Originally Posted by
BobG
Your panniers will receive much harsher treatment while on tour...leaning against trees... lying on the ground... exposed to the the sun and elements. They just ride around on conveyor belts at the airport and then are hand loaded into the plane out of the weather like any other suitcase. I zip tie my two rear bags together to make them one without an additional duffel bag. I carry on the others, put one overhead and one beneath the seat as others have suggested.
I am sensitive to how my stuff gets treated while entering or exiting the holds of airplanes.
My issues with airlines have been. 1. The loss of a bike, breaking about every spoke on my front wheel, and destroying my handlebars. Call me sensitive. That over the course of three different flights. .That is why I now have a bike that can be folded up and transported in a suitcase. - My Titanium Lynskey.