I will be travilling soon and was wondering if anyone has had a problem with American Airlines? This is the only carrier that flys to my destination. I will be taking a firearm with me, what do i need to know about taking it, any special casses? I checked there web site and it had limited Info.

Call the airline well ahead of time and let them know you'll have a firearm in your luggage.  If you don't have one, get a good, lockable case like an SKB.  It'll need to be checked and tagged, but you should be able to fly with it.  True story - I have a friend who was travelling with an MP5A3.  When he got to the ticket counter to check his luggage he was asked to open the case and show clear.  He says "Ae you sure you want me to do that?"  Girl at the counter says yes.  So he proceeds to pull the submachinegun out of the case, rack the bolt, and show clear in the middle of the airport.  According to him, people were dropping and ducking for cover left and right at the sight of the thing.  Kind of funny - I'd have loved to see the reactions on peoples' faces - but also kind of dangerous.  Any one of the dipshit rent-a-cops in the airport could have completely misunderstood the situation and caused things to get out of hand.

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What is the legality of bringing a class 3 weapon with you to another state for  short time?

You have to file a form 5320.20 with BATF which will disclose where the weapon will go.  As long as its legal in the destination state, you're good to go.

Hi there, Rescue35:

Please see my comments 1-2 or so weeks ago on "AR15-L" YahooGroups mail list for more info. Search for 'wiese'; posting title's something like "[AR15-L] Flying with an AR..."

Often calling someone at the airline, or checking website - doesn't match reality. I flew on Alaska; they did wanna see everything was unloaded even though prev call said I just had to swear/certify it's unloaded. The nice girl did take me to a discreet area behind a lectern to do this. (Was prepared to ask for this if they wanted me to flop it on the counter and rack it back.)  She was wide-eyed but it went smoothly - only took extra 3 minutes. If they don't ask, suggest using an area shielded from general view. Fortunately,  AR was broken down and revolver was easy to show as empty. I orig wrapped my transit case with strapping tape; I asked for Alaska tape to reseal it after inspection. I think that "offical" tape may help stop any ground crew theft (except perhaps at Newark or JFK!!) even though case is locked.

Is this a nonstop or are all segments on the same airline (American)?  If so, ask that YOUR ITEM BE HELD FOR CLAIM AT DESTINATION. Ask how they can *guarantee* that. Ask that they require ID and/or claim coupon for pickup. This may be difficult to do if you're flying on multiple airlines. Depending on how bags are handled, this could result in all your luggage being held for pickup at agent desk (which is not necessarily bad).

Just in case of f*ck up, though, DON'T linger getting off your flight. If you're travelling with a slowpoke (wife, granny...), run ahead of 'em and have them meet you at luggage claim, or bring a cattle prod ;-).  Get to luggage carousel quickly so some lurking Colombian doesn't grab it. [That's the typical ethnicity at SFO/SJC/LAX for luggage theft. Sorry, I'm  not real PC!] While there are often long waits to get luggage, on this last trip of mine somehow they were way overefficient and I just made it to the claim area when I saw my gun case pop out the chute.

Also really ensure you're watching the right  carousel!  Often they announce the wrong one on disembarkment or the flight# displays above carousels don't get properly updated. Don't "group think": just because lots of folks from your flight are watching Carousel 7, that could just be herd instinct. Ask an agent; be prepared to be mobile running between carousels in case you have to grab your rifle fast.

What if you're on a multileg flight and the next leg is cancelled/changed, etc?  GRAB A GATE AGENT IMMEDIATELY. Politely ask (hound!) 'em about the luggage transfer situation. If they're too casual or you're losing faith your luggage'll make it, tell 'em about the guns. Tell them, if missing, you have to report 'em (and names of  parties you've dealt with) to BATF & local/ airport police, and they may be questioned off the clock.  They should hop to (in my case,  without too much prodding) and hand move the bags to your flight, esp if a tight connection. We also got a 1st class upgrade. [If I had it to do over again, I would wait for another 3 hrs instead of trying to push that tight connection for the replacement flight. Less chance to screw up.]

Due to this I feel there's less chance of  losing my bags (or having 'em held/diverted)  due to the added attention. From now on, when I can do so (w/o legal problems) I will fly with  declared firearm(s)
Shoot straight!
-Bill Wiese
San Mateo, CA

Yes, I will be fling american all the way (2 plain changes). destination is the Virgin Islands I have family there(lived there for 5 years myself) It is like a 3rd world country. Thanks for all the info this will be my first time fliing with a gun, just wanted to know what to expect and get some pointers.