Airline Claims For Lost/Damaged Bikes?

[RedRider]

Has anyone had experience with the airlines regarding reimbursement for lost or damaged bikes?
With all the different ways to check them while traveling, is it necessary to "declare" that you have a bike in the box in case something happens?
I have not had a problem. I'm just curious whether the new travel bags claiming to avoid the extra bike baggage charges are "penny wise and pound foolish"...

[yngpunk]

No first hand experience, but my understanding is that the airline's liability is limited by the terms of service that you agreed to when purchasing the ticket. I believe there is a set amount covered per bag, regardless of the value of the bag and/or its content.

If you are worried about damage/loss then you might want to look into separate travel insurance that covers loss/damaged luggage/content for the full value. I think some credit card companies might offer this coverage if you purchase a ticket using their credit card (Amex comes to mind).

Since you can't take it on the plane with you, probably safest bet is to ship it via a courier service if you're worried about coverage for damage/loss

[WickedWheels]

In the airport 2 days ago I saw a young bike mechanic trying to check a folding bike in a bag. Jet Blue representative was trying to whack him with a $50 bicycle charge. He was arguing it so I told him to take the front wheel as a carry-on since by definition it will no longer be a bicycle. I don't know how it turned out, but am curious as to this "workaround" and whether it would actually fly (pun intended)

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[rice rocket]

Haha, is that true? Or were you experimenting w/ the ticket agent?

[WickedWheels]

Haha, is that true? Or were you experimenting w/ the ticket agent?

I don't know if that logic would work, but technically it's accurate. Right?

[rice rocket]

Depends if it was the front wheel or the back I guess. Give Sagan the bike and he'll wheelie it around for a while.

[oldpotatoe]

I don't know if that logic would work, but technically it's accurate. Right?

No, it's a bicycle without a wheel.....I doubt the hired help at the ticket counter would wave the fee if ya took out the front wheel, but these people are pretty far down on the airline food chain.

Easier to call it a wheelchair or trade show display materials.

[RedRider]

Easier to call it a wheelchair or trade show display materials.

That's my question. If you tell them it's a trade show display and it gets lost... will they pay for a replacement bike?

[christian]

Max claim for international carriage is roughly $1750, regardless of what you're packing. (1131 SDRs). This is from Montreal convention.

For US carriage I think it's something like $3,300. This is governed by federal DOT.

[christian]

Oh yeah and you need receipts and may need to go to court. Lying about the contents wouldn't be in your favor....

[saab2000]

No, it's a bicycle without a wheel.....I doubt the hired help at the ticket counter would wave the fee if ya took out the front wheel, but these people are pretty far down on the airline food chain.




They're a ways down the food chain but their supervisors will almost always back them up and you have to get by these people to get to the gate.

The rules suck and are extremely unfavorable to cyclists, but knowing them helps ease the pain rather than showing up at the airport and thinking you can outwit a check-in agent or gate agent or god forbid, the airplane driver.

I just got a bike converted to be an S&S coupled bike and will try traveling with it soon. If that doesn't work well, I'll ship it and it will certainly be cheaper to ship than in a full sized box.

[carpediemracing]

No, it's a bicycle without a wheel.....I doubt the hired help at the ticket counter would wave the fee if ya took out the front wheel, but these people are pretty far down on the airline food chain.

Easier to call it a wheelchair or trade show display materials.

I asked for a receipt for my bike fee when I checked my bike and stuff. The ticket agent gave it to me and then asked me for my boarding pass back (and the Missus). The agent marked it with something.

When we got to the TSA line we were pulled aside for comprehensive searching. The TSA agents commented that they were getting a lot of these whatever they called it that morning. I told them to go talk to that one particular agent.

I figure it's bad karma to lie about what's in the thing, even if one person asked if it was a harp. If they don't ask, fine, but if they do then I tell them the truth.

[zzy]

Whenever I've flown with a bike and declared it, I've always had to sign a waiver releasing them from potential damage. This is only international flights on a number of airlines. Not sure about US domestic. You can try checking it as 'sporting goods' if it's not oversize/weight, but it's pretty hard to keep a non-folding/coupled bike under 108" or whatever.