Thanks for the information, everyone. Here's some for you.
My friend was considering American Airlines because the flight was cheapest. She took my advice and called the airlines for information about bikes before she bought a ticket. AA was going to charge her a $125 fee for the bike, both ways, completely negating any "deal" she might have had on the airline ticket.
$125! That's crazy!!! Her flight would-have-been from SF to Amsterdam via Heathrow (and perhaps one more stop in the USA, but I'm not sure). She did the numbers and it was still cheaper to take USAir, and, we end up on the flight together from Philly to Amsterdam.
Morale: don't be seduced by low flight costs...get the total cost, including the bike.
(BTW, has anyone other than myself noticed that United Airlines has really low flights but higher-than-others fees, so that even though the UA flight-only prices come up as lowest on an internet search, the total cost is in the ballpark of others airlines, or higher? Buyer Beware!)
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Feminism is the profound notion that women are human beings.