Airline Bag situation and Alaska Airlines input

[kohlboto]

Okay, so, I'm just under two-weeks away from a family trip to Arizona and my thinking, currently, is I should take the Hampsten to see the desert. So, I'm looking for comments on: A) a good bag/box for airline travel (I'm leaning toward an air caddy but availability to Canada seems a bit limited) and B) any experiences with Horizon/Alaska airlines and there treatment of bikes on a plane. Thanks in advance for any and all input
cheers
Jay

[bargainguy]

I have an air caddy. Beauty is minimal disassembly -- remove the seat/seatpost, front wheel, turn the handlebars down. Don't know how Alaska treats bikes, but I'm sure they've dealt with a few.

Don

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and be ready to pay through the nose--or other bodily orifice.

BBD

[jmoore]

If you can find a two piece Trek Madone bike box, they are great. Otherwise, a Crateworks box is what you want.

[saab2000]

Check max sizes. The Air Caddy is huge. You DO NOT wish to be denied at the check-in because your box is too big.

Another option is having the bike shipped UPS or FedEx ground to a bike shop or to the hotel at your destination. Not cheap either but at least you'll have less hassle for traveling.

Either solution is not likely to be inexpensive.

[kohlboto]

Cost is definitely a consideration as I haven't purchased a box or case yet...On the Alaska website the charges seem reasonable but there also seems to be an inconsistent application of those charges (as I've been doing a bit of interweb research on real-world experiences)...best case scenerio has me at 150 or so for a box/case and 100-150 in baggage fees...is an extra $300.00 worth a handful of rides or should I put that toward some nice single malt a cheap US liquor store prices?

[jmoore]

Last week I shipped my bike from Dallas to AZ via FedEx and it was $55 each way. A friend I rode with that same trip shipped his bike from Boston to AZ for $70 each way via FedEx. We both used Trek Madone boxes.

You need to go get a bike box from your LBS or find something similar to the Crateworks. They are below the maximum sizes so the price is not too outrageous. If you go over, then your price is going to double.

Here's another option to consider: http://www.shipbikes.com/ebike.html

[TMB]

I have travelled with my bike on both Horizon and Alaska. There were no special charges for a bike, there was a second bag charge each way of $25.

I used a soft sided case and put two pieces of 4mm corrugated plastic (Home Depot) down inside each side of the bag just as extra protection that weighs nothing.

The advantage of the soft sided bags is that they are lighter and very easy to store at destination.

Take a look at the Evoq bags - I believe Fresh Air has them, if not ping me off line.

[bargainguy]

I have the ebikeshipper box from shipbikes as well. It's like a heavy cardboard version of my plastic corrugated Colorado Cyclist box.

For the ebike box, you'll need to do a fair amount of disassembly.

I highly recommend shipbikes, used them a few times now. They go through FedEx and will go to bat for you if there's a problem. Rates are very reasonable. It's essentially the corporate shipping account of Lickton's in Oak Park, IL.

Don

[TMB]

Last week I shipped my bike from Dallas to AZ via FedEx and it was $55 each way. A friend I rode with that same trip shipped his bike from Boston to AZ for $70 each way via FedEx. We both used Trek Madone boxes.

You need to go get a bike box from your LBS or find something similar to the Crateworks. They are below the maximum sizes so the price is not too outrageous. If you go over, then your price is going to double.

Here's another option to consider: http://www.shipbikes.com/ebike.html

The important point for the OP is that he is shipping from Canada. The first year of our gatherings shipped my bike from home the PHX and UPS stuck me with a $280 "brokerage fee" to deliver my own bike. It took a long time to get that money back.

[firerescuefin]

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=dakine+bike+bag&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1024&bih=690&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17860898056004210349&sa=X&ei=FTlWT4-qNcy2twfBx6n9CA&ved=0CHEQ8wIwAQ

Great bag...tons of space...very easy to maneuver

[vsefiream]

I had looked into taking my bike with me a few times on different trips. I find that the airlines will really rake you if it's in a traditional bike box. US air charges $200 each way for a bike box. Since I am with the Star Alliance I fly US air a lot so that's totally out of the question IMHO. I would ship via Fed Ex or UPS if you have enough time to set it up before hand. I usually do not so that's a big issue for me.

[firerescuefin]

I had looked into taking my bike with me a few times on different trips. I find that the airlines will really rake you if it's in a traditional bike box. US air charges $200 each way for a bike box. Since I am with the Star Alliance I fly US air a lot so that's totally out of the question IMHO. I would ship via Fed Ex or UPS if you have enough time to set it up before hand. I usually do not so that's a big issue for me.

....should read "some airlines"...frontier flies em free...southwest very reasonable.

[kohlboto]

I have travelled with my bike on both Horizon and Alaska. There were no special charges for a bike, there was a second bag charge each way of $25.

I used a soft sided case and put two pieces of 4mm corrugated plastic (Home Depot) down inside each side of the bag just as extra protection that weighs nothing.

The advantage of the soft sided bags is that they are lighter and very easy to store at destination.

Take a look at the Evoq bags - I believe Fresh Air has them, if not ping me off line.
Thanks Jim, you would be the one to know the rigors of the Kelowna to Phoenix route...I checked fresh air online and didn't see anything. I'll call Marty when they open and see if the have anything. Otherwise, I'll ping you...
hope all is well in AZ...or BC...wherever you are at the moment.
cheers
Jay

[TMB]

Thanks Jim, you would be the one to know the rigors of the Kelowna to Phoenix route...I checked fresh air online and didn't see anything. I'll call Marty when they open and see if the have anything. Otherwise, I'll ping you...
hope all is well in AZ...or BC...wherever you are at the moment.
cheers
Jay

On my way back to Kelowna in about two hours.

For the record, I have actually quit flying Alaska. Finding the planes getting dirtier and shabbier as time goes by.

[Jim Braley]

for my money there is nothing better than Bike Caddy, i have shipped three times from East Coast to West Coast using the same "box" and still have at least one or two more shippings on my orsiginal purchase. I then ship the bike via Fed Ex ground and have had no issues and cost is much cheaper than trying to ship it with me via Delta. As previous writer noted, prepping for shipment is easy, off with the seatpost and, front wheel and drop the handlebars and shipment from East to West usually takes around 5 days and bike has always been there when I arrive

[Kirk007]

I fly Horizon/Alaska on a monthly basis (too much traveling) and as an airline I think they are very good. I take my Kirk travel bike in an S&S travel case and it survives just fine. But keep in mind it is the guys on the ground at each airport that are loading and unloading, where the damage may occur.

Re costs - not sure since my setup evades extra fees but my recollection is Alaska is better than many on bikes (they've also looked the other way repeatedly if my bike or scuba diving bag weighs in a little bit north of 50 lbs). Being a very frequent flyer may help on that score though.