That was in the news because the flier didn't follow procedure. He had a flight/bus connection via Newark to Allentown, and picked up the bag himself in EWR, against both policy and law because the bus was delayed. If you happen to divert or get delayed, do as others did above, or let United baggage hold your bag/gun.

I agree in general however airlines will frequently refuse to hold baggage overnight in case of IRROPS. When I was returning home from college my freshman year, we had an unplanned overnight in MPS and were forced to pick up our bags before going to the hotel. I've had to do this for other IRROPS that required overnights as well although I wasn't required to pick up my bags for an unexpected overnight at DEN about 10 years ago. There have been other cases reported on Second Amendment bulletin boards so I would avoid JFK or EWR if at all possible when transporting firearms. I'd probably add LAX and SFO to that as well.

This problem is nicely covered in detail by the NY times: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/n...n-arrival.html

The case you are referring to (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tra...-supreme-court) is one of MANY such incidents over the years. Incidents where law abiding citizens TRYING to do the right thing, declaring the firearms as required etc... are hassled due to minutia unique to New Jersey. Many of us have had canceled flights and been told to forced to claim our luggage @ the diversion or delay location prior to checking into a hotel. In literally ANY other city outside of the greater NYC area, the case you quoted would have been a non-issue.

Regardless of one's view of politics, this issue is particularly relevant to us United flyers as odds of getting diverted to EWR (Or our flights originating, terminating, connecting through EWR) are quite high. Given the complexities and the nuances at play, I think the heads up is warranted.



Some similar stories:
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/john...y-other-states

To provide closure on the above, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. https://www.supremecourt.gov/Search....les/10-236.htm

Which underscores the dangers of travel through the greater NYC area...

Yes, you can have multiple per case. In fact, when I travel with the expensive camera lenses or computers, I put them into a firearms case with a small firearm (could be even fake I assume) and declare them as such. Then you know it will be locked and there is much lower chance of damage or disappearance.
They are inconsistent on ammo, sometimes shotgun shells are allowed, other times they let me throw them away :/

Has anyone that has ever checked a firearm with United been held to the 62 inch size limit?
I don't have a case under 70 total inches (L X W X H)

Thanks in advance!!!

As for standard bags, sports equipment is subject to size and weight limits,
with the caveat
If you are asking if UA might over look the oversize, see How strict is UA with oversized / overweight checked-in baggage? Some counter agents are quite adapt at judging size, high elite status may give you some extra forgiveness

Transporting firearms on UA
 

Hi, I am a legal owner of a firearm that I may to transport on UA by checking in (I've read the rules), and just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with UA so as to avoid any issues (I'm transporting unloaded in a TSA approved case with TSA approved locks).

Thanks!

Allow a little extra time. At LAS and they had to disappear into a back office for a while to do something. Not sure if that was unusual, but my experience suggests 15 minutes extra should be allocated to check in. Returned it to me at OGG bag claim office. This was maybe 5 years ago or so.

First, do NOT use TSA locks on the firearm case.

Second, make sure the firearm is unloaded. I like to use a chamber flag to show them there is no way it can fire a round accidentally. I've taken ammunition in plastic holders but they really prefer it to be in factory boxes. You can store the ammunition and magazines in the same case as the firearm but they MUST be separated from the firearm itself.

Third, allow some extra time at check-in. It helps if you fill the form out ahead of time but you can get one from the counter agent if you don't. Tell the counter agent that you have a firearm to check and they will direct you to the appropriate counter or table. S/he will inspect the firearm to ensure it is safed, place the appropriate form in the case, then watch you as you close and lock the case. To repeat, do NOT use TSA locks on the case -- they have already inspected it and do not want to deal with potential charges of a TSA agent getting into the case to take ammo or the firearm itself.

I found it to really be easy and hassle-free. First time I ever did it was a few months after 9/11 so I thought for sure I was going to get some flak but all the TSA agent did (beyond his job) was ask me about the manufacturer of my AR and how much it cost.

I just did this for the 3rd time last week. There are a few notes:

Your good on the case and locks (I still even trigger lock my pistol in my case with the slide open).
Ammo cannot be in the same locked case (but it can be in the same bag).
Ammo must be in the original style box (you can't just take a ziploc bag of ammo).
When you check in, don't say "I have a gun!" Just go to the counter and say you need to "declare a firearm"

This is one I just learned on my trip last week: If you check a firearm on the outbound, it will lock you out of OLCI for the return flight. So lesson learned for me... I'm booking one ways when I know I'm going somewhere with my pistol.

Just did this in November for the first time, and I shared your concerns. Recommend you check in a little early as there are procedures the airline has to follow, and you'll need to open, then lock your case before they accept it. Upon arrival (PDX), firearms were delivered with the oversized bags. I was pleased with the entire process.

I have transported ammo in the firearm case, albeit not recently. From United's own website (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...equipment.html), my emphasis added:

To correct myself, while I was advised by the TSA agent to NOT use TSA-accessible locks, TSA's website says you can use any brand or type including TSA-recognized locks (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transport...and-ammunition).

Must be a YMMV, at inspection the TSA agent told me to remove it from case, has me just put the box in my shaving kit. The UA agent and I looked at each other thinking "this doesn't make sense" :confused: