Did you fly Lufthansa all the way or did you use another airline also for part of the trip?
I have flown through Frankfurt with guns three times since 2021. No problems. I'm always booked on airlines that are part of Star Alliance Group. Haven't required the Frankfurt gun permit but I can see where it could be a problem if I was bumped due to cancelation and had to switch to another airline not part of the group. In the future I will probably get the Frankfurt permit just in case.
https://www.lufthansa.com/cr/en/sports-baggage. Looks like they do clip us for rifle and ammo, but at least the fee removes any doubt about the legitimacy of our goodies.
Better check their website. Regs can usually be found under "sports equipment." I think it was per gun case. Fairly certain they only allow two guns per passenger. Air Canada allows three guns per passenger but only airline I know of that does. As I recall, Lufthansa gun handling fee was around $220. Quite steep. Air Canada, by comparison, charged $55 Canadian. I pay the gun handling fee at start of the flight and never see the guns again till Joberg even though I change airlines in Europe ... as long as the connecting airline is part of the Star Alliance. Best to put both guns in one case to avoid fees for an extra oversize item.
I think I paid EUR 250 for gun carriage. I had a major problem flying back from Windhoek where the computer system wanted me to pay for an additional bag in addition to the 250 handling fee. The Windhoek staff were great but it had to be revolved in Germany, which took about 45 mins. I was told that there had been a lufthansa computer system fault that day and there were several other people in the same position with gun cases
I have flown to Joberg, South Africa from Toronto four times 2019-2023. Every time with at least two airlines, sometimes as many as four different ones. Every time the guns checked at departure and never saw them again until reaching my final destination. Airports: Toronto, Heathrow, Joberg, Zurich, Franfurt. All airlines belonged to Star Alliance. I paid the handling fee charged by airline at embarkation and no more. I did not acquire a transfer permit for Frankfurt. No one asked for it. Again, in the future I would get the transfer permit in case I was unexpectedly delayed there and flight plan changed. I have always booked my own flights and done my own paperwork for guns. And engaged assistance at Joberg to expedite police check there. It can be done without a travel agent.
I had not problem taking my gun to Azerbaijan on Qatar. Just booked the flight and called and told them I’d have a gun. Transited through Doha. But as you say it was all Qatar operated flights.
Good to know. I am glad to hear that route is working out for folks.
I usually have at least three airlines to get to Africa but one main international carrier. The main routes we use are served by Delta and Qatar. For most itineraries it is not "end to end" as we usually have a domestic carrier in Africa to get to the final destination and in my case AA to get going. Regardless of the route and regardless of what people say online you do not want to interline from one airline to another with rifles. There are many issues that can come up ie the second airline wanting to inspect and asking for more or nonexistent paperwork.
