Don't fly United if

[velotel]

you're coming to Europe with a bike. My son's in the process of organizing a trip over with his mother and her husband. 200$ each way per bike! I came back from the states with a bike on British Air, cost 60$ for the bike box. Also have to say I like BA, good service, good flights. They also treated quite well all the passengers on the flight I was on that cancelled due to some problem with the plane and then because passport control in Denver wouldn't stay open for the replacement plane. Kept us informed, put us up in hotels with meals, etc. This was at Heathrow. Thus in my experience, forget United, try BA if they're going where you want to go.

[BumbleBeeDave]

My buddy Evan flew up here from NC for BikeNY and Delta at first told him no charge because the box was within checked luggage dimensions. I told him you better check that because it doesn't sound right and sure enough when he pursued it with a supervisor they wanted $300 for the round trip. If he hadn't followed up he would have showed up at the airport for the flight and been hit with the fee.

I rented a nice Roubaix for him for $80. I have a Trico box and haven't used it since 9/11. It's just too much of a PITA.

BBD

[572cv]

It pays to check carefully, as BBD and Velotel point out. US carriers are all over the map on bikes, some, like delta and united, outrageous, some like JetBlue and southwest, fair. Air France is fair flying to Europe, in my experience. These days, we fly a Canadian carrier, AirTransat out of Montreal, who also have a reasonable bike policy and good pricing in general. You can get that extra space option that jet blue offers, which also gets you on and off the plane earlier. This can be very helpful for getting into a customs line sooner, normally a bottleneck. Bon Voyage a tous !

[Sheldon4209]

My son flew from Brazil on American with his bike in a box. He was charged $200 one way. At first, they said it may go as a piece of luggage but ended up charging the $200.

[ultraman6970]

BA?? are the flight attendants hot and young?? :D

[roguedog]

So.. these days is it worth it to get S&S bikes or any system for travel? Or do you all circumvent and ship your bikes ahead?

Sorry if this is thread drift.. Just seems that the airplines being PITA devalues the whole travel bike concept.

[firerescuefin]

Frontier....bikes can fly free....Southwest...very reasonable. Delta sucks (for bikes).

[rugbysecondrow]

So.. these days is it worth it to get S&S bikes or any system for travel? Or do you all circumvent and ship your bikes ahead?

Sorry if this is thread drift.. Just seems that the airplines being PITA devalues the whole travel bike concept.

The S & S is a great option. I have two bikes of my own which are coupled and my wife's bike has them. Not only for airline travel but even when traveling in the car or van on trips, it is nice to just unscrew two couplers and two cable joiners and have the bike compact in the car for the day. It takes me less that two minutes to join everything back up after a road trip. About 20-30 after a flight.

Southwest is great to travel with. My experience has always been that they will do whatever they can to provide good service and help the customer. United specifically seems to do the opposite.

[gone]

The S & S is a great option.

Yep. Traveling with a full sized bike case is like traveling with a dead body. I'd have a bike I intended to travel with coupled even if the airlines charged more for the smaller case just for the convenience factor.

[velotel]

So.. these days is it worth it to get S&S bikes or any system for travel? Or do you all circumvent and ship your bikes ahead?

These are the rules for United. I have no idea for the bike travel box dimensions but at least with these you can have an idea

Customers who travel with checked baggage exceeding 62 linear inches (158 cm) (total length + width + height) will be charged at the rate of $100 per piece for travel within the U.S., and between the U.S. and Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Customers traveling to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Asia, Australia, Micronesia, Europe, the Middle East or Africa with oversize baggage will be charged at the rate of $200 per piece.
These charges are in addition to any charge assessed for additional or overweight baggage.
Baggage measuring more than 115 inches (292 cm) (total outside dimensions; length + width + height) will not be accepted as checked baggage.

[Shortsocks]

My buddy Evan flew up here from NC for BikeNY and Delta at first told him no charge because the box was within checked luggage dimensions. I told him you better check that because it doesn't sound right and sure enough when he pursued it with a supervisor they wanted $300 for the round trip. If he hadn't followed up he would have showed up at the airport for the flight and been hit with the fee.

I rented a nice Roubaix for him for $80. I have a Trico box and haven't used it since 9/11. It's just too much of a PITA.

BBD

F**K DELTA. I refuse to fly with delta, or let my company book ANY tickets with delta.

I was flying back from Montana on a two week ride. And at the airport they wanted to charge me $250 bucks for a one way to Dallas with my bike. My ticket one way was $200. Quite literally, the guy standing next to me had a FULL DEAD DEAR CARCASS, on ice. It weighed in a massive breakable styrofoam box over 250 pounds. A rotting dead animal. How much did Delta charge him? $50 dollars. On top of that. 4 rifles and Live ammunition....counted as a check in.

My bike and case....32 pounds. And it was an actual cycling case designed for flying. I tired to reason with them and there was just a big NO. Even called on the phone to management. Wouldn't budge. So, there I am. Pissed and tired.

Walked over to Frontier Airlines and booked a one way for 125, and they didn't charge me for the bike.

From what I understand Delta is VERY un-bike friendly. But if you're a hunter and have dead rotting dear on ice. It's good for you.

So FU*CK Delta. FU*CK Delta. FU*CK Delta :banana::banana:

Socks

[MattTuck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

[cash05458]

"Yep. Traveling with a full sized bike case is like traveling with a dead body."

lol and true...most american airlines have gotten so bad ( I hear losts of good things about southwest here from folks which is good news)...I used to fly back from europe all the time and lufthansa, sabina and all the european airlines were great...one time I had to take a transfer (this after years of not being on any american plane) in atlanta and went on united...just incredible the difference...even their planes looked beaten up and old, seemed like early 1960 stuff tho I cant imagine that to be true...at one point before takeoff some technician came aboard to fix something and pulled down something from above...all these dusty crappy wires fell out and tangled and in different colors like some bad pa system or inside some old junked car... everywhere sat there staring in silence, thinking..."gee that doesn't look good"...he did whatever he had to do and shoved it all back in...reminded me of a russian airline plane or something...just another example of this country in it's decline and the endgame to me...

[Likes2ridefar]

Most large asian airlines I've used are free for bikes. Cathay, EVA, and one of the chinese airlines...forget which it was. i also flew my bike to free to brazil on their airline...tacos or something, forget the name:)

I once got AA for free to spain from nyc basically getting lucky, but otherwise every american company has gouged me with varying rates like most say here. Delta was the worst at $400 roundtrip nyc to bangkok. I've never flown within the states with a bike but they dont give a break internationally!

and on the subject of young and hot...Air Asia surely wins. I think they have certain hiring requirements. and bikes are cheap too as long as you pay up front. a la carte cheap southeast asia flying!

[dschlichting]

+1 on Frontier. We flem them to Albuquerque last year and no issue at all. Plus their on board experience is pleasant. also keep JetBlue in mind as $50 is the basic fee for a bike. Only issue on JetBlue is size limitation which makes one of those Trico cases the limit --meaning someone traveling with a bike in one of those larger LBS style bike boxes may be oversized.

[Likes2ridefar]

I like to fly Delta locally since they almost always screw up which earns me an hour or few of aggravation but then I get a voucher to fly free or nicely discounted next time. So far the last 3 times I've been successful!

[Louis]

Worse-case scenario: ship ahead via UPS or Fed-Ex. No, they aren't perfect, but at least you won't have to deal with $200 surprises at the airport.

[merlinmurph]

F**K DELTA. I refuse to fly with delta, or let my company book ANY tickets with delta.

I was flying back from Montana on a two week ride. And at the airport they wanted to charge me $250 bucks for a one way to Dallas with my bike. My ticket one way was $200. Quite literally, the guy standing next to me had a FULL DEAD DEAR CARCASS, on ice. It weighed in a massive breakable styrofoam box over 250 pounds. A rotting dead animal. How much did Delta charge him? $50 dollars. On top of that. 4 rifles and Live ammunition....counted as a check in.

My bike and case....32 pounds. And it was an actual cycling case designed for flying. I tired to reason with them and there was just a big NO. Even called on the phone to management. Wouldn't budge. So, there I am. Pissed and tired.

Walked over to Frontier Airlines and booked a one way for 125, and they didn't charge me for the bike.

From what I understand Delta is VERY un-bike friendly. But if you're a hunter and have dead rotting dear on ice. It's good for you.

So FU*CK Delta. FU*CK Delta. FU*CK Delta :banana::banana:

Socks

Best airline story I've heard in awhile - thanks!
Enjoy your flight, er, ride,
Murph

[cash05458]

great story...and folks wonder why the american airline industry is in such a place...only here, would 9/11 stuff be a chance to knock up prices via baggage...such a joke...they deserve what they get when they go down...

[shovelhd]

These are the rules for United. I have no idea for the bike travel box dimensions but at least with these you can have an idea

Customers who travel with checked baggage exceeding 62 linear inches (158 cm) (total length + width + height) will be charged at the rate of $100 per piece for travel within the U.S., and between the U.S. and Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Customers traveling to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Asia, Australia, Micronesia, Europe, the Middle East or Africa with oversize baggage will be charged at the rate of $200 per piece.
These charges are in addition to any charge assessed for additional or overweight baggage.
Baggage measuring more than 115 inches (292 cm) (total outside dimensions; length + width + height) will not be accepted as checked baggage.

Look closer. Maybe things have changed, but United has a specifically listed bicycle fee. You don't pay the oversize baggage fee, you pay the bike fee if you disclose the baggage as a bicycle. Not all agents know this. When I flew my bike to Bend last year I got charged the bike fee on the way out ($125?) and the oversize fee on the way back. I submitted a request for correction and got my money refunded within a week.

Southwest was more expensive than United even including the bike fees.

[velotel]

This might cover break down bike boxes for those who fly United (a phrase which of course instantly makes me remember that fantastic poster of a couple flying united) :

<United accepts non-motorized bicycles with single or double seats (including tandem) or up to two non-motorized bicycles packed in one case as checked baggage. If the bicycle(s) are packed in a container that is over 50 pounds (23kg) and/or 62 (158 cm) total linear inches (L + W + H), a $100 service charge applies each way for travel between the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a $200 service charge applies each way for all other travel. If the bicycle(s) are packed in a container that is less than 50 pounds (23kg) and 62 (158 cm) total linear inches (L + W + H), there is no bicycle service charge, but, if applicable, the first or second checked baggage service charge applies.

If the bicycle(s) are packed in a container that is less than 50 pounds (23kg) and 62 (158 cm) total linear inches (L + W + H), there is no bicycle service charge, but, if applicable, the first or second checked baggage service charge applies.

The following are bicycle restrictions:

Handlebars must be fixed sideways and pedals removed, or
All loose items must be enclosed in plastic foam or similar protective material, or
Bicycle should be transported in a sealed box. If a box is needed, see the Courtesy Bags section of this site.
If your itinerary includes a United Express flight, please contact United for information regarding aircraft cargo hold limits
United is not liable for damage to bicycles that do not have the handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removed, handlebars and pedals encased in plastic foam or similar material, or bicycles not contained in a cardboard containers or hard-sided cases.
Note: Bicycles will not be accepted during an excess baggage embargo when no excess baggage is allowed.>

[Bradford]

Don't fly United unless you don't have another choice. In my 23 years of heavy business travel I've flown a lot of airlines...and United is my least favorite.

On another note, I flew from Bogota to Lima last week on Taca and had about the best flight you can imagine. The most modern equipment I've flown, great staff, and we were treated really well. I don't know if I'll get to fly Taca anytime soon again, but it was nice.

[saab2000]

Airlines all stink. It's the nature of the business. Travel is hyper competitive.

Often the airlines with the best passenger experience are heavily subsidized in one form or another, though not often in a transparent manner of simple gov't handouts.

The biggest problem I see with bike travel is the amazing inconsistency exhibited and the lack of knowledge of staff. I recently travelled with a bike carrier on my own carrier and wasn't charged (thankfully - I have been in the past) but the check-in agent claims she had never seen a bike case. In 23 years of doing her job. Then she laughed that someone would carry a bike on a flight. And not in a nice way either. Didn't matter but it was off putting and it would be enraging if I were a paying customer.

The story of the dead deer is astonishing and it should have been photographed and documented and sent to the highest levels of their service dept.

I work in the airlines and defend their right to run a profitable company. It's a fickle business. But some airlines are better than others and it is my observation that Southwest is simply the best run US carrier from an operational and customer service perspective.

I don't know why more carriers can't copy that model even if they don't copy their business model in all respects. Southwest just seems to get it and there are fewer snafus with them than with other carriers. I'd work for them in a heartbeat.

Worthy of note: Everyone you come in contact with at Southwest works for Southwest as an employee. As often as not the people you are in contact with at most other airlines don't work for that airline but work for contract companies. This outsourcing has had a massive negative effect on customer service. It is possible to fly lots of routes between major cities on most US major airlines and never once have any contact with someone who works for the company named on the side of the airplane. They don't care because they have little stake in the outcome of anything.

The contracts are not awarded to the best service provider. They're invariably awarded to the contractor with the cheapest bid in the RFP process. Very often the check-in folks don't work for the airline in question and are poorly trained on non-standard things like dead deer carcasses and/or bicycles.

That's a bit tangential, but is part of the story of why airlines stink.

[54ny77]

damn, that's funny stuff right there.

F**K DELTA. I refuse to fly with delta, or let my company book ANY tickets with delta.

I was flying back from Montana on a two week ride. And at the airport they wanted to charge me $250 bucks for a one way to Dallas with my bike. My ticket one way was $200. Quite literally, the guy standing next to me had a FULL DEAD DEAR CARCASS, on ice. It weighed in a massive breakable styrofoam box over 250 pounds. A rotting dead animal. How much did Delta charge him? $50 dollars. On top of that. 4 rifles and Live ammunition....counted as a check in.

My bike and case....32 pounds. And it was an actual cycling case designed for flying. I tired to reason with them and there was just a big NO. Even called on the phone to management. Wouldn't budge. So, there I am. Pissed and tired.

Walked over to Frontier Airlines and booked a one way for 125, and they didn't charge me for the bike.

From what I understand Delta is VERY un-bike friendly. But if you're a hunter and have dead rotting dear on ice. It's good for you.

So FU*CK Delta. FU*CK Delta. FU*CK Delta :banana::banana:

Socks

[93legendti]

Bike Friday. 8 trips so far, 2 domestic and 6 international. Never charged. Paid for the frameset.

[bambam]

Went to France in 2011 on American(?).
I believe I was charged $150 going over for the bike.
On the way back they forced me to do self check in. The kiosk asked how many checked bags. Answer 2. I was charged for the extra bag but not the 150 as a bike (There was no option for this). I took my bags to the check-in counter where they were training someone. I heard the Trainer say Bicycle to a supervisor and they just allowed it as a second bag since my traveling partner had just been passed through on the same situation.
You may get lucky.

In 2009 Delta charged me 175 + 25=200 as a second bag. Needless to say I shipped it back across the country for 65 using a major ground shipping service.

Answers to airline charges never seem clear.
Good Luck

[joep2517]

Well crap this thread is starting to concern me. I am planning on going to San Fran in September for a ride and I was going to take my Firefly with me. I was going to use the Thule hard shell case and I just checked it's over 62 linear inches. So I guess my trip is going to be more expensive.

I don't want to ship the bike via UPS/Fed Ex as it would have to arrive ahead of me and I don't have anyone to pick it up. Not sure if a hotel will sign for something when I haven't arrived. And I'm guess fees to insure the bike is going to cost me just as much as using the airlines.

Wow... I didn't figure this into my cost. hahaha. :)

[bambam]

joep2517,
I have recieved stuff through Fed Ex.

I had them hold it a a fed-ex kinkos(through their website) but I'm not sure if this will work for travel but it is worth checking into.

UPS may do the same thing at a UPS Store?

[saab2000]

One more thought....

If you ship, sometimes two smaller boxes are cheaper than one big one. I just shipped a bike with USPS from Grand Rapids, MI to Arlington, VA for less than $100. I want to say around $80 or so.

I had the frame and components in a frame-sized box and the wheels in a Shimano wheel box. This is an excellent box BTW, where they are staggered and angled for perfect fit.

Just a thought.

Also, call a shop in advance and they can likely take receipt of the bike for you, especially if you offer to pay them. Or contact a local club or something like that. Some risk, but I think low.

[Black Dog]

Flying Air Canada to France this summer and no charge as long as the bike is checked baggage and does not exceed the number of checked bags allowed. I reserved a spot for the bike when I booked. Here are the allowances:

Maximum weight: 32kg (70lb)
Maximum length: 292cm (115in) (sum of all 3 dimensions)

Not bad. Until they try and charge me somehow when I check in. I will be bringing the printout of their bike policy for that gem of a conversation.

[Black Dog]

People could always put bikes in large styrofoam boxes and just say it is a carcass. :rolleyes: