Airline Baggage Regulation / Flying with Bikes

Blimey, last year I just turned up to the airport in Pisa and gave them my bike as it was, without any prior warning that I was going to be bringing a bike with me and without a bike box.
Cost £40 and the bike was completely unscathed.

On the other hand, preparing for the worst is probably the most sensible option. I doubt that the majority of the air-travelling cyclist population could count on being as lucky as you.

ive travelled a couple of times on Ryan Air with a bike just wheeled onto to coveya belt - no additional protection.

The only damage suffered was my puncher repair kit was confiscated out of my saddle bag for being a 'liquid' by some narks after an illegal search - which caused problems, as I didn't know the italian for 'puncher repair kit' to buy a new one.

It's il Kit d'el reparazione per la punctrurrazzo

I resorted to an version interlingual charade's much to the amusement of a confused old italian bikeshop owner.

btw - don't ever buy an Italian puncher repair kit - they suck.

all of them?

My extensive investigation using a random sample has seen a 100% failure rate.

all of them?

emirates are expensive to send your bike if it's not in your allowance, £400 to oz from the UK for me today... nice...

emirates are expensive to send your bike if it's not in your allowance, £400 to oz from the UK for me today... nice...

But they have a 32kg allowance (even for cattle class) so it sounds like someone didn't weigh their baggage before heading to the airport. You were charged excess baggage, just like every other airline I know.

sleazyjet to barça last weekend, 17.50 for a bike box. bargain. 20 kg limit, but had it packed to 30 on the way back and they said nothing.

BMI - my bike box was approx 30kg, and the limit was 20kg (f'in ridiculous) - no extra charge

which caused problems, as I didn't know the italian for 'puncher repair kit' to buy a new one.

Learning it in english first is helpful.

Learning it in english first is helpful.

1) months too late

2) how lame?

RE: Air New Zealand. They've changed their rules effective of tickets purchased after about June 2010. Previously a bike could be brought in place of a bag, but now in economy you only get 1 x 23kg bag (for all flights they operate). The good news is a bike is charged at 1/2 the extra bag fee if its under 23kg, and then 1/2 the extra bag + overweight fee if its 23 - 32kg.

I emailed to confirm what 1/2 the extra bag fee is, and basically London to Auckland is 17.50 quid for up to 23kg bike, and about 50 quid for an up to 32kg bike.

I'm happy with that, as my bike is twice the size of an extra suitcase, and I pay 1/2 the suitcase cost.

I have used the www.groundeffect.co.nz Tardis bag for bikes I'm not as worried about, and then a Neil Pryde bike bag as sold by pretty much everyone up here for others. This time I'm just using a cardboard box ... as it saves me a few kg of bike bag (as I always put a box inside the neil pryde bag anyway).

-

Anyone got any recommendations as to who to fly with to Aus if Im taking my bike?

Emirates. 30kg allowance.

i'm with emirates and will be squeeze. you can buy extra allowance online ie 5kg for £150. thats is you get caught short.

Am I right that BA is still pretty generous (and they've got a sale on right now), last time I checked you can take 2 checked bags (max 23kg?) and one of those can be a bike, if it's under 23kg it's free of charge as well.

Jaw, BA gave me no hassles when I flew with my bike, if you get the 23kg allowance on two bags, ,put bike into bike bag I recommend the ground effect tardis http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-TAR-BAG.htm
pipe lagging round the frame, and bobs your uncle, I was at the edge of 23kg pretty much all the time on my round the world trip, but if its just bike, wheels, a lock and a couple of multi tools, you shouldn't come out being more than 15-17kg.

BA is good isn't. Taken my bike several times with them. Need to get one of those bags, they look good value for money.
Shame I'm flying with Kuwait next week, would have liked taking a bike back. Should have paid the extra money to fly with BA and take the bike for free. Don't even think Kuwait Airways allow me to take one.

Agree with comments on BA being good. Took my bike to Bsoton over the weekend. Packed it in a bike bag, with wheel bags, only special padding was between forks. Threw my locks and other bits into the bag pockets. At check-in they decided not to even weight it as happy to believe it was under 23kg. It was the first thing off at either end it seems and no damage whatsoever.

Emirates. 30kg allowance.

This is what I did. Be aware that they have a 12kg limit on hand luggage too, so loading weighty bits in there is a no-no too... they were good though... unlike the prick next to me who was determined to sit in both of our seats... bastard. The girl on the other side was wearing a My Little Pony hoody. Quality. Anyway...

Can I also suggest looking for a flight with 2 stops if you fly Emirates. Its ~15 hours from Dubai to Melbs which is a mission. I stopped in Dubai and KL on the way which broke it up into 3 more manageable chunks of about 7 hours. Cheaper too.

Now you tell me! Just booked my flights but only one 6 hour layover in Dubai

I did Qantas LHR->HKG->MLB and back in September. It's a nice route, being 1x10 and 1x12hr legs with a couple of hours in HKG. And it's the same plane, so you can leave all your stuff behind.

No problems with checking a Ritchey Breakaway in its case, and everything arrived OK at both ends.

Particular props to Qantas premium economy, which is awesome and well worth the price bump. Much better than BA's offering.

From flying with bikes a number of times, always put bike locks and tools in the bike bag. They will be confiscated if put them in your carry on.

I have successfully used a cheap Cordura bike bag with no padding whatsoever on about a dozen flights and have never had any damage, a few times I have put 2 bikes into the bag and still got in under the 23kg limit (or slightly over but they didn't care). Just wheels off, keep the air in the tyres and remove pedals.

This is all based on taking fairly sturdy steel frames, if I owned any carbon fibre I would go the bike box route. The main advantage of the cheap bag with no padding is that it rolls up into the size of a sleeping bag, so you can ride away from the airport. With a bike box, god knows what you are meant to do with it, maybe hide it behind a bush near the airport and pick it up when you return home?