Touring - HUGE ISSUE! Airlines reduce Economy Baggage to 44lbs TOTAL

Hey everyone! Im flying out tomorrow and have just found out that Im going to be charged massively for bringing my bike with me. Im going from Japan, to Thailand, transfer there to Nepal. From Nepal we'll be riding back to Tibet. Sounds like a great trip, but honestly I've had nothing but an uphill battle the whole way. It will pay off, I believe it. But in the meantime, if anyone has any information about baggage allowance throw it on here ASAP please! Im using Korean Airlines and Thai Airlines. On the net Ive heard that Thai was very 'bike friendly'. I saw on Korean Airs website that as of OCT.1st they changed their economy checked baggage to allow only 20kg (44lbs) for the TOTAL of both pieces of checked luggage. I put my bike in a cardboard box, already it was at 22kgs (with helmet, bike shoes in too).

In my main piece of luggage, all I am packing is 4 shirts (will be biking for 22 days), 2 shorts, raingear, some tools, sleeping bag and thermarest, and a camelbak bladder. I dont think Im being excessive at all am I? I just want to GET there, with what I need thats it. When I weighed that bag, it tipped 17kgs. Already Im basically at 40kgs, and was told for every kg OVER the allowance it will be a 1200 yen ($11) surcharge. Thats a pretty heft sum... In addition, my L+W+H dimensions of the bike box are 224cm, the website states 158cm is maximum. Looks like Im in for a hefty fight tomorrow....

As a bonus, Thai Airways just emailed me back also stating that 20kg for BOTH pieces of luggage is the new standard and I will be charged more after. RIght after that, I get a call saying the ShuttleVan that was to take me to the airport isnt available, so I get to drag my box / luggage the 1km to the train station then climb all the stairs. Awesome!

Someone keep me motivated here, Im hitting a new low.....

Is this for all international flights, or just inter-Asia flights? Twenty kilos in nothing.....

Perhaps only for inter-Asia flights.. I talked to Korean Air in L.A. also, and he thinks that N.America to/from Japan is no problem...

Either way, I'm hooped.

This is nothing new. Air New Zealand charge $AU10/kg once you go over 20kg, at least they did between Brisbane and Christchurch. I was at 27kg on the flight out and 29kg on the flight back. I was lucky that I found an attendant who was happy to waive the $70 charge flying out, but no such luck flying back. If you can get reasonably close with the weight, you might get away with it, but I'm not going to try to guarantee anything.

Something else you might think about is going through your luggage and seeing just how much you can get away with in the carry-on/cabin bag you're allowed (I'm assuming you're allowed one of these). It might save you a kg or two in check-in luggage. As far as your other problems with bike boxes and whatever else go, I'd call the airline to see if you can get a bike box at the airport and just ride there, arrive a little earlier, and pack your bike at the airport. That might save you having to lug the box for a kilometre or pay a train fare.

Ask yourself if there's anything heavy in your luggage that would be reasonably cheap to just buy at the destination. There might be a kg or three (and possibly a few dollars) to be saved there.

Had major headaches getting my bike back from germany last year. I ended up posting it DHL to avoid about 200euro excess baggage.
Singapore airlines claim to have a bike friendly policy which goes something like this:
A bicycle can be accepted within the free baggage allowance, but if exceeding, the
following charges will apply:
For a maximum of 15kg , 6kg will be charged.
Please take note , that the bicycle must be packed in a hard-shelled box.
So in effect you get 9 free kg.

Some airlines offer 10kg free for sports equipment, usually golf clubs or dive gear.
I am counting on this to get me home from fiji next month. I am also taking it in this
http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product_detail.php?style=TAR&category=BAG
Its half the weight of a bike box and a lot less hassle for the nice lady behind the counter who decides if she is going to charge me excess baggage or not.
Read the fine print for your airline.
Also check out what you take for free. Things like cameras, a coat, binoculars some reading material etc are exempt from luggage charges as they are "personal items". From AirNewZealand:
In addition to your allowance, you may also carry on board personal items such as an overcoat, handbag, walking stick, camera or slimline laptop.

Now I digress...
I had bought the Bianchi Volpe in the states and took it back to germany. Flights from the US last year had 60kg limits and no worries with a bike box. I had to fly home to New Zealand a month later and had the 20kg limit to deal with. I had been working in germany for 3 months so had 30kg of non bike stuff too.
Posting it DHL involved quite a bit of work. You can post a bike box most places but not to NZ. Its too big. You need to read the german fine print to figure this out. Aussie is OK. The nice lady at the post office(who had been so helpful with postcards etc) just says nien. If you remove the wheels, cut the box into a shorter wider triangular box it will be under the size limits but the nice man at the post office will tell you you cannot post a triangular box. Oops. Make another triangular box and stick it to the side of the one containing the bike to make a big rectangle. The perfect size. After weighing I had to find some thinner cardboard because it was all about a kg over weight. Ended up the max size and weight for DHL, 100 euro to post it as far as anyone can post anything. Arrived a week later. ANd I put it down as a business expense :)

Wow 44 pounds what a blast from the past. That was the level in force back in the good old days when they claimed you couldn't take more than that because of flight weight requirements. Eventually that became a false claim when airliners became more powerful, but maybe with all the seats they jam on these days, and the state the industry is in, they are going to bring back some of these service jems from the past.

Ah well, good luck with your trip. It just seems as though the flight issue are a bigger hurdle than the Himalayas.

I just wonder how they can change these rules between when you booked and are departing. It's one thing if you are buying a ticket now, but this is a major problem for a bike tourist.

Guys/Gals,
The comments and experiences are much appreciated. I'm definitely going to pare down even more, and stuff all heavy things into my carry on that is allowed. Screw it, Im going to damn well make it to Tibet, dragging my bike box down Japans sidewalks, lugging it up stairs, paying out my *** to fly it there.... in the end its all just money and things, and the experience at the end justifies the means.

I Have mixed feelings about this. Reason, yes- I am offended about surcharges on reasonable amounts of luggage. Bikes, should be included as regular weight, should other items not put you over the allowed limit. One of the reason, I often fly foreign airlines. On non US airlines, it is common to see bicycles counted as routine luggage. Seems foreign nationals value cycling more than Americans?
But, the other side, an engineer friend told me about 5 plane crashes have been caused by passengers stuffing so much stuff within their hand luggage. Google searches did confirm much of this. Is stuffing your bags of stuff worth risking a crash.
Not that I think this is the primary motivation in airlines reducing allowed weight. But, as passengers do we know sneaking excess weight on board might not be in your interests. Unless, you have suicidal tendenacies.
Of course, maybe some of the explanation as to these crashes, the obesity of too many Americans. Maybe passengers need be weighted in. Obese people need pay their fair share.

You're right, the screening process to decide who is obese because of their own "fault" or not would be brought into question for sure. I actually usually dont even bring a carry on, sometimes just a plastic bag with some snacks I bought and a book. I didn't know at all about heavy carry on causing crashes.....scary. Definitely though, obesity has at least partly caused the flights to lower their limits, as well as high oil prices... let's just blame G.W., that's easiest!

I just wonder how they can change these rules between when you booked and are departing. It's one thing if you are buying a ticket now, but this is a major problem for a bike tourist.
I'd ring up Korean AIr and tell them they quoted on the day you bought your ticket that you could take your bike and other stuff at the said rate of the day!
You might also mention your a double goldish platnium member of a competitor airline and was wanting to use them (Korean) because of the great service your travel friends had mentioned. The mention of "I thought you guys wanted to be MY airline of choice?" usually gets their attention. Your travel arranger can also make a forceful inquiry into the change after you'd booked. Might even get your credit card to ring them up.
I've also tried calling several times to the booking agents until I find one that is willing to say yes?

From a never say die traveler, don't just give in.

Best, john

I will fight for sure, as I for once feel confident that I am not bringing more than what I need to get by on this trip. I actually started searching for flights to Nepal 6 months ago, and finally got my price ONE week ago (my travel agent said Korean is the last to release prices), so it's been stressful. Ill use your advice too, of threatening lost business. Hopefully in a few days when I touch down I'll drop you an update, thanks.

You're right, the screening process to decide who is obese because of their own "fault" or not would be brought into question for sure. I actually usually dont even bring a carry on, sometimes just a plastic bag with some snacks I bought and a book. I didn't know at all about heavy carry on causing crashes.....scary. Definitely though, obesity has at least partly caused the flights to lower their limits, as well as high oil prices... let's just blame G.W., that's easiest!
I just recalled one flight were on in south america. Did not think anything about it at the time. BUt, the take off was delayed. They asked passengers to be re-assigned seats from the orignial assignments. Not sure what that was about? I suspect something related to my post? It was a medium sized aircraft. When i board, I have to have my carry ons. Such as my laptop, cd's, reading material. Doubt it is more than 10 lbs.One flight we were so fleeced by United Airlines for excess weight. My solution is to send regular mail( the national post office, is my choice due to reasonable charges.) for much of my luggage. Just remember insuring it is vital.

Where have I been? I fly to Europe every year and I never recall it being more with my airline. I've never paid any overage fees as bikes travel free. I checked the luggage grid (http://www.airtransat.ca/en/4_6_1.asp)and discovered to some destinations like Haiti you can have 50 kilos!

Maybe we should considere Portugal...

If the weight limit is for safety or fuel usage reasons, perhaps they should charge by the kilogram for passenger+baggage. Currently a 140 kg passenger with 20 kg of baggage pays less than a 70 kg passenger with 30 kg baggage. Or is this not politically correct?

HUGE PANIC! THE SKY IS FALLING! Err.... ;)

First of all, why exactly are you panicking? Take a few pounds of crap out of your bike box, put it into your other checked baggage, take out anything you can buy over there (e.g. normal clothes, toiletries, etc) and take the biggest carry-on bag you can afford. Worst case scenario you're out $50-100. You'll live.

Some of us have known for awhile that "officially" the airlines are now charging you when you transport a standard bicycle. Most US airlines have a baggage allowance of 60 linear inches and 50 lbs, and will charge $80 or more, each way, for taking a bike. These charges have been in place for at least 18 months (probably longer), although in practice some people can transport their bikes without getting charged.

Next time, check the baggage allowances BEFORE you purchase the ticket. And don't forget to eat lots of mangosteens while you're there.

Call me crazy but I am having a hard time grasping how your bike+shoes+helmet+box are weighing in at 48pounds.

Being generous lets say your bike is 35 pounds, pretty heavy bike. That would put the helmet+shoes+box at 13 pounds? Seems high. What else is in that box. Panniers? If so take the panniers out and fill them. Use them as checked luggage if possible. There has got to be a way to get your weight to fit.

-D

I gather his pottential loss is some multiple of 50-100 since he has connecting and return flights. Seems the demographic on this board includes a lot of folks who have to save pretty hard to take off on these trips and cash can be short. Anyway, I do think cyclists should push back on this stuff, it really harms touring if there are huge penalties on bikes even if they are fair by some measure like nobody else gets a similar break. Airlines are huge poluters and could do their bit to spread a little ecological travel.

There probably is some average weight envelope they are basing these calculations on. With a bunch of cycle gear, I'm not going to make it no way no how, but if it was say 220/passenger and you were 140 pounds, plus gear, should you really pay huge overweight penalties for your bike. Hard to say.

Is this for all international flights, or just inter-Asia flights? Twenty kilos in nothing.....

I thought 20kg was about the limit for ryanair, maybe other Euro discount carriers too. Yeah it's not a lot, for sure.

Derath: I can definitely see it. My 24 lb folding bike, packed into a hard-shell suitcase with helmet, rack, lock and other accesories hit 45 lbs.

Peterpan1: Doing all that flying is not cheap, and the dude should've checked on the luggage allowances months ago -- as in, before he bought his ticket. Plus, as a hard-working dude (well, sorta ;) ) who cannot afford to take the time out that a cycling trip from Nepal to Thailand requires.... well, this guy qualifies for honest and helpful advice, but not fiscally-based sympathy. :D

Personally I prefer to go for a travel / folding bike over tilting at windmills. I would've suggested the OP get a folding bike -- but sadly, 24 hours is not quite enough time to make that a realistic suggestion.

I am counting on this to get me home from fiji next month. I am also taking it in this
http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product_detail.php?style=TAR&category=BAG
Its half the weight of a bike box and a lot less hassle for the nice lady behind the counter who decides if she is going to charge me excess baggage or not.


i use one of these bike bags too ... they are really good, plus you can pack in lots and fool the 'check-in chicks' by saying that it is wheelchair, promotional display material, etc ...
i find a pleasant attitude and a nice smile will always win ... if you go there worked up for a fight and have a beligerent attitude from the word go, they will dig in and enforce every policy going just to p*ss you off, because they can ...

after our plane was grounded due to a instrument fault, we had to check in again and get alternative flights ... the toffee nosed tart in front of us was voicing her opinion to all and sundry in very loud tones and thumping the desk and threatening the check in dude with calling their manager etc ... she got flights all over the place, where as myself and the guy behind me [with a bike] smiled at the guy and just talked to him normally and we got to our destination at least 6 hours ahead of this toffee nosed tart, plus we got vouchers for free coffee etc ...

i try to pack as much as i can into my panniers and use them as carry on luggage, as well as a small foldable daypack ... i put both front panniers into a rear pannier, and then clothes etc into the other rear pannier ... i try and get someone i know to hold onot them when i check in, so all you are checking in is your bike, and they are more likely to let a few kg slide if that is all you have ... the girls at the gates don't really worry too much of they see you with the panniers, but try not to make it too obvious that you have them ... and try to get on within the the first third of the passengers, or you wont have much room to stow them in the overhead lockers ... not too sure how this goes with the new carry on luggage regs following the renewed terrorist threats ...

In his case he may have verified the policy on bikes, it was just the company that waits till the last minute to release the prices. Of course if that last minute was after Oct 1 he is kinda screwed.

Derath: I can definitely see it. My 24 lb folding bike, packed into a hard-shell suitcase with helmet, rack, lock and other accesories hit 45 lbs.

Peterpan1: Doing all that flying is not cheap, and the dude should've checked on the luggage allowances months ago -- as in, before he bought his ticket. Plus, as a hard-working dude (well, sorta ;) ) who cannot afford to take the time out that a cycling trip from Nepal to Thailand requires.... well, this guy qualifies for honest and helpful advice, but not fiscally-based sympathy. :D

Personally I prefer to go for a travel / folding bike over tilting at windmills. I would've suggested the OP get a folding bike -- but sadly, 24 hours is not quite enough time to make that a realistic suggestion.
Jealousy is a curse, and you have it. So what if the guy has built his life around being able to take holidays for such a trip. Maybe it's his once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Not everyone in the world has to live by the US way of corporate life.

And, I suppose you have a recommendation for a durable folding bike that will survive the Karakorum Highway or somesuch, fully loaded with the gear he is taking, etc, etc? I'd rather a well-built trekking bicycle than tilting at foldable windmills, thank you.

Call me crazy but I am having a hard time grasping how your bike+shoes+helmet+box are weighing in at 48pounds.

Being generous lets say your bike is 35 pounds, pretty heavy bike. That would put the helmet+shoes+box at 13 pounds? Seems high. What else is in that box. Panniers? If so take the panniers out and fill them. Use them as checked luggage if possible. There has got to be a way to get your weight to fit.

-D

We're talking a bike for a long trek, probably equipped with front and rear racks and made of steel. My own bike comes in around 12kg, and bike boxes actually weigh around 3kg. It doesn't leave much room for leeway if there is a 20kg limit. Carry-on obviously is becoming more problematic, so I restrict that to only clothing these days.

It pays to get a kitchen scale and bathroom scales and weigh everything you intend to take so you can sort and re-sort to cull what you won't need. Put all the weights on a spreadsheet. You will be surprised just how much items such as clothes, panniers and camping equipment do weigh.

Hoogie: I took two medium-sized panniers as carry-ons to Europe recently, no problems.



Jealousy is a curse, and you have it.
Congratulations on missing several emoticons, which are the obvious tip-off to those reading on the Internets that my comments in that regard were not serious.

I could drop everything right now and tour the world twice, if that's what I wanted to do with my hard-earned savings. I have no problems with this guy going wherever he wants. What I do have a problem with is him blaming the airlines for his own lack of preparation, and declaring that the luggage requirements -- which many tourers have known about for years -- is a "HUGE" new problem.

If you're going to take a trip like this, you need to be mentally and financially very well prepared for these kinds of contingencies, and find out about things like baggage requirements as far in advance as possible. Airlines typically notify their employees and customer service reps about these types of changes months in advance. The guy literally did not buy his ticket until a week ago! The OP was not properly prepared, and unfortunately he's getting slammed for it.

Maybe next time he'll know better. But not if he's going to blame someone else for his problems.



So what if the guy has built his life around being able to take holidays for such a trip. Maybe it's his once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Not everyone in the world has to live by the US way of corporate life.
For all we know, the guy could've spent the last 10 years as an investment banker, and will run a hedge fund on his return. :D

If it's a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, then he definitely ought to have investigated baggage requirements much earlier than "one day before the trip."



And, I suppose you have a recommendation for a durable folding bike that will survive the Karakorum Highway or somesuch, fully loaded with the gear he is taking, etc, etc? I'd rather a well-built trekking bicycle than tilting at foldable windmills, thank you.
....? There are numerous durable high-quality highly customizable folding / packable bikes that will pack into a suitcase for airline travel, first and foremost being a Bike Friday. BF's are rugged, packable, and fully configurable to your specs and riding style. I have total faith in my Swift bike to take me anywhere in the world that's got a paved road, and more than a few unpaved ones as well.

The two categories are far from mutually exclusive; there is absolutely no reason why a folding / packable bike cannot also be a "well-built trekking bicycle."

Hoogie: I took two medium-sized panniers as carry-ons to Europe recently, no problems.

ok, that is heartening to hear indeed ... we saw pictures on the news of folks having to empty all their handbags and stuff and just got to carry on the barest of necessities in clear plastic bags [meds, passports, wallets and b*gger all else] ... i guess you just need to pack smart in that regard, like only clothes and non-threatening material???

i got challenged on the return trip from melbourne a couple of years ago ... the check-in chick made me put my panniers onto the scales and they came in at 9kg [limit was 5kg] and she said that i couldn't carry them on unless i took some weight out of them, but then she said that they could travel in the hold for nix, so i went with that ... considering she let slide the fact that my bike bag was 7kg over the 20kg limit too, i think i came out on top of that one ...

So much of a cyclist's experiences with airlines depends on the individual airline agent who does the check-in procedure. I don't know how long Thai Airways has had the 20 kg rule, but less than 3 years ago, I flew Thai Airways round-trip on a domestic flight between Bangkok & Chiang Mai with a Bike Friday in its suitcase and a duffle bag containing rear panniers, a helmet, and a handlebar bag. Since my BF suitcase weighs a bit, I suspect my total I was over 20 kg. I had no extra charges and no problems checking in either time. Thai was a very nice airline to deal with on the ground and in the air. You may very well not be charged anything, especially if you're not much above the supposed limit. It's not worth the paperwork for them.

I will also echo the comments above about Bike Fridays being rugged. I've toured on mine on some pretty awful third world "paved" roads, decent unpaved trails, and serious mountain passes. No problems. I would tour on it just about anywhere.

First of all I should apologize for a Chicken Little like thread headline, but actually it was/is a huge issue for me. I only needed some like minded folk who could offer a bit of advice or experiences, like many of you have, thanks! The admonishings for being ill prepared are partly due as well, though some should have their morning coffee before posting maybe.

As for the weight of my bike, why would I lie? Its not ultra heavy, but it is a mountain bike. In the box I put my empty camelbak, helmet, bike shoes, and a thin coil lock. It was 22kgs. The rest of my gear Ive shifted into carryon a bit, but as for the extra charges, a small price to pay for a great experience.

I should add, Im far from an investment banker (theyre more prepared). I quit my job to do this trip. I put in time researching companies, areas, reading message boards about travelling, arranged visas for 4 countries, flights in and around them... what I did make a huge mistake on was reading once that Korean Air would allow 32kg. I should have followed up closer on it, and shouldnt have taken 'bike friendly' as a guarantee. Either way, I'll see how it goes. I'll smile and see what happens (by 'fighting' I meant as much, throwing a hissy fit rarely gets you what you want).

Take it easy everyone.

In case you are still online...this is not what you need at the last minute!!!!

I just got back from a trip...I took my two rear panniers on-board with me, because it was an essential for the trip, as well as other essentials: my helmet, and minimal riding clothes for the trip, and for the plane ride I wore off-bike clothes that I would need. I packed everything into one pannier, used a shoulder strap to connect the two panniers and carry them as "one". This way, I was able to use my handlebar bag as my "personal bag", which held my camera, some healthy snacks for the trip, etc., yet still have the one-carry-on + one-personal-bag rule met. My helmet was attached to the outside of the pannier, not inside, so that I could put more into the one pannier, and everyone was cool with it. Rightfully so; you should have seen the volume/weight of other people's carry-ons!!

And, be polite, say "good morning" or "good day" and smile when you check-in. Only our culture seems to accept addressing strangers w/o first saying "good day" or some other greeting.

The extras went into a check-in bag, which included the tools and shampoos (and other liquids not allowed on-board). The bike was all by itself. I was probably the lightest traveler on the plane!!!!

Good luck, and, happy trails!!!!

Thanks Flower..
Im not sure of the 'liquids' on board rule yet in Japan (i DID search!). Let ya know how things go... I dont have panniers by the way, just a bike box (220cm dimensions) and a big duffel bag with handlebar bag/downjacket, goretex..

I see very very few Bike Fridays anywhere on long tours, although I know they do long tours quite successfully on paved roads and "a few" unpaved ones. I have no doubt their owners love them to bits, having spent all that money on custom fit. I probably would, too. Perhaps you can point me to some journals from people who have ridden the Himalayas with them.

But I also see a LOT of 700C touring bikes and I see a LOT of mountain bikes, whose owners also love them and see no reason why they should exchange them for the sake folding convenience on two airline flights. They are bikes that are (should be) ready to go off the bike shop floor, and can survive a LOT of paved roads. And for the MTB/trekking style, spare tubes and tyres are less of an issue than for BFs in such remote regions.

Look carefully at the OP, and you will see he stated that Korean Airlines changed its policy on 1 October, as a surprise to our Japanese friend. He followed that up by saying his prior research indicated "bike friendly" and a weight limit of 32kg. It didn't matter what research was done beforehand, or when he bought his ticket; that change came suddenly and obviously without notice. Airlines are renowned for doing this sort of thing.

And for some people, the desire to tour means they put as much resource into travel as they can, and often they are very marginal in the ready cash they may have to fork over for unexpected contingencies such as excess luggage.

Good luck to you, HokkaidoRider.

If the weight limit is for safety or fuel usage reasons, perhaps they should charge by the kilogram for passenger+baggage. Currently a 140 kg passenger with 20 kg of baggage pays less than a 70 kg passenger with 30 kg baggage. Or is this not politically correct?

I was just wondering the same thing.

If you are really big you can't fit into the cattle class seats and have to pay for business class :)

If you are really big you can't fit into the cattle class seats and have to pay for business class :)

not always ... sometimes they SQUEEZE into the seat beside you, and then ask if they can [or just do] lift the arm between you and them, and then they take up half your seat as well ...
hasn't happened to me [i tend to take up all my seat anyway], but know a few others that it has happened to ...

Hey from Korea, killing time on a transfer. To the guy who told me "so itll cost you 50-100 bucks, big deal, youll live", I know you said it partly in jest, but what I would do to be only paying that.

I was ultra friendly, all smiles, at the check in counter they told me it is 3200yen per kg OVER the 20kg. yesterday when I phoned it was only 1200yen. 3200yen is say $30us, PER kg!?!?! Anyways, she types into her calculator and says its going to cost about 60,000yen (600us$). I kindly pointed out about Koreans policy change, as well as the fact that I bought the ticket when it was 32kg for both. By the way, Im not Japanese, but I can speak enough of it to get by, and that may have saved me on this occasion. She said that she'd accept it as 32kg being the limit, and since my total bike/bags was at 38kg, I can just pay for the 6kg overweight. It still cost me about $200, but a far cry from 600. Ill look into shipping it back if its cheaper, because thats just ludicrous.
From bangkok I fly to nepal where there will be another charge of about 150, and next month back to bangkok itll also cost 150.. that I can live with, but if I get stoved with a 600.... ouch.

she types into her calculator and says its going to cost about 60,000yen (600us$). I kindly pointed out about Koreans policy change, as well as the fact that I bought the ticket when it was 32kg for both. By the way, Im not Japanese, but I can speak enough of it to get by, and that may have saved me on this occasion. She said that she'd accept it as 32kg being the limit, and since my total bike/bags was at 38kg, I can just pay for the 6kg overweight. It still cost me about $200, but a far cry from 600.

Ouch - still a lot, but much better than 600, well done on knocking it down. Enjoy the trip, you've crossed the first major hurdle :)

Update 2: Thai Airways didnt blink an eye. It went right on. no charge

As for Bangkoks new airport, if you're in the international transfers part, just go to the 4th floor for food, 3rd floor for some couches and sleep time. This is if youve checked in..

Hey from Korea, killing time on a transfer. To the guy who told me "so itll cost you 50-100 bucks, big deal, youll live", I know you said it partly in jest, but what I would do to be only paying that.

I was ultra friendly, all smiles, at the check in counter they told me it is 3200yen per kg OVER the 20kg. yesterday when I phoned it was only 1200yen. 3200yen is say $30us, PER kg!?!?! Anyways, she types into her calculator and says its going to cost about 60,000yen (600us$). I kindly pointed out about Koreans policy change, as well as the fact that I bought the ticket when it was 32kg for both. By the way, Im not Japanese, but I can speak enough of it to get by, and that may have saved me on this occasion. She said that she'd accept it as 32kg being the limit, and since my total bike/bags was at 38kg, I can just pay for the 6kg overweight. It still cost me about $200, but a far cry from 600. Ill look into shipping it back if its cheaper, because thats just ludicrous.
From bangkok I fly to nepal where there will be another charge of about 150, and next month back to bangkok itll also cost 150.. that I can live with, but if I get stoved with a 600.... ouch.

Yes, you're right... smug guys often don't have the experience, too. I got slugged by Cathay Pacific at Paris Airport in 2003 for around $300 or $50/kg for being overweight, and that was negotiated down from around $400. AND, while I tried the trick of packing my panniers together, I as told to remove one and put it on as luggage. Not a pleasant experience all round, especially when funds are low from an extended tour. It was the last time I fly with CP. Qantas has been good, and several of the internal airlines -- Virgin Blue in Australia, and Westjet in North America -- well, I cannot sing their virtues enough for their bike friendliness.

Good to see you pick up something on the roundabouts with Thai.

Air Canada offers a fixed price for a bicycle. 50$CAN. which is fine with me. VIA RAIL offers boxes for the bikes... 25 $CAN. total 75 dollars...

I am flying Montreal-Chicago-Tokyo-Bangkok on three different airlines ( Air Canada - United - ANA) I will let you know how it went...

I`m going on my first long touring trip... somewhere in Asia... for 5 weeks. I haven`t made a decision yet on my itinary yet... Want to do everything but I can`t... Vietname Laos, Cambodia, thailand... I don`t know !!!!

Jimmy Cactus how did the flights go on the three airlines? Charges?

A final update on my first overseas bike tour..
Korean Airlines $200 surcharge (Demanded $600 at start)
Thai Airways No Charge
China Air $30US
Thai Airways - Again, No Charge (unboxed, handlebars turned, tires down/secured, seat down)
Korean Airlines - $135 surcharge (Demanded $400 at start)

It comes down to alot of things I believe, and alot of it IS luck. I tried the smile and friendly approach the first time, and had it knocked down. I also used the 'well you just changed your policy, and I was under the impression the limit was ...'. As well as someone on here suggested to me, I used "well I had hoped to use your airline alot as I make trips quite often". The last flight ($135), after he wouldnt budge much, I launched into a tirade of how poorly Ive been treated by KOrean Air, and spoke with a manager on the many issues I had, and how I actually only had $15 in my pocket (end of the trip, who ever has money THEN?). THey ended up discounting as well. Still though, from this experience I think Ill buy a bike overseas or rent one (which some of the riders I saw did). I know its not 'my' bike, but it saves flying/hassles/surcharges.

At least that's the case in the U.S... With 65% of the nation obese, the airlines had to reduce the weight limit on the luggage. Hello "Mr & Mrs Can't Stop Eating Snickers", bye-bye shipping bikes for free.

I Have mixed feelings about this. Reason, yes- I am offended about surcharges on reasonable amounts of luggage. Bikes, should be included as regular weight, should other items not put you over the allowed limit. One of the reason, I often fly foreign airlines. On non US airlines, it is common to see bicycles counted as routine luggage. Seems foreign nationals value cycling more than Americans?
But, the other side, an engineer friend told me about 5 plane crashes have been caused by passengers stuffing so much stuff within their hand luggage. Google searches did confirm much of this. Is stuffing your bags of stuff worth risking a crash.
Not that I think this is the primary motivation in airlines reducing allowed weight. But, as passengers do we know sneaking excess weight on board might not be in your interests. Unless, you have suicidal tendenacies.
Of course, maybe some of the explanation as to these crashes, the obesity of too many Americans. Maybe passengers need be weighted in. Obese people need pay their fair share.

id had never thought of that. something about it i dont believe. whats different than having simply a "fat" majority on one flight, to such a degree of 10kg/passenger, say like a sports team. so i really dont think a few extra pounds per every eprson could do that.

but yes, these are very low numbers in terms of free weight. looks like courier systems will be getting more work.

Trust me... It's not a couple of pounds per person. I'm talking about 200-300 pound people here! In my recent flights, people did not even fit in the aisle, so they had to walk sideways, which means if you have an aisle seat, you are face to face with a big butt everytime they go to the bathroom.
It's no joke... The cascets, the restaurant chairs, the seatbelts are resized in this country, to accomodate the obese population. Ever-increasing health insurance rates and paying an arm and a leg for shipping our bikes are the prices that you and I have to pay for.

For Domestic (USA) travel I have been using FEDEX ground to take my bike, On a recent trip to Atlanta, The airline wanted $80 each way for the bike, I shipped it via fedex 3 days before my flight to a Kinko's near my hotel for $22.
If you open a online Fedex account ( need a credit card) you pay online and print your own shipping labels ( saving another 10% on shipping) Best of all you don't have to stand in line or deal with dumbasses.

not always ... sometimes they SQUEEZE into the seat beside you, and then ask if they can [or just do] lift the arm between you and them, and then they take up half your seat as well ...
hasn't happened to me [i tend to take up all my seat anyway], but know a few others that it has happened to ... On the web there was a story of a woman who suffered broken ribs because the fattie next to her basically took up both seats and just crushed her ribcage. Interestingly, the fatty wasn't even supposed to be in that seat. She and her similarly sized husband had adjacent seats but for some reason decided they didn't want to sit together during the flight. :rolleyes:

I do not wish to ridicule overweight people, but I think if they are so big that they can't fit into the seat, they should be forced to get two tickets. And the whole idea of limit on passenger weight + bags weight certainly makes a whole lot of sense. But that's non-PC, so it wouldn't fly, figuratively and literally.

If it helps, anyone going between the UK and Canada might consider Zoom as they don't count your bike as part of your luggage allowance, it is a piece of sporting equipment that is carried free of charge. Hurrah :D You could then cycle to a port and take a cheap ferry to the continent, stopping at some pubs en route of course :)

We also flew BA from Montreal to London with heavily loaded touring bikes (think round the world equipped, steel frames, racks, etc etc) and I know we were over by a few kgs but they didn't charge us at all. Very friendly, bikes were in the boxes from VIA Rail which are gigantic but very sturdy and arrived in perfect shape. They were also too big to be lost, ha ha. The security guys said they were the biggest bike boxes they had ever seen.

We flew China Airways from LAX to Bangkok in October. Our bags were stuffed full and we had two bikes. They did not even blink and did not charge us any extra. Whenever we fly home we will fly with them!

http://www.vwvagabonds.com/Bike/sitebuilder/images/TravelToThailand0001-150x112.jpg

"I do not wish to ridicule overweight people, but I think if they are so big that they can't fit into the seat, they should be forced to get two tickets. And the whole idea of limit on passenger weight + bags weight certainly makes a whole lot of sense. But that's non-PC, so it wouldn't fly, figuratively and literally."

The only problem with that scenario, at least for those who don't travel a lot is that the seats vary by airline and plane style. There isn't one approved of seat where a person can realize before they get seated that they are oversize. Sure chances are if the person is 600 pounds they aren't fitting, but given the range of human shapes there are a lot of people, not just fatsos who don't fit, or seriously underfit, the space they are aloted. What is needed are some reaslly large bench seats, and just ram people in, in accordance with the number that can be nudged into place, giant lap belt and adult diapers all around, and "thank you for flying..."

Just to show noones perfect...I took a short one hour flight (intl) with China Airways, and was charged extra $$$ for excess weight. It was going to be 100, but knocked down to 35 or so. Not alot of money I admit.

Last time I flew, I used http://www.sportsexpress.com/ to ship my bike to the hotel. Not the cheap way to go internationally though!

The only problem with that scenario, at least for those who don't travel a lot is that the seats vary by airline and plane style. There isn't one approved of seat where a person can realize before they get seated that they are oversize. Sure chances are if the person is 600 pounds they aren't fitting, but given the range of human shapes there are a lot of people, not just fatsos who don't fit, or seriously underfit, the space they are aloted. That's true of economy class especially. The airlines really try to cram as many in as they can. People with long legs suffer especially agonizing flights.


What is needed are some reaslly large bench seats, and just ram people in, in accordance with the number that can be nudged into place, giant lap belt and adult diapers all around, and "thank you for flying..." :D