dsilvers

Hi. As the title says, their website notes a max allowable dimension of 80" (l+h+w). That is very small for any bike case. Almost all other airlines that I have looked at (American, Delta, Frontier) all have allowable at laest 96" for the case. Flights are already booked and it would be very difficult for me to change my plans at this point.

Does anyone have any experience trying to get through a bigger bag than what is allowed on their website? I have the scicon aerotech hard bike case.

Thanks in advance!

Rolla

I would imagine that discussing it with the airline itself would give you more peace of mind than any anecdotal reassurance you might receive here.

Call them on the phone.

dsilvers

Actually, I'm specifically looking for anecdotes as they are (sadly) more likely to be reflective of what actually goes on at the gate. I did already call them and spoke to two different people who both didn't know the answer and found the part of the website - at my direction - where they could read the same thing I'm reading. So, anecdotal reports that reflect real-life goings-on would be helpful.

seypat

Ship it on Bikeflights.com.

Germany_chris

Mail it.

Steve B.

Is why JB sucks. They want to upcharge you any way they can so deliberately make the baggage size small. Ship it or pay the surcharge.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I haven't flown with JetBlue but I have flown with Alaska, EVA, Korean, JAL, and Thai, numerous times and have never been charged extra for my oversized bike case.

pdlamb

Did you have to pay $5 for a Coke?

tkamd73 

Pretty simple, you bought the ticket so pay the surcharge, or leave your bike at home. At this point probably cheaper to pay the extra charge, then switch airlines. No idea of your location, so who knows what other airline options you have.
Tim

70sSanO

If you are not able to ship it separately, it will all depend on who is working that day and the mood they are in.

I’ve never flown with a bike, but I have taken a musical instrument with me. So far I haven’t had to check it and was able to carry it on, but I never got any direct answer from the airline or anyone at the terminal prior to arriving for the flight. You can ask all you want, but that 80” will always be the fall back position.

The worst part would be the return flight. If the airline decides it is too large, you’re kind of stuck and don’t have plan B to bring your bike back. You probably shouldn’t acknowledge that you knew 80” is the max, just that it was checked in to get it to your outbound destination.

John

Rolla

I'd be worried that those anecdotes only apply to a specific instance with a specific airport's personnel; what happens in Orlando might not work in Seattle.

See if JB can give you the number of the local admin office at the airport you're flying out of.

indyfabz

How did you misread the OP so badly?

He's not taking issue with the charge. Indeed, nowhere does he mention the charge.

The issue is this: JetBlue's website says the airline will not accept a bike box that has a total dimension of over 80" (L+W+H), period. No way, no how. Not for any amount of money. The OP's box is 93". He's basically asking if anyone has any experience re: that rule being enforced.

indyfabz

'Xactly. What happened to A at X airport last year might not happen to B at Y airport this year. Maybe the OP will get an agent who doesn't care* Maybe he will get an overzealous agent trying to look good on the job my enforcing policies strictly. Maybe JetBlue enforces the policy strictly now but didn't once upon a time.

If it were my trip on the line, I would explore the possibility of shipping the bike (e.g., through Bikeflights.com) regardless of anecdotes from others. Too much at stake if the bike is not accepted.

*I once thought of what I thought was a clever way that might allow me to avoid the bike charge for a flight. I was flying at a busy time. I'd do curbside check-in, thinking that the employee might be too busy and not knowledgeable enough to ask what was in my box. A couple of $$ for a tip would less than the $75 bike charge. My plan worked just like I imagined it would, or so I thought! I grinned about getting over all the way up the escalator and through security. Just as I cleared security, I heard my name over the PA system. I was being summoned to my departure gate. Remains the only time I have ever been paged in an airport. When I got to the gate, I was greeted by an airline employee who told me that I hadn't disclosed what was in my box. "I wasn't asked." was my response. (Someone had noticed it was a bike when the box was opened by TSA.) She then happily collected the $75 bike charge.

tkamd73 

Not really, as a 30 year employee of one of the carriers with the 96” limit, it’s not an absolute, and an appropriate surcharge will raise that limit depending on the equipment being used for that particular flight. JetBlue operates smaller aircraft then the airlines with the larger limit, thus the greater restriction. However they do also have an extensive fleet of of the 320 series of aircraft which could accommodate a larger case. My bust, guess I should of added the obvious, that your gonna have call to find out. Small town destination, OP is probably screwed though.
Tim

tyrion

I once got an oversized bike box on my flight by checking it with the curbside check in and giving the guy $20. That was a long time ago (pre 9/11) so probably doesn't work anymore.

tomato coupe

It's worked for me post 9-11.

SpeedyBlueBiker

No, but what does that have to do with anything??

pdlamb

​​​​​​​You're comparing apples and oranges. Jetblue, from what I've heard, will charge you extra for anything they can, unlike the airlines you mention. Your anecdotes from other airlines are unlikely to apply.

_ForceD_

Here’s a suggestion (if you have time and the airport isn’t too far). A day or two before your flight, put the bike in the case, and go to the airport JB check-in/luggage check counter. Present it to them, explain you’re ticketed “for a flight tomorrow” (or whenever), and see if they will/would accept it. If they do…ask the JB rep if they can maybe give you a note, or something that you can present at the time you do actually check in for your flight that says the bike/case should be accepted.

Dan

indyfabz

The reference point of the OP is their website, which says nothing over 80”. Period. If I had booked without knowing that, I would explore all other options before rolling that die.especially if a denial would mean something like the loss from a non-refundable hotel reservation at the destination.

tomato coupe

If you're going to try that, save yourself a trip and just write the note yourself. I think it would be just as effective.

indyfabz

At the risk of dating myself, sign it "_ForceD_'s Mother."

_ForceD_

She’s dead. Thanks. My point is that they may have a form, or a special tag to indicate that it’s accepted even though it’s larger than the advertised limit. I mean there have been times when traveling with my wife and she shows up with a suitcase full of who knows what, weighing in at well more than the limit per passenger…and they accept the suitcase anyway. They just put a tag on it that says “heavy.”

Dan

indyfabz

Sorry. So is mine. And I am guessing you didn’t get the Welcome Back Kotter reference.

Character Juan Epstein would occasionally write notes for home room teacher Mr. Kotter explaining his absence/tardiness. The notes read “Signed, Epstein’s Mother.”

_ForceD_

Sorry. That slipped past. I remember the show, and the characters. But I never really watched it much.

Dan