I used virgin about 6 months ago 1 board 5sails 2 masts boom and all the bits in 3 packages. I booked extra baggage before getting to the airport and it cost $45 per bag, it just can not exceed 32kg each. I had no damage and was very happy. I did pack towels around the board rails. Good luck.
Of late the Flying Kangaroo Bastards are looking the better option as you can pre-book extra luggage for $24 per piece online.
As mentioned by Jas71, individual weight of any bag can not exceed 32 kilos or the bag snatchers will refuse to lift it.
*Weigh your stuff at home and if you are close to 32kg its best to err on the side of caution and move something to a different bag or purchase more.
I once had to be escorted by security out to the baggage area where all the bags get stacked and sorted for individual flights to remove a few items in order to get the weight below 32kg so the bag snatches could put it on the aircraft. When I had checked the bag at home it was smack on 31kg but all scales are not equal !
You'll need to check your ticket type and see what the allocated luggage weight is for the fare type. As a rule its 23kg for standard flights and 32kg for business.
Qantas Frequent Flyers get different rates (gold get 32 kg, platinum get 2 x 32kg) Regardless of ticket type or frequent flyer status nothing over 32kg goes anywhere.
If you go over your allocated weight you can be charged $5 per kilo over... so it pays to pay the extra 24 for bucks for an additional piece if you're looking like being 5kgs over your ticket limit
Theres a couple of airline pilots who post on here so they may chip in.
If you're traveling with gear, get to the airport early, be pleasant at check in and expect to have to cart all your oversized gear to a different location so it can be checked in (it does not go through the bag drop or desk front location)
Get at least one bag with wheels (either sail bag or board bag) and work out how to strap all the gear onto itself so you can easily manoeuvre it through the airport on your own.
My 2cents, all in gear bag with wheels is the go, sails boom and masts in that bag and you board can easily be strapped to the top so you only have one item to drag (you'll need to unstrap to weigh the individual items then re-load and re-strap to cart them to oversize luggage for hand over) fins mast foot, extension can all go into a smaller back pack with your clothes
If you can remove your spreader bar from your harness, your harness does a great job of adding protection to the tail of your board (as long as there's enough room in your board bag) as the shape fits tightly around the tail. You can leave the bar on but you run the risk of something heavy going on top of your board in flight and pushing the spreader hook down into the deck of your board ! Towels and wetty in with your board/s
