U.S. Airways Solves Baggage Handling Concerns, Now Accepting Firearms to Spain
Safari Club International 10.31.12
During the spring of 2012, Safari Club International members alerted the SCI Washington, DC office that U.S. Airways had changed their baggage handling regulations in regards to firearm transport to and from Spain. SCI’s Washington office corresponded with Barbara Crown of the Hunting Report to confirm that her readers had also noted the prohibition of flying with firearms.
In July 2012, SCI’s Washington lobbyists met with representatives of Airlines 4 America, which is the trade association for the airline industry. SCI followed up that meeting by sending a letter to U.S. Airways requesting an immediate reversal of their position to refuse firearm transport to Spain.
Beginning October 26, 2012, SCI can confirm that hunters will now be able to check their firearms to Spain when traveling with U.S. Airways.
In an exclusive discussion with Safari Club International’s DC office, U.S. Airways’ Managing Director for Security described the new customs procedures being required by Spain to import firearms as checked baggage. U.S. Airways developed a new baggage tagging system that satisfies both private citizen’s luggage security and the customs requirements of Spain.
Through the combined efforts of SCI’s membership contacting the D.C. office, the open dialogue that was created with Airlines 4 America, and a direct appeal to U.S. Airways, we have successfully reached a conclusion that is hunter friendly.
SCI would like to thank the directors and security experts with U.S. Airways who made it possible to improve their luggage policies to again allow hunters to travel to Spain with their firearms.
This is not the first time that SCI has been successful getting an airline policy changed to the benefit of hunters. In the past 5 years, SCI has worked with United Airlines to allow antlers in checked baggage after their attempt to disallow it. SCI also worked with the NRA to reverse an American Airlines policy that prohibited flying with firearms internationally.
Protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation, SCI’s two areas of focus, historically has been the interest of hundreds of individuals long before SCI was established. But how did SCI as an organization begin?
Forty years ago, there were many safari clubs across the country made up of local, unaffiliated groups of hunters. One such was Safari Club of Los Angeles, which was formed in April 1971 by forty-seven individuals. In early 1972, an out-of-towner from a similar club in Chicago attended one of the monthly Wednesday night meetings, and it was decided that the L.A. club should attempt to combine with the one in Chicago to make it an affiliated chapter. The founder of Safari Club of Los Angeles, C.J. McElroy, went to the Windy City and instituted the new chapter.
Eleven months after the formation of Safari Club of Los Angeles, on March 9, 1972, the name was changed officially to Safari Club International. SCI continued to reach out to other independent safari clubs throughout the United States in an effort to combine them into a single overall organization.
Today, interest in SCI’s two primary missions has grown a worldwide network. Subsequent involvement and promotion of these missions is rooted in each of our 55,000 members, supported through each of our 190 membership chapters found across the globe, and put into action by government representatives and personnel both nationally and internationally.
In this way, we can encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect our rich hunting heritage. Big changes can be achieved through the endeavors of many who are united in a mission – the mission of Safari Club International.
