TUI Airways won't let you add golf clubs online — it has to be booked by phone, with limited space per flight. Here's what it costs for a Faro flight and why timing matters.
TUI Airways flies into Faro from Cardiff and, seasonally, East Midlands, and a lot of golfers book it as part of a wider TUI package holiday rather than a standalone flight. That package-holiday setup shows up in how golf clubs get booked too — this is the one airline in the series where you can't just tick a box during online checkout.
How TUI handles golf clubs
Sports equipment, golf clubs included, has to be pre-booked by phone with TUI rather than added through the normal online booking flow. Reports are consistent that space for it on each flight is genuinely limited, and that turning up without having pre-booked risks the equipment being refused at check-in. If you've booked through a TUI package holiday, your travel agent may be able to sort it for you at the same time — otherwise, look up TUI's current baggage/sports equipment contact line on their official site and call as early as you can, since numbers and processes do change.
What it costs
TUI prices sports equipment by destination band rather than a single flat fee. For Portugal specifically — which covers a Faro flight — reported pricing sits at around £27 per one-way flight, on the cheaper end of TUI's bands (longer routes and some other destinations cost more). That means budgeting roughly £54 for the fee alone on a return trip. Treat that figure as a guide and confirm the current price when you call to book, since TUI's bands and rates can shift.
Why booking early matters more here than usual
Between the phone-only booking process and genuinely limited space per flight, TUI is one of the least forgiving airlines on this list if you leave it late. Call as soon as you've got your flight or holiday booked, not the week before you travel — if the equipment allocation on your specific flight is already full, no amount of money fixes that at the airport.
The alternative: skip the phone call and rent at Faro
Given you already have to make a phone call and hope there's room, plenty of TUI passengers decide it's simpler to travel without clubs at all and rent once they land. Two operators are based directly inside Faro Airport (FAO) — one in the arrivals hall, one at a departures-terminal counter — so there's no call to make and no allocation to run out of. Collect a set the moment you land, or have one delivered to your hotel or first course.
Curious what else is out there beyond the airport options? Our Algarve club rental directory lists every operator, with rates and delivery areas.
Bottom line
TUI's fee for golf clubs to Portugal is actually one of the more affordable ones on this list — it's the process around it that's the sticking point. Call well ahead to lock in space, or sidestep the whole thing by renting once you're in Faro.
