I'm flying to Texas from PA with a pistol in my luggage. Never did this before...

[old mark]

what do I need to know or do to get it OK with the airline?

Texas will honor my PA carry license, but I have not traveled far with a gun since I drove from Philly to SF with a 1911 in the front seat in 1974. Things changed.

Experience? Thanks.

mark

[tburnsten]

1. Never done it myself

But you need a locked, hardsided case, ammunition separate, possibly locked as well, and you must declare it at the ticket counter, where you will show the attendant the case, unlock it for them to show that it is unloaded and there is no ammunition in the case with it, and then you will lock it before putting it into the checked bag it will fly in. You do not give them the key, you keep that on you the whole flight.

Here's a link that looks pretty solid.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm

[SteveM]

2. What Thurbsten said. My experience...

in transporting an ancient Winchester .22 autoloader was the same as above, but on the bus trip from the airport, signs are posted in the vehicle saying no weapons allowed. The bus driver didn't seem too concerned, and wanted to know what kind of rifle it was. I told him I bought a cheap case for an E-flat clarinet.

[old mark]

3. Turns out we are not going anyway - we were going to drive, but we have

some health problems that won't permit that.

Thanks anyway.

mark

[SteveM]

4. Shouldn't be a problem, but there was the potential...

when I got to Austin, I looked in the carousel for the gun case and found none after several minutes (I also had no instruction on how/where to pick up the rifle). Only after wandering about aimlessly did I spot the case, sitting by itself in a portal in the back of the room. Nice. Anyone could have walked off with it.

Inquire as to the precise movements of the gun-case, and where to pick it up.