Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Experience with flying with your bicycle.

Hi.
I'm flying with my rig to San Jose from Dallas in oct. Anyone here with any advice? Or exp with flying with their rigs?
I'm flying delta btw.

Socks

I thought this was a joke thread; like flying with your bike.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/SS_top_movies_ET.jpg

Delta never. WestJet and Air Canada yes. I've taken my bike to Calgary, Toronto and Montreal this year. Hassle free and didn't pay to get the bike on. You have to be a nice person and a sweet talker to pull this off. any attitude and you will get nailed a hefty fee.

Box it up and deflate the tires. No aerosols. Play by their rules. If I were to fly Delta I'd pull out my sky miles card and ask to have it (the flight) added to my miles and say you just switched from American. They overcharged for bikes and you heard they (delta) had a really good NEW program where you only pay $50. Delta usually charges $175 EACH WAY. Don't let on you know this price. Or try to get his setup before you hit the airport. You might luck out saying you will cancel the flight due to this insane charge.

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/major-airline-policies-and-prices-for-flying-with-a-bicycle/

I have that ET picture tattooed on my forearm. No bull****.

Should have booked Southwest. They are cool. Only $50 per bike per way. As Dr. B said United and delta rip you off at 175-200 per bike per way. Always check policy before booking. The ticket that is more expensive may be less with the bike. You may want to ship your bike one way or the other UPS fedex. Sometimes it may be less.
TSA will go through your box so think about that when packing. You nice neat job may get thrashed. I always walk my bike over to the TSA and watch them if posssible. I can watch them and answer any questions and they know this is important to me so they usaully more careful.

If you here on the 15th you can do the http://www.sjbikeparty.org/

I have that ET picture tattooed on my forearm. No bull****.

pic?

Use zip-ties and tape to pack up your entire bike into one unit that can be easily lifted in and out of the bike box. Nothing loose.

I was flying by Delta from Moscow to NYC. The girl at the check-in counter wanted to charge me $150 for oversized bag (my bike was packed in soft bike bag), but I convinced her that since the bag is soft it all depends on how you measure it:). I got lucky and checked in my bike for free.

do you know people at your destination? if so my suggestion is to ship it via FedEx.

i have flown with my bike before, as already mentioned many places charge an oversized fee, if not a "Bike" fee, which can be hard to get around. they know what a bike box looks like. the cheapest i have ever flown my bike for is $50. however if i break my bike down into 2 boxes, one for the wheels and one for the rest of the bike, they both fall under the oversized limit of FedEx and together cost me $37 to ship halfway across the country.

as for how they will treat your bike. wrap everything you can in bubble wrap and pipe insulation. i have worked as a baggage handler at an airport and i will tell you that we treat your luggage like crap and pay no attention to any fragile stickers or anything like that. when i've flown with my bike it has arrived okay, but i could see it potentially getting damaged. i have also worked for FedEx loading trucks, and i will say that generally we treated packages better there than luggage was treated at the airport.

hope that helps.

do you know people at your destination? if so my suggestion is to ship it via FedEx.

+1

I have done this three times now.

I just got back from a trip.

I parked in long-term parking and the parking company is able to check bags at the parking lot. The dude charged me only $20 which is the normal checked-bag fee for Airtran.

On the return trip, I had to go to the desk where they charged me $100 for the bike. But, I didn't argue too much being that it was a net of $60 each way. HOWEVER, they tried to get me to sign a piece of paper releasing them from liability if they trashed the bike. I refused.

I use a Trico Iron Case which I trust even my orbea orca to. It's somewhat expensive at first; but it'll last seemingly forever (broken straps and buckles can be repaired at luggage stores!).

If you don't want to buy one you can always check out LBS's near you to see if they/ or somebody else has one for rent; if you're gong one way just mail it back....

Only flown once with my mtb, got some nice scuffs and a little ding, but I was expecting that... I turned the handlebars 90 Degrees, took the pedals off and let the air out of the tires.

I wouldn't bring one of my nice bikes unless it was in a case.

I just got back from a trip.

I parked in long-term parking and the parking company is able to check bags at the parking lot. The dude charged me only $20 which is the normal checked-bag fee for Airtran.

On the return trip, I had to go to the desk where they charged me $100 for the bike. But, I didn't argue too much being that it was a net of $60 each way. HOWEVER, they tried to get me to sign a piece of paper releasing them from liability if they trashed the bike. I refused.

Makes sense, it's why they should be insured if they are going to charge you S&H and handle your possessions.

never delta, when i looked out the window and watched the handlers throwing my bike, i about **** myself.

I think if there is any way you can ship your bike that would be the best option. My good buddy works at skywest/delta and says that he would never ever fly with his bikes. For many reasons. His testimony is good enough to convince me to ship always.

For any Canadians here, fly Westjet. They supply a big plastic bag and the bike is hand delivered to the plane from check in and gently placed first on the ramp, first off the plane. It's a very pleasant experience and your bike flies FREE.