Hi! I have a racing green Brompton 2010 and I'm overjoyed with it. I just had my first experience flying with it and thought this would be a good place to share.
I chose Southwest, for their clear policies on gate checking and generally relaxed approach to air travel. Flew SFO to Chicago Midway airport and had no problems. On the contrary, I have never had people be more friendly to me when flying in the United States.
First thing that made me nervous was security, which is basically never fun. This time around the TSA were all smiles: they are as susceptible to the Brompton charm as anyone. The Brommie almost wouldn't fit through the baggage X-ray, but by turning the seat completely sideways it fits eerily well, as though designed specifically to fit through that particular window.
When I got to the Southwest gate it was the same story: they loved the bike and had no problem checking it. Note that I left the seat (a Brooks) on the bike, the only special packing was a strap to keep the whole thing together (a la Todd Fahrner). When I arrived in Midway, there was my tiny little bike in the "oversized" section, next to the guitars and strollers. It came off the line before the rest of the luggage, and since I checked nothing, I was ready to go!
This next part will make sense if you know Midway. There's a lengthy walk from the terminal to the Orange Line El station, and it was the middle of the night. I silently and nonchalantly biked this entire section, reducing a seven minute baggage dragging slog to about 45 seconds of surprising and amusing the late night security.
I'm hooked, and won't be flying without my bike again. One thing I might do differently is put a simple cover on the saddle, but then again, when has a scratch or two done anything but added character and beauty to a Brooks? Not that the saddle was any more scratched when it came out than when I put it in...
Anyway, I have now transported the Brompton by bus, cab, train, subway and airplane. It's like some magic spackle that fills in all the gaps left by public transportation. So now I'm off to find a boat to take me somewhere!
