Flying from the US to Scotland - Ship Sticks or Check my bag?

[Olson12]

So I've read all the horror stories about traveling to Scotland in the summer and connecting through Heathrow and losing bags.  I was able to book on Delta so I'm flying from Arizona through JFK and straight into Edinburgh.  Do you think I'm at a lower risk of losing my baggage or should I just ship them with Shipsticks?

 

I have a 2 1/2 layover at JFK so hoping thats plenty of time for Delta to get my bag transferred?  

 

 

edit* I'm traveling the 2nd week of June. 

Edited February 28, 2024 by Olson12

[puttnforthe8]

1 minute ago, Olson12 said:

So I've read all the horror stories about traveling to Scotland in the summer and connecting through Heathrow and losing bags.  I was able to book on Delta so I'm flying from Arizona through JFK and straight into Edinburgh.  Do you think I'm at a lower risk of losing my baggage or should I just ship them with Shipsticks?

 

I have a 2 1/2 layover at JFK so hoping thats plenty of time for Delta to get my bag transferred?  

 

 

edit* I'm traveling the 2nd week of June. 

I have done many many trips and not once have had an issue.  

 

I think that 2.5 hrs will be well enough time.    

[hammergolf]

46 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

So I've read all the horror stories about traveling to Scotland in the summer and connecting through Heathrow and losing bags.  I was able to book on Delta so I'm flying from Arizona through JFK and straight into Edinburgh.  Do you think I'm at a lower risk of losing my baggage or should I just ship them with Shipsticks?

 

I have a 2 1/2 layover at JFK so hoping thats plenty of time for Delta to get my bag transferred?  

 

 

edit* I'm traveling the 2nd week of June. 

You should be fine since you are avoiding LHR. You have a reasonable layover at JFK there’s no reason to use Shipsticks.

Edited February 28, 2024 by hammergolf

[NDSwim]

I'm going to Scotland from Arizona like you a few weeks later, but doing the Phx to London flight.....planning to use Ship Sticks due to Heathrow.  If JFK, I would just check them.

[Olson12]

39 minutes ago, NDSwim said:

I'm going to Scotland from Arizona like you a few weeks later, but doing the Phx to London flight.....planning to use Ship Sticks due to Heathrow.  If JFK, I would just check them.

 

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

You should be fine since you are avoiding LHR. You have a reasonable layover at JFK there’s no reason to use Shipsticks.

 

2 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

I have done many many trips and not once have had an issue.  

 

I think that 2.5 hrs will be well enough time.    

 

 

Thanks guys!

[Serenity Now]

As long as you stay away from Heathrow, you won’t have an issue. 

[Hawkeye77]

Flown to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin. Two weren’t direct and changes in Amsterdam and Toronto. 
 

The Amsterdam change got messed up because a dork in Minneapolis tagged them to just go that far. KLM was great and had it sorted very quickly - we took a taxi to downtown Edinburgh and had a nice lunch and walked around. Three hours later the clubs were In Edinburgh. 
 

That’s the only issue I’ve had. 

[McMunch]

Just to pile on- Have always checked my clubs.

A couple of trips to Scotland and many more to the Southern U.S. and the Caribbean. I'm guessing between 15-20 trips total over the years. Never any damage but I did have a set miss a direct flight from NY (JFK- sorry...) to St. Lucia one time. They showed up the next day.

 

Shipsticks uses commercial flights as well as Fed Ex, UPS, DHL etc...All these methods can fall victim to the same thing- missing connections in other airports. Shipping costs are nuts right now. I dabble in logistics as part of my job so I know the costs involved. The margins are smaller and everyone is cutting corners and mistakes happen. In the last 2-3 years even more so.

 

For me- I feel a little more confidence dealing with one airline and one flight/ destination even if there is a layover. Yours looks good with the 2 1/2..

[Sean30114]

I'm trying to decide myself. I have an hour and 20 minute layover in Toronto before leaving for Edinburgh. Will this be enough time to ensure the clubs make it?

[scott_Donald]

honestly - I would use checked bags for whatever UK airport, everything is fine now post covid with staffing. you are just as likely to loose the bags as anywhere but chances are slim.

 

 

[jvincent]

4 hours ago, Sean30114 said:

I'm trying to decide myself. I have an hour and 20 minute layover in Toronto before leaving for Edinburgh. Will this be enough time to ensure the clubs make it?

 

That's cutting it tight. If the inbound flight is delayed you could be in trouble.

[cardia10]

On 3/3/2024 at 12:19 PM, Sean30114 said:

I'm trying to decide myself. I have an hour and 20 minute layover in Toronto before leaving for Edinburgh. Will this be enough time to ensure the clubs make it?

I had 4 hours in Toronto and my clubs stayed on the tarmac for 4 days according to my air tag. I will never take mine on a plane again.

[El Gringo]

Folks can always rent clubs and be done with the hassle. They have some good services now that offer high quality clubs. I know a guy who rents clubs to test them for a few a weeks at a time. 

[scott_Donald]

2 hours ago, El Gringo said:

Folks can always rent clubs and be done with the hassle. They have some good services now that offer high quality clubs. I know a guy who rents clubs to test them for a few a weeks at a time. 

I am too snobby and particular to ever rent clubs. Would hate to loose my artisan stuff but a perk is a couple texts and new ones would be built exactly the same(would hate to have to pay for it though)

[Hawkeye77]

On 3/3/2024 at 11:19 AM, Sean30114 said:

I'm trying to decide myself. I have an hour and 20 minute layover in Toronto before leaving for Edinburgh. Will this be enough time to ensure the clubs make it?

We had 2.5 hours there a few years ago (yawn) and weren't worried.  When we flew through Amsterdam it was only 1 hour and except for the issue on the way out that had nothing to do with the layover, no issue at all on the way back.  

[Hawkeye77]

10 minutes ago, scott_Donald said:

I am too snobby and particular to ever rent clubs. Would hate to loose my artisan stuff but a perk is a couple texts and new ones would be built exactly the same(would hate to have to pay for it though)

The clubs my wife and youngest daughter got to play with at both Royal Dornoch and St. Andrews were brand new and better than their own sets, lol.

 

For a real golfing vacation, you bet I want my bag.

 

This spring we'll be in London and I have a round arranged at Sunningdale and will be renting and I have no doubt it will be quality stuff - I'm just going there mostly for the experience and not too worried about score.  We'll see what neat Titleist irons they have, haven't played Titleist for a few years.

[El Gringo]

3 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

The clubs my wife and youngest daughter got to play with at both Royal Dornoch and St. Andrews were brand new and better than their own sets, lol.

 

For a real golfing vacation, you bet I want my bag.

 

This spring we'll be in London and I have a round arranged at Sunningdale and will be renting and I have no doubt it will be quality stuff - I'm just going there mostly for the experience and not too worried about score.  We'll see what neat Titleist irons they have, haven't played Titleist for a few years.

I meant from the rental service companies rather than clubs. They do meet and greet or delivery service. Folks might be surprised at the choice and quality. It’s a realistic option rather paying the crazy Ship Sticks prices. It’s even an option should sticks go missing for a few days. The thing to do is make sure some golf gear and shoes are carryon. Far too many people don’t have golf gear when a bag doesn’t make it. Big rookie travel mistake.

[hammergolf]

4 hours ago, scott_Donald said:

I am too snobby and particular to ever rent clubs. Would hate to loose my artisan stuff but a perk is a couple texts and new ones would be built exactly the same(would hate to have to pay for it though)

I’m the same. The thought of going to play some great courses without my clubs are things nightmares are made of….

[Poor Mans Ty Webb]

Shoutout to the Apple Air Tag if you do choose to fly with your clubs. No golfer should be without one.

 

I slowly accumulated and built up a travel set for this reason. All clubs that I’m comfortable with, but it won’t kill me if they get lost or damaged. Was also a fun little project to put together!

[st1800e]

3 hours ago, Poor Mans Ty Webb said:

No golfer should be without one on every bag, including your carryon

FTFY

[njlam]

On 2/29/2024 at 7:09 AM, McMunch said:

Shipsticks uses commercial flights as well as Fed Ex, UPS, DHL etc...All these methods can fall victim to the same thing- missing connections in other airports. Shipping costs are nuts right now. I dabble in logistics as part of my job so I know the costs involved. The margins are smaller and everyone is cutting corners and mistakes happen. In the last 2-3 years even more so.

I disagree with this. Shipsticks is a shipping company and tracks/moves packages like a shipping company. The use services like DHL/FedEx/UPS/etc.

Airlines are airlines first and baggage handlers second, and also have to deal with the vagaries  of labor challenges at foreign airports. The baggage handling business is very labor intensive in the UK and Europe and they like the rest of the world have been experiencing labor shortages.

On my trip to Scotland last summer, I shipped my clubs via Shipsticks and they arrived without incident to my tour operator at St Andrews. I was able to track my bags for their entire journey.

I flew BA (business class) from Portland, Oregon to Edinburgh, with a two hour layover in Heathrow. My bags were checked in Portland direct to Edinburgh,  but were lost in Heathrow and I didn't see them for four days (of a 10 day trip). Communicating with BA was a nightmare, and with Air Tags in my luggage, I knew more about where my luggage was than BA. This really interfered (massively) with my swing thoughts for my first three rounds.

In the future, if Heathrow is involved, I would send both my clubs and luggage via Shipsticks. An additional $300 is more than worth it to avoid the hassles of not having your stuff (in my case a CPAP and essential meds) on a premium golf trip.

It is worth noting, BA did compensate me for necessities for four days I was without "necessities" , which in my case include toiletries, golf clothes, etc. While it took a while to receive the funds ($1000), it is likely BA lost money on me. It would have been better for everyone if they had just not lost my luggage.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, njlam said:

I disagree with this. Shipsticks is a shipping company and tracks/moves packages like a shipping company. The use services like DHL/FedEx/UPS/etc.

Airlines are airlines first and baggage handlers second, and also have to deal with the vagaries  of labor challenges at foreign airports. The baggage handling business is very labor intensive in the UK and Europe and they like the rest of the world have been experiencing labor shortages.

On my trip to Scotland last summer, I shipped my clubs via Shipsticks and they arrived without incident to my tour operator at St Andrews. I was able to track my bags for their entire journey.

I flew BA (business class) from Portland, Oregon to Edinburgh, with a two hour layover in Heathrow. My bags were checked in Portland direct to Edinburgh,  but were lost in Heathrow and I didn't see them for four days (of a 10 day trip). Communicating with BA was a nightmare, and with Air Tags in my luggage, I knew more about where my luggage was than BA. This really interfered (massively) with my swing thoughts for my first three rounds.

In the future, if Heathrow is involved, I would send both my clubs and luggage via Shipsticks. An additional $300 is more than worth it to avoid the hassles of not having your stuff (in my case a CPAP and essential meds) on a premium golf trip.

It is worth noting, BA did compensate me for necessities for four days I was without "necessities" , which in my case include toiletries, golf clothes, etc. While it took a while to receive the funds ($1000), it is likely BA lost money on me. It would have been better for everyone if they had just not lost my luggage.

I never will, and advise everyone else to NEVER connect through Heathrow if you actually want your bags to arrive at your final destination. 

[ivygynonc]

I have always 100% shipstick'd my clubs from my home to the locatoin I am giong.  This is usually around 200-250 dollars one way.  I then have the freedom to book whatever flight I find the most reasonable in terms of price, time, layovers, etc.  

 

I check my clubs on the way home as I am not worried if they make it or not. 

 

It has always worked out and my buddies have used rentals many times when then chose to check bags from USA to UK.  My luggage has not always made it but I bring 3 pairs of pants, socks, shirts, etc and have had to use the hotel laundry service some, but again, well worth it to have my clubs.  

 

I would recommend to use shipsticks over and then bring home on your flight.  

 

Edited March 22, 2024 by ivygynonc