VaultGuru

He have an S&S coupled tandem that fits into two standard 26x26x10" (62" total) hardshell luggage pieces. Two weeks ago, The UAL attendants on the outbound flight to Italy never questioned the size or contents of our luggage. Yesterday, we flew with Lufthansa out of Rome to Washington Dulles, then transferred to UAL for the final leg to Sacramento CA. All of our luggage within their "free baggage" allowance in both size and weight. The attendant asked what was in the 62" pieces of luggage and we told them "bicycle parts". We immediately got a surcharge of $150 Euro's. No Negotiation.
Lufthansa's website doesn't indicate that there should be any additional charge. See the page
https://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...03&cid=1000390

Has anyone else run into this problem? How did you get around it? I have never been charged for shipping my tandem on any other airline. If I am reading their website correctly, I shouldn't have been charged. If you download their "excess baggage PDF", it states, "We would like you to be able to practice your sport while you’re away too. That’s why Lufthansa has special excess baggage rates for sports bags". Special is correct. More like "We are going to stick it to you. Hope you like it".

MB1

We have paid anything from nothing to $165 for our coupled tandem. United Airlines are the worst for raping us-hence they get no more of our business. Lufthansa didn't charge us a thing for the bike returning to Dulles from Budapest.

VaultGuru

Hi MB1
How did you get around Lufthansa (or any airline for that matter) from puting the Euro's to you? They were not going to budge an inch with me and I was out of time to catch the plane. They really wanted to charge me $150 Euro's per piece of luggage containing the bike.

pacificaslim

I've learned from traveling with surfboards that getting charged or not just comes down to the person at the counter. But having print outs from the website of the "official" policies can help. Maybe even a printout of an email response from customer service before your flight would be even better.

cornucopia72

That is an excellent idea!! Thanks!

pacificaslim

Another technique I've heard is if it's available at the particular airport/airline you're using, check your bags at the curbside checkin. Those guys are more likely to just send your bags on through without worrying about fees. Tipping them helps of course.

72andsunny

A well written complaint letter never hurts.

Airlines are very reluctant to actually give money back, but they freely give away vouchers for future travel.

zonatandem

Request them list on the flight ticket that there is no extra charge for flying a bike.

VaultGuru

Hi all:
An update. Received a form letter from Lufthansa validating that I was within guidelines for luggage (L+W+H<=62") and weight <=23kg (50.7lbs.). No mention made of what was contained in the luggage. Somehow, they can't understand their own rules. A side note is that the form letter luggage limitations, as of November, 2007 are 26kg - 57 lbs, and 62" maximum size. I think there is a language problem. 23kg=50.7lbs (website) and 26kg=57lbs (form letter)
Naturally, I sent them a return letter, with website printouts of their own rules and how I had met their criteria. Will let you know the next outcome.
I think pacificaslim has the right ideas. Printout the limitations prior to getting to the counter and check the bags in at the curb.

Geocyclist

Lufthansa is not very consistent with their sports equipment luggage surcharge. I brought my road bike (full size USA roller case) on four flights with Lufthansa this year. Both trips were Bahrain to Barcelona via Frankfurt. I was charged 80 Euro one time (checking in at Barcelona), and no charge the other three flights. Like yourself, I had no luck convincing the check-in agent I shouldn’t have to pay. I got stuck with excess baggage weight once with UA flying domestic with my two 26x26x10 tandem cases. I flew with UA three times between Japan and SFO and was never charged for my two tandem cases. You just have to be careful not to over pack the cases; as it is easy to exceed the single baggage weight limit.

I figure the 80, or 160, Euro is still cheaper than renting a bike!

invisiblehand

With my folding bike, I always e-mail prior to purchasing tickets regarding their luggage policies. I specifically mention a bicycle being in a flight legal suitcase and whether there will be a charge. I also include a sentence that my choice of airlines is dependent on their policy.

VaultGuru

Update..
I received no response from my second refund request to Lufthansa, so I contacted KCRA Call3 Problem Solvers. They are the best local TV station in the greater Sacramento area and are really "problem solvers". They contacted the Lufthansa Media Relations Department and explained the problem. The Lufthansa Media Relations person was very clear that bicycles were considered sport baggage and are subject to the excess baggage charge. However, bicycles that can be easily disassembled in to bicycle parts are fairly new and falls into a gray area. Because of this she is going to recommend that Customer Service refund my fees. I should be receiving a call from them soon. Amazing isn't it? Get a TV station involved and things start to happen.
Many thanks to all of you that contributed to this thread. Your input to divert the problem before it happens is very beneficial. Hopefully, we can help another individual solve the problem at the ticket counter before the it escalates.
Will let you know what Lufthansa's response is.
Cheers

WebsterBikeMan

I noticed that British Airways' site is one of (very) few that explicitly permits bicycles at no extra charge, provided they are in the 26x26x10 boxes. WestJet is another.

Chris_W

I just picked up our new tandem in the US, and flew United Airlines on a two-stopover intercontinental trip: St Louis-Chicago, Chicago-Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Geneva, and had no problem checking my two 26x26x10 hard cases all the way through without any question as to what was inside. The final leg was a Lufthansa flight, but obviously I never had to deal with their check-in agent.

I was a bit worried about having to pay customs duty on it when arriving in Geneva, but I boldly walked through the "Nothing to Declare" lane hoping not to be noticed. The customs officer came out while I was coming through, called the guy two people ahead of me over and I carried on walking. PHEW!

VaultGuru

Hi Chris:
You had the same flight arrangements that we did outbound from the USA to Florence. Flew United Airlines to Frankfurt and then Lufthansa to Florence. The transfer carrier doesn't care about charging you because they never see the luggage. It is just transferred from carrier to carrier by baggage handlers. It is the airline you originate with that will give you the problems. United Airlines gave us no problems. Read Pacificalism's post (above). He is right on. Whenever you fly, bring detailed printouts of the airline requirements. I believe some airline ticket agents and the supervisors are not trained well enough to know their own rules. Plus, there may be a language barrier.
From now on, I will confirm with the airline that I can bring the luggage with no extra charges before I purchase the tickets and I will bring the printouts when I check in
Glad you made it ok. You don't have much of an option to fight the excess baggage charge if your plane leaves in an hour.
Cheers

Geocyclist

I was stopped by Barcelona customs for an inspection of my bike. Once the customs officers saw the bike was dirty (used) they let me take my bike into the country without duty. Another member of our bike tour group, with a bike that was clean as new, had to pay a deposit for refund on export.

VaultGuru

SUCCESS...I received a call from the head of Lufthansa Customer Relations this morning. She told me that they had reviewed the request for reimbursement and reviewed their own website. I was clearly correct and met all of their requirements. They are going to use this case as a training exercise for all Lufthansa personnel that have direct contact with passengers and luggage.

Thanks to all of you for your input and suggestions. Hopefully, anyone that is flying with their bike will read this thread and use the suggestions made by so many of you.
Cheers

Artmo 

We took our Trek T2000, free of charge, packed in a couple of bike boxes taped together from Tampa to London on British Airways this summer. That was in addition to our regular luggage. The agent in Tampa simply told the porter to take the tandem to oversized baggage check-in. In London it was out before our other baggage.