Flying to scotland with rifles?

[Andrewslater]

Is anyone familiar with flying from gatwick to inverness with rifles? Looks like easyjet will be the best bet as they allow this as sporting rifles.

I have tried to call easyjet a number of times to get the procedure and have just been pushed pillar to post. I would appreciate if anyone has any recent experiences they are willing to share.

Do you need to use customs like when flying abroad?

What were peoples experiences with times involved? I know for overseas departure with a group this took us a good few hours from gatwick back in december. If the process is like this both ends i could be half way there is the car.

 

[Frank Homes]

Is anyone familiar with flying from gatwick to inverness with rifles? Looks like easyjet will be the best bet as they allow this as sporting rifles.

I have tried to call easyjet a number of times to get the procedure and have just been pushed pillar to post. I would appreciate if anyone has any recent experiences they are willing to share.

Do you need to use customs like when flying abroad?

I have done easyjet from Luton several times and it is a fairly painless process, just pitch up a bit earlier than usual, announce to the check-in desk, they will call security, you have to fill in a form and then go to outsize baggage to hand them over- half an hour extra at the most providing security are available but i have never had a problem.

 

[Essexsussex]

Is anyone familiar with flying from gatwick to inverness with rifles? Looks like easyjet will be the best bet as they allow this as sporting rifles.

I have tried to call easyjet a number of times to get the procedure and have just been pushed pillar to post. I would appreciate if anyone has any recent experiences they are willing to share.

Do you need to use customs like when flying abroad?

What were peoples experiences with times involved? I know for overseas departure with a group this took us a good few hours from gatwick back in december. If the process is like this both ends i could be half way there is the car.

Took me about 20 mins to get the right person at Gatwick to sign them in then they wrote down numbers and checked FAC. Easy to collect at Inverness.

Then checking in at Inverness didn’t take much more than twenty mins. Collecting at Gatwick they just left them next to the carousel! Didn’t even see them dropped off.

 

[Essexsussex]

I meant to add I think on easyJet you click through to sports equipment and there’s a firearm option but I may be misremembering. I keep a rifle there now so haven’t travelled with one for a while, only because it saves a few quid each way.

 

[Essexsussex]

There you go

 

[NullMac]

Go to the priority desk or whatever it is called they will send you there anyway. Dont waste time in the chavs queue

 

[McKenzie]

It can’t be that difficult. I’m at Edinburgh airport about every 6 weeks & without fail I see people wandering about with shotgun cases & often see a trolley loaded with lots of shotgun cases being moved to a loading area by a staff member.

 

[caorach]

The Easyjet business model is that they spend a minimum amount of time possible with each customer. This works in your favour as the checkin staff just want you checked in and on the plane.

On the Easyjet site there is a section that details the exact requirements for flying with firearms - you'll hear the usual suspects making all sorts of expert announcements on what you need to do but my advice is to do exactly what Easyjet ask plus print out that part of their website and take it with you to the airport. That means that if you get someone who doesn't know what they are doing or, even worse, some self important jobsworth who starts making stuff up then you can present them with the official Easyjet requirements in printed form. At that point you've got yourself covered.

My experience is that it almost always goes smoothly and that the people at checkin are well used to boarding you with firearms and just want to send you through as fast as possible.

The requirements for travelling with firearms are at the bottom of this page:

Dangerous goods | easyJet

 

[Andrewslater]

Thanks to all that have replied. This seems to suggest the process will be much simpler than I had thought.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Interesting to read Easyjet’s Lithium batteries section and what the restrictions are…

 

[tackb]

Absolute nightmare easyJet Luton-Inverness for me with rifles , twice !

Record all interactions with their lying staff and put a tracker in with your guns !

 

[Pete6.5]

Get there early because you have to wait for the police to finish their cup of tea (joke) before coming to check everything. I've always found it very easy and have joked about taking a rifle even if not needed.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Absolute nightmare easyJet Luton-Inverness for me with rifles , twice !

Record all interactions with their lying staff and put a tracker in with your guns !

I concur - travelling NI to Edinburgh can be an absolute lottery, half the ground staff take the colliewobbles when a firearm is mentioned! Mind you P&O staff are worse yet Stena is a breeze!
Just be prepared and read the airline’s T&Cs - you may need to quote them!

 

[6points]

Traveling brs to invr with easyjet later in the year. Do I need anything from the estate to say thats were I am going or just fac and passport?

 

[Stalker62]

Do I need anything from the estate to say thats were I am going or just fac and passport?

@6points


Just your FAC and Passport.

You need a 'Letter of Invite", for Safaris and such overseas.

 

[sikamalc]

Arrive at Gatwick a good 3 hours before departure. You will need FAC and Passport. The form you fill in will require information about the firearm your are carrying.Make sure the ammo is in a locked seperate box and in your main luggage.

On arrival at Inverness you will need to go to the main desk in the middle of the airport, and the gun and main bag will be delivered there. They will probably ask to see your ticket and FAC to check you have the right gun case.

That's it. I have over the 30 plus years had many clients in and out of Inverness, with firearms. Some travelling from abroad, others from the UK. Never get any issues as such at Inverness, as they are used to seeing firearms. Any London airport, you are likely to find an idiot who knows nothing, but Easyjet are the best for firearms in my opinion.

 

[Koenig]

All good advice. I’d add email and then call ahead when you leave home to let them know you’re coming with Rifles. I found Virgin a pain in RSA (I know this a UK based Q) but you get desk tools everywhere who ‘think they know’ what to do….like the walloper I had who insisted rifle and ammo were to go in the same box.

 

[6points]

flying on Sunday and on the website says contact to let them know you are bringing a firearm. I cant find a number anywhere i have already paid for it so they should know im bringing it surely. Just turn up and go to the desk? also do you fill in declaration form yourself before you get there or with them?

 

[Heym SR20]

Might it be easier to do an RFD to RFD transfer before you go. Take your rifle to your local RFD - he sends it up to RFD near where you are going. You pick it up from the RFD and go stalking. Have a chat with your host as to doing this.