Originally Posted by stevo
careful, most airlines claim no liability on damages to 'sporting equipment'. Found out first hand when my boards arrived in two pieces (errr., four?). I was eventually reimbursed, about it took a lawyer and a year. I no longer travel with expensive toys.
ps -
I'm not familiar with JetBlues policy, but you could be misreading it....
They state that Sporting equipment which
does not carry a service charge can be substituted.
They also state that bikes, etc, are exempt from
oversize fees.
They never state that bikes, etc,
do not carry a service charge.
This could easily be read as 'you can substitute your tennis racquet for free baggage, but bikes and surfboards have a service charge (not an oversize charge).
In the old days (few years back), golfclubs were really the only large toys they considered checked-baggage. YMMV