In Episode 19 of When Flying With Guns Goes Perfectly, I flew Spirit Airlines from Las Vegas (LAS) to New Orleans (MSY) with three handguns: a S&W Bodyguard 2.0, a S&W Shield Plus, and a Keltec PR47. All were secured in a Pelican V100 Vault Small Pistol Case, which was locked and packed inside a regular checked suitcase.
The check-in process went smoothly—just a bit slow, which is perfectly fine. I’ll take slow and uneventful over rushed and problematic any day.
Since the locked case was packed inside my main piece of luggage, the bag came out on the regular carousel with all the other baggage—no need for special handling or oversized claim.
Watch the video, and if you’re just tuning in, be sure to check out the rest of the When Flying With Guns Goes Perfectly series to see how the experience varies across different airports and airlines.
WRONG!! Luggage containing firearms are to be properly tagged by the customer service agent at check-in. The airline is supposed to walk the luggage to the owner and verify YOU are the listed owner. This mitigates the possibility of someone mistakenly picking up your bag, and (hopefully) prevents the firearm(s) being in the hands of “bad people.”
They are not supposed to be tagged that they have a firearm in it, per TSA guidelines. The Firearm Declaration Form goes inside of the lockbox or on the outside of the lockbox if it is within another piece of luggage. They don’t always walk it to you, especially when it is in another piece of luggage.