Hawaiian Airlines Slammed For Refusing To Carry Champion Surfer’s Longboard
Joel Tudor’s experience underscores what commenters say is a confusing policy.
Three-time longboard surfing world champion Joel Tudor was planning to spend this week in Honolulu, teaching jiu-jitsu and shredding tasty waves in Waikīkī. Instead, Tudor is still home in San Diego. The problem: Hawaiian Airlines wouldn’t carry his 9’6” board on the plane.
“I fly the same two airlines all the time,” said Tudor, who says he’s been flying on Hawaiian for 35 years. “I’ve never had a problem.”
That changed on Monday. When Tudor tried to check his boards in a 10-foot bag, he got what he says was a startling response.
“They denied my boards,” he says.
Tudor’s story, first published on the Hawaiʻi News Report Instagram page, has now gone viral. The post has gotten more than 8,000 likes and dozens of comments from other surfers sharing similar tales of woe and confusion at the gate. Surfer magazine picked up the story with the headline: “Joel Tudor Gets ‘Denied’ By Hawaiian Airlines For Longboards.” The Beat of Hawaii travel site’s blog post said, “Hawaiian Airlines Surfboard Policy Wipeout At The Counter.”
As for Tudor, his post includes a not-so-ringing assessment of an airline normally known for celebrating Hawaiʻi culture.
“If you’re a longboarder, which is the majority of the surfers… don’t fly Hawaiian,” he says.
Tudor’s dashed Waikīkī surf dreams underscore what he and commenters say is a confusing policy. On paper, Hawaiian’s policy is clear.
“We will accept one or more boards packed in a board bag with adequate padding up to 115 inches (292 cm) and 50lbs (23kg),” it says.
That amounts to a nine-foot-six-inch bag, which, with room for padding to protect the board’s nose and tail, could carry a nine-foot board — too short, Tudor says, for most longboarders.
Hawaiian spokesman Alex Da Silva confirmed that’s been the airline’s longstanding policy.
“Our length limit is meant to ensure that we can accommodate the vast majority of surfboards and handle them with proper care through various airports and aircraft types,” Da Silva said.
The airline serves some of the world’s top surfing destinations, including Hawaiʻi, California, Australia and Tahiti, DaSilva said.
“We know that our surfboard policy matters to our guests as well as our employees — many of whom live in the islands and along the West Coast,” he said.
But reality has been far different from the official policy, Tudor says. For decades, he told Civil Beat, he’s checked his 10-foot bag containing his boards with no problems. In fact, he said, two friends recently flew Hawaiian from Japan and Australia to Honolulu with no problems. One had a 10-foot-six-inch bag.
“I’m just giving people a heads up.”
Joel Tudor, surfer
Tudor also noted the irony that Hawaiian has been a longtime sponsor of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, for which surfers typically use boards longer than 10 feet.
For Tudor, getting denied at the gate was more than inconvenient. It was also costly. He also had to cancel jiu-jitsu workshops he was scheduled to teach, he says. And he was initially told he would lose his $500 non-refundable ticket. The airline also charged extra for the surfboard.
The airline refunded the fare and baggage fees once it learned what happened, Da Silva said.
Still, Tudor says, the biggest frustration is not knowing whether an airline will carry his board or not in the future. He’s tried calling another airline and can’t get a clear answer.
“It’s basically like the luck of the draw,” he said. “It’s like playing roulette. I’m not being sour. I’m just giving people a heads up.”
