i just picked up a beautiful vivalo keirin frame in japan and now i need to figure out how to get it home. most of the forum searches i've done give information on how to avoid extra charges for bikes, but since i'm flying internationally i don't have this problem. some quick questions for those with experience:

if i'm exempt from extra charges, is it best to declare my box as a "bike" in hopes of receiving special handling? does a bike have to meet size limits?

since i have just a frame and i only plan on flying it home (not enough travel to pay for a case), i was going to go the cardboard box route. what are some tips on reenforcing the box?

i'm actually flying from tokyo to paris for a short stay. i'll be taking Japan airlines to paris and British airways from paris to new york, then connecting flights with delta back to oregon. both Japan and british airlines have good bike flying reviews from what i've seen but is it a good idea to put my baby at risk flying all over the world? should i bite the bullet and mail it home?

if anyway has any advice on the subject i could really use some help. thanks.

My girlfriend and I flew our bikes to London and back in December. We went cardboard box style and the bikes were fine. Just pack it with lots and lots of newspaper to stabilize it and don't worry too much.

Then again, how much is it worth to you to not have to haul it around Paris? Getting in and out of airports with a large box is a real pain.

i'm pretty sure that delta will charge for it if they know it's a bike...
you can ship it via ems for around $100, which is what i'd recommend.

as for packing, make sure that you put blocks in the trackends and droputs, it'll help prevent them from getting bent.

reinforce the box at both ends where the trackends and fork are going to hit to keep them from poking a hole in the box.

i read about a guy who would hang his bike in a garmet bag and carry it on.....then hang it in the closet on the plane...when you could carry on garmet bags and hang them on planes.

if you're not ticketed to fly delta separately, i.e., it's part of your international ticket, they shouldn't charge you. scoundrl and i didn't get charged within the u.s. (we had to go from mpls to detroit, then to heathrow) when we flew to london.

um, but check anyway. and be prepared to defend your knowledge to the ticketing agent.

if you can get to a plumbing/hardware store you can get some foam pipe covers too to put around some of the tubes..

if it's not a complete bike then it's not a bike...
if they really are giving you a hard time about what's in it you could just say bike parts or whateva..
the box should be pretty small and light so there won't be any extra handling charges..
if you are checking any other luggage maybe stick the fork in there so there's nothing in the box with the frame to bang around...
definitely use some dummy axles from long bolts or threaded rod or something to keep it from getting compressed anywhere
there's not all that much that can go wrong, really

I packed two frames in a box surrounded by clothes on a flight from Japan to the States and had no problems -- check in agent knew they were bike frames, didn't charge me, and threw THIS SIDE UP and FRAGILE stickers all over em.

Flew United from Narita.

Absolutely get some dropout spacers to brace the fork and rear triangle. I use extra clothing to pad the box; newspaper will do the trick. The foam tubing that was suggested is also good.

When I flew a frame from Italy, the airline (Delta? don't remember) wanted $75 to fly the frame, but would fly artwork for free. The frame box was rectangular, suggesting a large portrait, which I encouraged by printing "Fragile" and "Artwork" all over the place. Needless to say, I got my 'artwork' (a custom built Eye-Talian road warrior) home for free. And before anyone starts moaning, it had chromed long point lugs, full braze-ons, chromed fork and rear triangle and Campy drop-outs, so in point of fact it [I]was[I] a Work of Art.

Let us know how it goes! I´m (probably heh) flying home from Narita in one month.

i made it home with bike intact. my flying experience wasnt that bad and i'd dare it say it was easy to fly a bike. besides hauling the box through three different countries' worth of metros.

i had just a frame so packing wasn't as difficult as it would be for a complete bike. i cut down a bike box to just the size i needed and padded it all around with styrofoam. i took large styrofoam blocks form behind grocery and electrical stores in my neighborhood. they worked great because i cut them to whatever size and shape i needed, plus it is light. i wrapped the box in plenty of tape and covered up everthing that said it was a bike. i flew alitalia from japan to paris and i couldnt find anything about their bike policy. when the check-in guy asked what was in the box i said "a frame", the truth but i expect he took it to mean a picture frame. he slapped a bunch of fragile stickers on it made the trip perfectly.
when i flew from london i wasn't even asked the contents of the box. it just barely made it within the size requirements for checked baggage without being oversized. as i started to leave the ticket counter though, i noticed the box had gotten stuck in the luggage conveyor at a corner. i waited to see what would happen and when a guy came to unclog the resulting traffic jam he moved the box to oversize. in the end it came out with the normal bags though and in perfect condition.

the only advice i have from my experience is to say the contents of the box is a "frame". even if it is a full bike you're still not lying completely and no one will hassle you. you might even get better care for art.

i guess i have some advice for metros as well.
tokyo metros are nice because you can use the elevator for your bags. just make sure you avoid rush hour times or you will never get on a train.
paris metros are the worst. if i hadn't had my girlfriend to carry some of my stuff i wouldn't have made it through all the turnstiles and stairs. avoid them if you can.
london metros fall inbetween tokyo and paris. as a stood before the turnstiles wondering how i was going to get through, a guy who worked there came up to me and asked if i wanted to use the door. he looked at my ticket and then let me through a door for wheelchairs. when i got off the train and had to carry my bags up some stairs, a girl stopped and asked me if i wanted some help. to sum up: the metros are set up decently to handle bags and my luck with friendly people made it very easy.