A woman was left in tears after her 'lucky' padel racket was confiscated before her flight home from Bali because it is classified as a 'dangerous device' under Indonesian law. Henrietta Jones-Chapman, 27, from Harlow, Essex, had brought the racket, worth more than £100 and personalised by her brother, to Bali for a work trip. She was stopped at Bali Denpasar Airport security and told the racket could not be taken in hand luggage.
Incident at Bali Denpasar Airport
Henrietta filmed a TikTok video after the incident, captioned 'don't bring your padel racket in your hand luggage coming home from Bali', which has over 230,000 views. In the clip, she says: 'I'm actually crying, it's so pathetic.' She had brought the racket into Indonesia in the same handbag without issue on the outbound flight, but was told on departure that a new law prohibits padel rackets in the cabin.
Henrietta said: 'I was heartbroken. I know it's a bit dramatic but it's an item that was important to me. It was not just your average racket, it was more than £100 and personalised by my brother so it was sentimental.' She had to 'kick up a fuss' to convince staff to put the racket in the hold for free rather than confiscate it permanently.
Legal Classification and Airline Policies
Under Indonesian law, padel rackets are classified as 'dangerous devices' and are not allowed in cabin luggage. UK Government guidelines allow tennis rackets as hand luggage but prohibit 'heavy bats and sticks' including baseball, softball and cricket bats. Padel rackets, which are stringless and more solid than tennis rackets, are not explicitly listed, but passengers should check with airlines as policies vary.
Ryanair prohibits sports rackets as 'blunt instruments capable of causing serious injury', while British Airways permits padel rackets in a slim protective case. Henrietta advises travellers to always pack rackets in hold luggage to avoid similar issues.
Fastest Growing Sport in the UK
Padel is booming in the UK, with an estimated 1,000,000 people now playing the sport. Player participation has surged by over 2,500%, making it the fastest growing sport in the country. Henrietta's racket was a sentimental item, and she was relieved to retrieve it after staff allowed it to be checked in.
She warned: 'Make sure rackets are in your check-in bag if you're traveling to Bali. If I was any later my bag might've already gone through. There could've been extra costs but I was lucky they didn't charge me.'
