qclabrat

Not a bad idea, but trying to avoid another bag to check in

I can't imagine any airline now allowing a bike on board as carry on

qclabrat

AD,
I was considering the Atlantic City airport, but plans have change and I'll be going flying out of Newark and have a right to and back
Technically can still ride in and out of Newark airport on the service roads, but getting to the service roads isn't the best parts of town

Was concerned about all three points you raised. I guess the point those who have done it before, is to check upfront with the airport and best directly with security. This trip is planned for later this week, so between the lack of light, cold and unfamiliar route, its probably is better to trial in more agreeable conditions

fietsbob

Havent tried it, but I've Seen pictures of a Brompton folded up in an overhead compartment ..

Also Pictures/video, on-line of Brompton-auts with 2 pieces, 1 the bike , the other a carry on or wheelie bag knock down Trailer Kit turns Bike Case into the trailer
wheelie bag sits on the front carrier rack-bag .

qclabrat

just read up on this for Brompton as well, and a good tip is to know the type of plane you'll be flying
some overhead bins are quite small

still surprised its allowed, since you can't bring a wrench or tool over 7" on board

fietsbob

Could have been a test done while the interior was being cleaned between flights ..

<I guess> Since I was not a witness to the whole thing .. and, as your picture suggests, no one was seated.

treadtread

Checking in another bag might still be cheaper than parking

FBinNY 

+1

As noted, the plane appears empty in the photo. I suspect that this is a photo taken to show that it would fit into an overhead bin, not a photo of one actually taken on board a commercial flight. I'd be very surprised that an assembled bike would be allowed on board because there are too many places where stuff could be hidden and there's no way to confirm that it's safe. (there are strict rules about closed vessels). Also the airline might object about an unbagged bike on the basis that it could injury somebody or scratch their planes.

But bicycles can be checked, and a folding bike packed within the size limits such that there's no added oversize or weight penalties. (as long as you don't say it's a bike) When I fly with a bike, I get it into a single bag, using my clothing and other stuff as packing material, so the total package is within size and weight limits.

If and only If I'm asked, I tell them it's hockey equipment (no specific rules for this) and avoid arguing over whether I need to pay extra just because it's a bicycle.

I-Like-To-Bike

What do you think will happen if the people who ask about the contents of your package are TSA or some other personnel acting in official capacity and you get caught in the lie? BTW, what is there to argue about? A bicycle is a bicycle and a tariff is a tariff.

fietsbob

does TSA fink you out to the airline? They are separate .. aren't they?

I-Like-To-Bike

Lying to a TSA official about what is in the luggage is lying to the TSA, not the airline, and it is TSA who staffs the x-ray reading of luggage and it may be TSA personnel asking questions about the contents of any unusual luggage/package.

acidfast7

TSA won't care if it's not illegal.

I did check in 2 Magnums of Champagne and a bunch of fireworks on a flight from Memmingen (Germany) to Budapest for a New Year's Eve party. The sniffing dogs caught it but they held the flight for me until the Germans disposed of the fireworks ... they wouldn't keep them and threw them away I kept on saying "Geschenke für Sie!" (Gift for you!) The young police ladies were OK with that, but the older Frau supervsior was having none of it

fietsbob

I stopped flying anywhere in 2000..

thought the airline assessed the fee , supposed the TSA checkpoint was after you paid the Fare & fees .. they just want to see it wont go Boom ..

acidfast7

why?

qclabrat

seems like you're out of touch

TSA would not be concerned with tariffs

the agents collect the tariffs,

TSA directives are focused on the security policies, they won't send you back because you didn't pay

qclabrat

Bob, that hasn't changed, TSA is a government agency, they couldn'tgive a damn whether you paid or not
i've never brought a bike on board from my home airport so not sure what their reaction would be

my photo contribution was from a fellow who paid $12 to get early boarding that's why it looks empty

I'm fortunate to have gold status on most planes I board so, I likely have enough space to stow a bike
business class is usually empty on the overheads

FBinNY 

In all my travel, I've NEVER been asked by TSA about anything in my checked luggage. You never meet the TSA people who examine checked baggage, those examinations happen beyond closed doors, or in separated areas where passengers aren't encouraged to watch, much less participate.

In any case, what you tell an airline baggage agent isn't passed on to the TSA, unless possibly you tell them something related to security. Airline personnel don't even ask about the contents of bags that conform to the size and weight limits, so unless you volunteer that it's a bicycle, they have no reason to think about that.

In any case, your question is a hypothetical not grounded in reality. It's a classic ILTB ploy whereby you raise BS arguments simply to derail threads.

acidfast7

I also often see people flying with hunting *****s (usually Danish citizens). And it's not a problem. So, I don't see why a bike would be.

hmmm ... doesn't like r-i-f-l-e-s

CliffordK

I used to have a house about 5 miles from the St. Louis airport. I walked to and from the airport on several occasions. I was stopped twice and questioned. Apparently airport security thought it would be probable that people would steal suitcases, then walk home with them in the open. Sidewalks were a pain. One would be walking along and the sidewalk would just end, or two parts of the sidewalks wouldn't connect in the middle. St. Louis does have a tram, but it didn't really take me to where I needed to go. I might have been able to save a quarter mile or so of walking.

In Portland, I have ridden the bus to where I could catch the tram to the airport. It always seemed to take forever, but I guess it would have been quicker than riding a bike.

As far as folding bikes, Bike Friday makes a suitcase that the bicycle fits into, that doubles as a small trailer. So, you could tow your bags with the BF trailer, then rearrange, perhaps separate bags to put the bike into the trailer suitcase, and everything else in a second and go off on one's flight. Then one has the bike at the destination too.

CliffordK

I did bring two bicycles home from Europe, but it has been a while.

TSA should be independent from the airline.

If it is a full sized bike in a large bike box, then just admit it is a bike, and take your lumps.

If it is a folding bike in a suitcase, then hopefully the airline officials won't ask (I don't ever remember being asked what was in my suitcases, just whether I had packed them), and then give the government TSA officials the details if they ask as they aren't the ones charging you extra.

You will still have to be prepared to make a claim if stuff gets lost in transit, although I haven't lost any bags since they went to the stick-on tags. With the previous string tags, I had a bag that apparently lost its tag, so someone just attached a random tag to it, and it went for a bit of an extra tour around the USA without me (fortunately on my return trip).

I-Like-To-Bike

Apparently you believe that your experience with airline x-ray procedures applies everywhere, so you feel free to resort once again to smug and snarky comments directed at my legitimate question about what you would encounter IF you were asked about luggage contents.

Have you ever been to Dulles Airport or Quad Cities (IL) airports? I have used them in the not too distant past and the traveler personally hands their checked luggage to the TSA officials who run the x-ray procedure. If there is a question about contents, it is the traveler who does the answering about the contents.

Clifford K brings up an interesting point: What does a liar claim if the checked baggage is lost, actual contents or something else?

FBinNY 

You insist on conflating the TSA and the airline staff. The TSA's resposibility is security, and they have no interest in the contents of baggage except to possibly clarify what they might see on the scanner images, or the very legitimate issues of hazardous or contraband contents.

OTOH- airline staff are interested in weight and dimensional criteria, so they can assess excess fees if any apply. They also have zero interest in the contents as long as the baggage meets standard criteria. Some airlines DO have a special surcharge that applies to bicycles, but it only becomes an issue when checking a bicycle in an oversize box.

As to any questions of insurance/claims for loss or damage. The baggage responsibility and claim rules don't specify contents, which aren't declared in advance anyway, so my bicycle (if lost or damaged) would be subject to the same rules as anything else people pack. Unfortunately, the cap for loss claims is fairly low, and since I don't buy baggage insurance, I'm underwriting the risk if the damage exceeds the max.

As to my snarky tone in response to your post, I feel it's an appropriate response based on your long history of posting challenges based on your incorrect inferences of people's posts -- not just mine. In this case, I posted about keeping mum or lying (yes, I might lie about the (legal) contents of my bag IF asked) when speaking to airline ticket counter/check in agents. You then shifted that to imply that I would lie to the TSA which was never said or implied in my post.

My snarky response that it was a classic ILTB tactic, was based on long history, but Nobody has to draw conclusions based on my post only. Regulars here on BF read posts from many people, and form opinions based on the overall body of the posts from regulars. I'm sure people here already have opinions of both you and me, and a single post isn't going to change anything.

I-Like-To-Bike

Last comment on this, you previously weren't so exclusive on this thread about whom you would be willing to lie to about your luggage contents, if asked.

Good luck claiming full value for lost luggage with an expensive bicycle inside, or damage to the bicycle if you did not declare it when checking in, no matter if the luggage is oversize or not.

PaulH

Back when my airplane was based there, I used to ride there all the time. There was a bike rack in Hangar 6. It was a mile from home, so riding was much more convenient than driving.

AngeloDolce

If you haven't left already

I spent my first week here staying near the Newark airport, and I'll confirm your comment that if you're not familiar with the route you're probably better off taking the ride, or leaving an extra 3 hours. With multiple terminals, interstate & local highways, transfer centers (more 18 wheelers than I could count in morning rush hour) and Christmas shoppers, I found if I was not driving in exactly the correct lane, I had to make loops around the airport or other detours of 1-3 miles.

Once I figured out the lanes, I did bicycle on North Ave out of the mall/airport area to Elizabeth. If I were trying to catch a flight and bicycling with luggage, I'd want to know the exact route including lane changes and exits, or bicycle to a nearby train station and take the train the last few stops.

flyerguy

MSP in Minneapolis is pretty bike-friendly despite being a huge airport, which is not all that surprising given 1. how bike-friendly Minneapolis is as a whole and 2. how close in to both Minneapolis and St. Paul the airport is, which makes biking to a flight a more attractive option. They publish a guide on their website: https://www.mspairport.com/docs/maps-...Map_final.aspx