Ask a Baggage Handler: Why Do Surfboards Get Broken on Airplanes?

Surfboard bags are precious cargo.

At least, they are to the traveling surfer. The anonymous baggage handler tossing that bag into a plane's undercarriage? Not so much. Hence why, all too often, there are horror stories of broken boards by airlines, surf trips ruined, and angry Instagram posts.

But recently, after writing multiple articles about pro surfers having their surfboards dinged, snapped, or worse at the hands of baggage handlers, I received a message. It was from a baggage handler himself – a peek behind the curtain – who was also a surfer, and who wanted to shed a little light on the graveyard of broken surfboards.

Having had more than a few boards broken while in transit myself, I happily obliged.

Meet Matt Ritter, seen above, a New Jersey transplant living in San Diego, lifelong surfer, and former baggage handler for nearly 20 years at San Diego International Airport.

Hey Matt. Tell us about your experience with airlines and baggage handling.

I did 13 years for Delta, I did three years for American, I did a year or two with Alaska and Virgin America. I was at San Diego airport for 17 years, but I retired. I left in 2021. Even there, back in 2021, they were only paying us $15.50 an hour.

I did ground. We bring the plane in, wave the little light wands, refuel, throw in the baggage…you usually do a combination of all those jobs.

"Maybe they’re not being malicious, but they just severely don’t care because they’re not being paid enough."

What’s the process for surfboard bags when they get checked?

So, surfboards are oversized. They’re treated the same as skis or golf clubs. They’re going through an extra process than a regular bag. Your regular checked bags just go on the belts behind the counter when you check in. Surfboard bags don’t go through the belt system.

They’re actually treated a bit better. They’re being hand-delivered to a cart, then physically picked up and placed down. It’s sitting in certain positions for a much longer time, rather than being shuffled around like a regular checked bag.

Technically, if they [baggage handlers] do their job correctly, it’s getting moved less and handled better. There should be no issues when it comes to damage.

So, why are so many boards damaged or broken in the process?

These are guys that are getting paid a really low wage, so they don’t care about their job, they’re usually bummed to be there. The other thing is that it’s a time-constraint position. We are literally told to throw baggage.

Oversized bags are getting put on the plane last. They’re throwing the skis, the golf bags, the boardbags on top, and that can lead to pressure dings, maybe smush a rail, or snap a nose.

But when you see the boards being snapped totally in half, that’s guys being really, really rough. They just f*cking hate their job and they don’t care.

"You can’t leave the airport and claim damage later. You have to open your boardbag right there in the airport to see if there’s damage."

Any destinations where surfboards might get intentionally mishandled?

There are very few airports in the world where a baggage handler might have a personal vendetta against surfers coming to their waves. Obviously, Honolulu, Maui, a couple of the ones in Hawaii. Maybe some newer surf hotspots like Mainland Mexico. There are very few exceptions where they’re being intentionally malicious.

So, boardbag damage is mostly a result of baggage handlers not knowing how fragile surfboards can be? Or…not caring?

Exactly.

It’s usually not that they’re against surfboards, it’s just this big, bulky thing. They’re just f*cking throwing it. But to break a board in half, that’s extreme circumstances. Maybe they’re not being malicious, but they just severely don’t care because they’re not being paid enough.

The job truly is hazard pay, because we are bringing these planes in and dealing with heavy equipment, and we bring these huge pushback trucks for the airplane and the tugs. You can get sucked into an engine a few times a day in one shift. Guys can and do literally die and get sucked into engines and run over for $14 to $16 an hour.

"They just f*cking hate their job and they don’t care."

Were there a lot of other baggage handlers who were also surfers?

None.

There was maybe a random guy here and there who was…not even a weekend warrior. Just someone who surfed once in a while with friends when they took a board to the beach or something. But there were none that were avid surfers.

I’m really surprised that the airline industry doesn’t have more surfers. I don’t get it. They don’t take advantage of the flight benefits, and all the programs that were offered to employees.

How can surfers pack their boardbags better to avoid breaking boards while flying?

Here’s what I do: I put some towels, my clothes, maybe some wetsuits up by my nose. The only other thing is you can have a piece of cardboard, and you can put it perpendicular around the rails. That’s an extra layer of protection.

But if they’re going to break your board in half, like we’ve seen, there’s really nothing you can do about that. That’s them just not caring whatsoever about their job.

Are some airlines worse than others when it comes to reckless boardbag handling?

The main airlines – Delta, American, United – they’re probably going to be the worse. They’re going to have guys who are getting turned over faster. They’re going to have some lifers, too, but a lot of turnovers. These are the guys who don’t care about their jobs, the ones who are mindlessly throwing bags around.

The smaller airlines – not the Frontiers and the Spirits; but the Alaskas and the Virgin Americas – they’re going to be, I think, a little bit better. They still have a reputation they want to uphold. So, they’ll want to take care of your things.

What should surfers do when their boards are damaged in transit?

You can’t leave the airport and claim damage later. You have to open your boardbag right there in the airport to see if there’s damage. There’s a way higher chance of getting your damage claim paid for if you do it right there in the airport. If you claim it later, they’ll say, ‘Oh you did that when you left.’ I get it. People are tired after flying and they wanna get where they’re going, but you gotta do it.

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