Originally Posted by
JohnJ80
You know, I just don't agree that the rigid case provides that much extra protection, if any. The airlines have a unique ability to damage things because they are using a lot of heavy power equipment. If they back the truck into the dock with your case in between, it isn't going to make any difference at all if your case is hard, soft or made from concrete or anything in between. And that's pretty much what happens when big damage happens. I've had stuff in hard cases damaged in ways that you just can't believe (like the alpine skis that were bent into a 90 degree angle). So the hard cases are no real benefit at all.
Yeah. When I was at the Italian Cycling Center with some people back in 2013 one guy's carbon frame had punctures in it from the return flight, which also happened to be from Venice to Philly. His bike was in a hard case which also had punctures. The shape of punctures made it appear as if someone speared the case with a small forklift or something similar. Luckily for him, U.S. Airways agreed to pay him the cost of a replacement frame, but I think he had to eat the cost of the parts transfer.
I have flown with bikes and shipped bikes out west in a Crateworks plastic box numerous times with no problem. (Knock on wood.)
https://www.crateworks.com/product/p...stic-bike-box/
But I also once took three flights to get from Spain to the U.S. with my bike fully assembled in nothing but a plastic bag supplied by the airline. Only issue there was a slightly tweeked rear wheel.