Originally Posted by
little_dawn
Hi all,
I will be flying cross-country with my road bike. I would like to know if anyone who has done this has advice on:
1. How best to package it (box/wrapped/case - and where to get one/what type)
2. Costs associated with this (bag fees, damage liability)
3. If it is preferable to use UPS or Fedex instead of taking it as luggage (and typical price range)
4. Any other advice you can offer.
Thanks,
-ld
Note: The search function on the forum was not working for me. I apologize if this question has been asked/answered already.
You would find lots of answers about this in the Touring forum, however ...
1. You can get cardboard boxes (usually for free) from your local LBS, and they can also help you pack the bicycle if you're unsure what to do. If you've got a place to store the box at your destination, you might opt to rent a hard-shell case from the LBS, and again, they can help you with the packing.
2. Costs vary but in North America, you're going to pay. Look up the airlines you're thinking of travelling with and see what they charge, as well as the rules and regs surrounding bringing your bicycle.
There is no chance (unless something has changed with the rules and regs very recently) that your bicycle is going to fly free within NA. It simply will not fit in the 62 inch box size limit they all seem to have (unless you're bringing a folding bike, of course). Southwest or West Jet are probably your best bets, but even they charge something.
At this moment in time, Southwest charges $50 each way ...
http://www.southwest.com/html/custom...ab_list_tab_12
If you were flying overseas, you might be able to find an airline that will allow a bicycle to fly for free, but they are getting rarer.
(And this is from a decade of flying all over the world with my bicycle.
)