When I got home yesterday (at 2:30am) from my last tour, the savings in oversize fees on several flights finally paid for the cost of the S&S couplers and the purchase of the S&S Backpack case.

But for me the convenience of having a bike in a case that is a size that will fit in the trunk of the taxi that I take to and from the airport is just as important as avoiding oversize fees. The local taxi companies that I usually use drive Prius taxis. I can fit both the S&S Backpack case and also the other checked bag in the trunk.

And about 15 months ago I flew Southwest, they have a two free checked bag policy, I had a bike in one of the two checked bags so my bike traveled for free.

Most of my flying with a bike has been international so the bike pretty much had to be on the plane with me due to customs issues. If I was traveling domestic with a full size non-coupled or non-folding bike, I clearly see the advantage of having someone pick up the bike from your home, deliver it to a bike shop or motel across the country, etc.

On my last tour, the bike in the S&S case rode in two taxi cabs, two multi-state bus rides, two motel shuttle van trips, and two airport-to-downtown shuttle bus trips. Thus the non-monetary convenience of a smaller case made that tour (international) a lot easier. I will readily admit that the time to pack a bike in an S&S case and reassemble later is much more time consuming that in a full size bike box. So there also are disadvantages to coupled bikes. You have to weigh all the aspects and options to figure out what works best for you.