ElPresidente408

Did some research to see how much it would cost to take my bike on my trip to Colorado next week. Airline wants $100 round trip to transport the bicycle. Then my ground transportation from the airport wants another $180 round trip! And this is assuming I use the cardboard box I took from my bike shop's dumpster. Otherwise I'd have to spend another $300 to buy a traveling case.

Shipping UPS ground would cost about $150 round trip, but I have a bike event here 2 days before my trip.

Everything's so expensive

bkrownd

Wait until the airlines start charging for you to use the overhead bin and recline the seat. Then there will be an oxygen charge... Eventually they'll stack us like wood, or jam us into tubes and eject us over our destination. (with an extra ejection charge, of course)

rallison

Virgin America charges $0 for bikes.

sd_mike

Amtrak charges $5.

Disposable

Some places they charge $5. Some places more. We took a trip last month on Amtrak and the bikes were $5 apiece for the first part, and they had to be boxed and checked. For the much shorter second part they were roll on, but that was $10. We thought it was funny that my daughter's ticket for that part was cheaper than her bike fee. We had a good time on that trip, and even with those fees taking the train was a good deal, but our travel time was 20 hours each way, and that's a long time for 450 miles. If we'd had less time those stupid airline fees would have been worth it.

Falchoon

QANTAS wanted to charge me $950 in excess baggage to fly my bike approx 350km. They eventually relented but still charged me an extra $100. Didn't charge me any extra on the return leg of the journey - wouldn't of wanted to either after causing me to miss my connecting flight after taking 3 hours to go through customs and transfer from international to domestic terminal.

The thing that gets me is I weigh 70kg but pay the same price for my air ticket as someone who weighs 170kg, but if I have a few extra kg in baggage I basically get ***** by the airline.

Machka 

Yes. You must be new to travelling with your bicycle.

Here's some light reading for you. Some of this info may be out of date, you'll want to check the actual airline websites for the most up to date info.
https://www.ibike.org/encouragement/travel/bagregs.htm

atbman

An acquaintance, with SJS connections to break his ordinary bike down, puts it in a strong cardboard box and labels it "Artwork". Packs everything else light and keeps within the weight limit, usually.

I-Like-To-Bike

That is the first recommendation I've seen since 9-11-2001 to deliberately misidentify airline luggage.

envane

My bike is a work of art.

nelson249

Check into some cycling organisations as some of them might have cut some deals with particular airlines. I joined the Canadian Cycling Federation (I think that is the proper name) because they made a deal with Air Canada to ship bikes as checked baggage (no extra charge).

I-Like-To-Bike

Tell it to the Homeland Security Fellows. Maybe you and they will have a good laugh as your flight takes off without you.

Machka 

You obviously don't frequent the road forum and follow the posts of a person by the name of botto ... although he is starting to change his tune.


https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/545312-would-work-delta-airlines.html

sd_mike

For Amtrak it does depend on the equipment. Amtrak California equipment has racks and do not charge.

I-Like-To-Bike

You are right I don't frequent the road forum but I read the thread you referenced. Botto mentioned that he previously had done the misidentification trick but made sure to not mention how long ago that was.

I previously rode my bike to the Philadelphia Airport turned my bike in to baggage after turning the pedals around, wasn't charged a thing to bring the bike to Chicago, and rode my bike from O'Hare to the North side where my brother lived; then went back the same way also with no baggage charge. Of course that was 36 years ago; what used to be true for airlines ain't so no more. Heck I probably got served a meal on the flight too.

botto 

you obviously never got the point.

botto 

more times than i care to remember in the post 9/11 world.

ElPresidente408

If you can fit a bike into a box the size of a large luggage, I don't see why the airlines should charge any more for it than they would a regular suitcase. It'd probably weigh less than the majority of people's luggage

I-Like-To-Bike

Any bad experiences because of deliberately misidentified luggage? Just like smuggling, it may be fun or profitible until one day it isn't.

Little Darwin

Is there a rule/law against misidentified packages? I doubt it.

So, if the reason for the misinformation is to get past higher fees, then it might be the airline that would complain, I can't imagine it is a security issue unless it is weapon.

Of course, I can't imagine that it is any safer to fly because everyone takes their shoes off for security either. I kind of hope someone tries to light their pants on a flight... It would make security lines more interesting.

botto 

none.

btw - calling a bike "sports equipment" isn't deliberate misidentification.

I-Like-To-Bike

"Sports equipment" = True; "Artwork" = False. I suspect a TSA guy having a bad day that caught some smart donkey pulling that stunt on his luggage, would use the rules to give the ass a worse day.

I-Like-To-Bike

Misidentify hazardous material and you will learn different. Or anything Homeland Security thinks is hazardous like any liquids or gels.

Kimmitt 

I'm having a hard time with the idea that a bicycle in a box isn't art. I mean, art is such a fantastically large term that pretty much anything could be considered either a completed work or a work in progress.

I guess what I'm saying is that a bike in a box is as much art as anything else in a box. It's not really misidentification.

I-Like-To-Bike

I suppose your idea is the opposite side of the coin from the security types who think pretty much anything taken on an airplane could be used by an evil doer for nefarious purposes. The point is when you get cute with the security types with your explanation for why the package is not what it says it is, they may get inquisitive about what other little white lies you might be telling. And you may be the one making alternative travel arrangements.