces, but that is for two of them. We just have one.

With Ryanair I"ve found the cheapest way is to book your large rucksack with poles inside at the end of the booking process. I forgot to do this once but there was no charge then for poles at SdC. That's obviously changed.
 
Whether poles are allowed as cabin baggage or not is primarily a regulation by airport security, not the airline. I have flown from Santiago 6 times, always with normal poles (not telescopic). Lufthansa just checks them in for free. With Ryanair, I didn’t bother to argue at the check in counter, and just took them through security and walked onto the airplane. Nobody protested.

If they are telescopic, just take them through security and then put them in your carry-on luggage. Throwing them away is too sad.
 
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If they are telescopic, just take them through security and then put them in your carry-on luggage. Throwing them away is too sad.
This does not work in Santiago. Believe me, I've tried this on several occasions. Each time I was sent back to the check-in desk to check them through (last year with Vueling for free).

I have also left them in the airport on several occasions (not in the trash, hope someone took them) since the one time I did check-in the poles and took my backpack with me on the plane I had to wait about an hour on the other end for my poles to come through.
 
When I flew back today from Santiago to London, as I had done many times before, I went to check in my walking poles (which historically had been free of charge) only to discover there is now a charge of €40. In the past, it was complimentary, and even though I can disassemble them and fit them into my backpack, which I take us to carry on, that is not permitted.

I then decided I would have to leave my polls behind simply, and when I went to put them in a recycling bin, I saw another excellent quality set of telescopic walking poles had also been left there. In the meantime, I saw other pilgrims going off to pay the €40.

Before leaving them behind, I went online to see how much it would cost me to buy a new pair of the same brand, which was €29. I appreciate that airlines are commercial endeavours and look at ways to maximise their charges and profitability, but €40 is more than the cost of a large suitcase booked in advance. It does seem a bit harsh.

Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
I too had to dispose of my telescopic poles at Santiago. Apparently it’s the airport’s policy and I presume nothing to do with Ryanair! I tried to explain that I had successfully flown in with them in my rucksack on Ryanair ( albeit to Zaragoza!) but the official also lied about my husband ditching his! I asked the official how was it my husband got through with his wooden poles( dismantled) - he told me he had also ditched them. It turned out that he managed to get his wooden poles home, so what this official was on about, I do not know! Anyway, I am now pole-less! €40 sounds a lot to pay to put them in the hold! Very disappointed!
 
I too had to dispose of my telescopic poles at Santiago. Apparently it’s the airport’s policy and I presume nothing to do with Ryanair! I tried to explain that I had successfully flown in with them in my rucksack on Ryanair
Hi @Suesim, this thread is not about the method of transport of walking poles on airplanes. It is about payment for the transport of walking poles on airplanes.

Many pilgrims have not been aware of this: For many years now, airlines at Santiago airport have checked poles free of additional charges (ie poles as checked luggage. This is not about hand luggage).

This question is mainly of interest for pilgrims with budget tickets (1 piece of hand luggage only) for flights within Spain and within Europe.
 
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When I flew back today from Santiago to London, as I had done many times before, I went to check in my walking poles (which historically had been free of charge) only to discover there is now a charge of €40. In the past, it was complimentary, and even though I can disassemble them and fit them into my backpack, which I take us to carry on, that is not permitted.

I then decided I would have to leave my polls behind simply, and when I went to put them in a recycling bin, I saw another excellent quality set of telescopic walking poles had also been left there. In the meantime, I saw other pilgrims going off to pay the €40.

Before leaving them behind, I went online to see how much it would cost me to buy a new pair of the same brand, which was €29. I appreciate that airlines are commercial endeavours and look at ways to maximise their charges and profitability, but €40 is more than the cost of a large suitcase booked in advance. It does seem a bit harsh.

Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
Thank you for posting this info. There’s been a lot of questions in this forum regarding poles. When I walked in March I had carry on only and decided to buy a set of walking poles in Leon. I had no idea how expensive good quality, foldable poles would be : unfortunately only folding poles I could find were more than 100 euro. I should have just bought a cheap non folding pair but didn’t. When I got back to USA (packed new poles in my luggage) I sold them to a fellow pilgrim for 75$ US
 
You are right, @frannie z, there are a lot of questions in this forum regarding poles and it is a vast and interesting topic.

Ideally, the question of this thread is about a very specific situation that numerous pilgrims will never encounter:
  1. You fly from Santiago.
  2. You have bought a ticket for a flight with cabin bag(s) only.
  3. Your poles are put in the hold (for whatever reason - it does not matter!).
  4. Did you/do you have to pay an additional amount of some €40 at Santiago airport in recent months? If yes, which airline?
 
I imagine that there is more than one pilgrim on any given Ryan Air flight from Santiago. Maybe a number of the pilgrims could batch their poles, ship them as a single piece of luggage and split the cost. Maybe, if enough people ask. one of the shops in the terminal will start to carry/sell a cardboard box with tape, marking pen, etc. that would hold a number of sets of hiking poles for pilgrims.
 
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I researched this in detail several years ago as I use a walking stick generally. As a passenger of any airline you are allowed carry your walking stick onto the aeroplane. They cannot stop you legally. No problem in Europe but in America after the security problems you were advised to carry a supporting letter from your doctor.

I just reduced my pole to walking stick size and have never had a problem.
Two sticks might be a problem though.....
 
I researched this in detail several years ago
Thank you for sharing the details of your personal research efforts.

However, what we want to know right now and right here in this thread: When you are a pilgrim at Santiago airport with a "cabin baggage only" ticket in your hand and you wish to or you have to check your walking poles for transport in the hold of the airplane and not for transport in the cabin of the airplane, do you have to pay extra in 2023 - YES or No i.e is this still free of charge as it used to be the case in the past at Santiago airport for flight on all airlines and only there?

For general entertainment and information: I have now emailed this question to four handling companies at SQC (for Lufthansa, for EasyJet, for Ryanair, and for Iberia+Vueling+a few other airlines); and as a follow-up question to an earlier email reply from the Oficina de Informacíon at the Aeropuerto de Santiago de Compostela; and as a question on the Ryanair website.

One email reply so far to this recent batch of emails. On the Ryanair website, I could not find a contact email address so I resigned myself to having a chat with their chatbot Molli. All I can say, and I told this to the chatbot, is that it was the most stupidly and lazily programmed chatbot I have ever encountered in my life - it was unable to even remotely address my question. I don't know who to blame more: AI or HI. 😅
 
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I imagine that there is more than one pilgrim on any given Ryan Air flight from Santiago. Maybe a number of the pilgrims could batch their poles, ship them as a single piece of luggage and split the cost. Maybe, if enough people ask. one of the shops in the terminal will start to carry/sell a cardboard box with tape, marking pen, etc. that would hold a number of sets of hiking poles for pilgrims.
You can purchase a box like this at the Post Office near the cathedral. I have done this twice so far. You can easily fit 2-3 pairs of collapsing poles and your jackknife etc. just need a little bit of tape and a pen. Iberia did “misplace” my box for several days last time, though. On my last flight out with Iberia in 2021 they were forcing all baggage including backpacks intended as carryon to be checked, free of charge, so I didn’t pay anything.
 
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I mailed my poles back to myself at the Santiago post office. Eliminated all need to worry about them. They have special boxes for collapsible poles. Took over a month to get them tho.
 
I had a similar experience with Ryanair as well. With the Spanish equivalent of Ryanair I had a very different one.

I flew to Barcelona with KLM, taking my backpack as cabin luggage. I must mention that KLM has (had?) larger size requirements for cabin luggage.

In Barcelona I changed flights, flying to San Sebastian with Vueling, knowing that my backpack did 't quite match their size requirements.

On a previous occasion with Ryanair I had to pay extra. But not with Vueling. The lady at the counter looked at my backpack and said it was too large to take as cabin luggage. I looked somewhat helpless and said that I couldn't possibly make it to Santiago carrying a smaller one. She gave me a lovely smile and said she couldn't make a peregrino pay an extra fee when I still had to walk that far.
I mailed my poles back to myself at the Santiago post office. Eliminated all need to worry about them. They have special boxes for collapsible poles. Took over a month to get them tho.
I mailed my poles back to myself at the Santiago post office. Eliminated all need to worry about them. They have special boxes for collapsible poles. Took over a month to get them tho.
Good idea!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
The OP has posted an important question about whether there has been a policy change at Santiago airport regarding free check-in of poles by all airlines.

We have a zillion or two other threads (click on the tag "poles" under the title of this thread) where people have offered packaging suggestions, personal experience with walking aids, different airports, where to recycle poles, security rationale, discretion of the agent, opinions, etc., etc.

Please use another thread for those tangents, and keep this one for updates on the specific issue raised.
 
When I flew back today from Santiago to London, as I had done many times before, I went to check in my walking poles (which historically had been free of charge) only to discover there is now a charge of €40. In the past, it was complimentary, and even though I can disassemble them and fit them into my backpack, which I take us to carry on, that is not permitted.

I then decided I would have to leave my polls behind simply, and when I went to put them in a recycling bin, I saw another excellent quality set of telescopic walking poles had also been left there. In the meantime, I saw other pilgrims going off to pay the €40.

Before leaving them behind, I went online to see how much it would cost me to buy a new pair of the same brand, which was €29. I appreciate that airlines are commercial endeavours and look at ways to maximise their charges and profitability, but €40 is more than the cost of a large suitcase booked in advance. It does seem a bit harsh.

Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
No surprise. RyanAir is very creative. 😤
 
I think it's no secret or revelation that attempting to carry on trekking poles on airline flights can be hit or miss and those that choose to attempt it should no longer be surprised when they cannot. The regulation is one of security and part of flying life since 911. It is what it is.
I'm of the disposable trekking poles crowd. I either check them on or I resign myself they won't be making the return trip home with me.
As far as Ryanair goes, having flown with them numerous times I can honestly say I have no beef with them an have no reason to piss and moan about them. I love the super cheap fares and since the flights are so short I don't care about anything like wifi, movies meals or drinks. Just get my butt to point B and I've never had any problems with boarding etc.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
In February I could send my poles for free flying Ryanair from Santiago airport. I tried to do the same this week, April 27. At the Ryanair-desk I was told that from April 1. this was no longer possible for free. I could send them for a fee of 40€. I left them on top of a bin before the security. Others had done the same. So if arriving at Santiago airport and in need of poles, go to the departurefloor and you will probably find a pair of poles left behind.
 
In February I could send my poles for free flying Ryanair from Santiago airport. I tried to do the same this week, April 27. At the Ryanair-desk I was told that from April 1. this was no longer possible for free. I could send them for a fee of 40€.
Thank you for this detailed and precise feedback!

So we now have two forum members confirming their own experience that it is no longer possible to check walking poles for free at Santiago airport when you have a ticket that does not include transport of pieces of your luggage in the hold, unlike in previous years. At least as far as Ryanair is concerned.

Now the question remains whether any of the other airlines have adopted this new policy, too. (Unfortunately, so far I have not received any illuminating replies to my email queries).
 
When I flew back today from Santiago to London, as I had done many times before, I went to check in my walking poles (which historically had been free of charge) only to discover there is now a charge of €40. In the past, it was complimentary, and even though I can disassemble them and fit them into my backpack, which I take us to carry on, that is not permitted.

I then decided I would have to leave my polls behind simply, and when I went to put them in a recycling bin, I saw another excellent quality set of telescopic walking poles had also been left there. In the meantime, I saw other pilgrims going off to pay the €40.

Before leaving them behind, I went online to see how much it would cost me to buy a new pair of the same brand, which was €29. I appreciate that airlines are commercial endeavours and look at ways to maximise their charges and profitability, but €40 is more than the cost of a large suitcase booked in advance. It does seem a bit harsh.

Plus having to buy more poles is somewhat wasteful too.
May 3 2023 American Airlines allowed me to check my collapsible poles in my backpack as a carry one. I went through 1 domestic TSA screening And 1 international TSA screening. I hear than it can depend on the individual person who is doing the screening though. I did have a narrow box folded up and some tape just in case I had to check as luggage
Just my experience. Janet
 
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May 3 2023 American Airlines allowed me to check my collapsible poles in my backpack as a carry one. I went through 1 domestic TSA screening And 1 international TSA screening.
But just so that I understand correctly: This observation is not about a flight from Santiago airport because American Airlines do not fly from Santiago and even when you have a connecting flight with a partner airline of AA that flies from Santiago via Madrid to the United States, you have to go through security again at Madrid Barajas airport that is set up specifically for all passengers on direct flights from Madrid to the USA, correct? And TSA does not provide staff for the security lines at Santiago airport, it is local Spanish security staff, correct?

And buen Camino, btw. :)
 
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May 3 2023 American Airlines allowed me to check my collapsible poles in my backpack as a carry one. I went through 1 domestic TSA screening And 1 international TSA screening. I hear than it can depend on the individual person who is doing the screening though. I did have a narrow box folded up and some tape just in case I had to check as luggage
Just my experience. Janet
This thread is only about the airport in Santiago which will not allow poles as carry-on, but has had a policy/agreement with the airlines to check poles in for free.
 
May 3 2023 American Airlines allowed me to check my collapsible poles in my backpack as a carry one. I went through 1 domestic TSA screening And 1 international TSA screening. I hear than it can depend on the individual person who is doing the screening though. I did have a narrow box folded up and some tape just in case I had to check as luggage
Just my experience. Janet
You mentioned TSA - was this your flight FROM America then? Or do you mean that this was your experience when went through airport security (not TSA) at Santiago when flying home?
 
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