Therack
AH enthusiast
I recently flew to Johannesburg from Denver with United Airlines. While checking my gun at the ticket counter I encountered some problems with the ticket counter personnel. The lady who originally tried to check my gun was confused about the rules and had to refer to Uniteds policy about sending a gun to SA. She stated that I needed the South Africa permit, SAP 520, to leave the US. I informed her that I didn't need the permit to leave the US, I needed it to enter SA. She called over a second ticket agent that had to read the rules and said that I needed the SA permit to leave the US. I then asked for a supervisor. The supervisor came over and read the same thing on the computer screen and said that I had to apply for the SAP 520 in advance and needed it to fly to SA. I kept telling them I didn't need the permit to leave the US and that a third party had my permit in SA and they were meeting me at the airport to clear customs. In the end they checked my gun and I went on my way. Lesson learned is that I should have had a copy of my SAP 520 even if it's not required to leave the US.