A British Airways ban on bulky sports equipment could wreck the fast growing holiday world of independent active travel, it was claimed today.

From November 6, the airline will refuse to carry hang gliders, windsurfing boards and sails, surfboards, kayaks, canoes, pole vaults and javelins.

In a statement on its website, BA blamed the decision on the "large size and handling complexities" of carrying the sports equipment - and advised travellers to contact a freight company. The decision follows months of luggage backlogs at BA and an internal debate on how to minimise the problem.

But the decision has unsurprisingly provoked a furious reaction, with Times Online surf blogger Alex Wade leading the charge. In a scathing ironic attack on his blog, he rants: "It is, of course, a complex matter, lifting a six-foot surfboard in a board bag into the hold. It weighs oh, all of nothing and, laid on top of other luggage (in a fantasy world), takes up barely any room."

A Facebook site has also been set up to highlight the surprise development. "It may be too late with BA but we don't want other carriers following their lead," said one entry. And bloggers have highlighted Oceansource.net which has a ratings guide to airlines and their surfboard policy.

Holiday firms are stunned by the decision and say BA has made a tactical blunder by introducing the ban. Chris Thomson, managing director of Errant Surf Holidays, said the company organises hundreds of surf trips within the UK and internationally every year.

"Until now, we have continually recommended British Airways as they have always taken an extremely understanding view on surf board transportation. We are shocked to hear about their new decision to completely ban surfboards, and fail to understand this new position.

"BA's view that "the large size and handling complexities" of a surfboard makes boards impossible to transport is absurd - especially given that there is no ban on golf clubs, bikes, large musical instruments or a whole range of other sporting equipment. We already have many of our clients due to fly with BA this winter, and if the airline continues with this policy, we will be doing all possible to ensure that they refund these flights so that our clients can fly with a more understanding airline.”

Karen Walton, national director of the British Surfing Association, also called the decision "inexplicable" and said the BSA felt badly let down - especailly as the association has used BA in the past to carry national sporting treams abroad.

"We have over 10,000 members and hundreds of them have contacted us today about this new decision, expressing their disbelief and anger at what they see as a marginalisation of the sport and everyone within the surfing community," said Walton.

"Surfing is one of the fastest growing mainstream sports in this country with tens of thousands of people taking to the waves for the first time every year, then continuing to develop and hone their skills in a whole range of surf destinations.

"International surf travel companies are expanding every day as British people look to pursue their new found passion abroad, particularly in the winter months and BA has recently reopened its route from Gatwick to Newquay, no doubt keen to capitalise on the growing number of British people heading for the surf."

BA is to continue carrying golf clubs and other sporting equipment, including fishing rods and bicycles, further angering the British Surfing Association. "Most people would fit into a double bass case and a full set of golf clubs would certainly weigh more than your average surfboard so how BA can justify these ridiculous statements is beyond us.

"We can only imagine that many more of BA’s frequent flyer executive club members are golfers or musicians than surfers and that the decision to ban surfboards is a commercial one made on this basis."

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