Getting bikes to Zurich
 

Hi all!

I am planning a two week tour in Switzerland and Germany in September with my girlfriend. We've both done several tours in the U.S., but have never gone to Europe, and we're very excited about our tour. We plan on staying in pensions and maybe the occasional hotel, so this is a credit card sorta trip (she doesn't care for camping!). We are going with no itinerary, and no clear route, but we have maps and a sense of adventure!

My question is the best way to get the bikes to and from Zurich. United Airlines charges $200 each way per bike, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with shipping their bike to a shop, picking it up upon arrival, and shipping it back when done. I haven't checked with Fed Ex for rates yet, so I don't know if it's cost effective. We were just discussing it on our ride this morning, so I thought I'd ask here.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Many years ago, a group trip, we left our bikes at an SNCF rail station a few days ahead, in Paris,

then, later, took the TGV to Lyon (No baggage car for bikes), changed trains to Bern, and when We got to the Swiss rail Station ,
the bikes were there waiting for us .. they had gone on previous night trains ..

So consider ; combine air and Surface transport..

Check other airlines for lower prices.

Look at British Airways.

US based airlines charge lots for bicycles, but the airlines of other countries usually don't. We just flew from Australia to Canada, and didn't pay a cent for our bicycles. Our trip was a combination of Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand.

$200 sounds like a lot, but maybe the rates have increased over the years? The last time I flew with my bike, I think I had to shell out $50 or $75 extra in each direction. If another airline will do it cheaper -- or without a charge -- then that's an obvious solution.

But here is another perspective: when travelling, be prepared to reach deeply into your money belt. Think of $400 per person as a surcharge to have a wonderful cycling adventure.

It might be less expensive to fly to Amsterdam or Frankfurt, and then take a train to your starting point.

If you do fly to Zurich, save yourself the effort and bother of cycling to the city by taking a train. I wish I had. I found the route confusing, especially when riding while a bit jet lagged. Riding in Switzerland became a lot more interesting after I exited Zurich.

I presume you are flying from Arizona? Which airport, as this will be the limiting factor? Is there any reason you MUST fly United? There are other carriers that charge anywhere from $0-$150, although there is no way of figuring it out without going through each's policy that fly from whatever airport you are using. Remember, a $100 increase in base fare may well save you $400 in luggage.

I have recently heard anecdotal evidence that BikeFlights can get bikes to Italy for around $200, but that still isn't saving you money, and I haven't personally seen a quote that low. Most of the quotes I have tried in the past are more in the $500-600 each way to ship to Europe. FedEx retail rates are even higher, pushing four digits. For my money, at least internationally, flying with the bikes has been the cheapest option by a long shot.

Getting bikes to Zurich
 

Thanks for the replies, everyone. We are flying from Tucson. We wanted to schedule our flight for the best arrival time into Zurich, so we can ride from the airport, so we arrive in the morning. I checked flights into other cities, and the fare was close enough in cost to be negligibly inconsequential. Also, checked airfare to several cities in Germany, France and even Geneva; same story. So we went with Zurich anyway. Not all that many reasonable fares from this part of the country with other airlines.

The closest airport other than Tucson is Phoenix, but due to the hassle of getting there, along with the 120 mile drive there and back along I-10, we nixed that idea. I checked (based on rough guesstimates) with Fed Ex, and it seems like the reasonable alternative is to just fly with the bikes. United allows bikes to fly unboxed, and from reading other threads it seems like a viable option. At least they might stand a better chance of not being crushed under other luggage.

Yes, the cost is high, and it's not like we have unlimited funds. But for a trip like this, as acantor said, it is a surcharge for a wonderful trip.

Besides, I'll get to spend my 60th birthday at the Hofbrauhaus!

Any additional comments are welcome!

Thanks again,

Karl

Not sure what you mean by "unboxed." Never heard of airlines taking an unpackaged bike. If you are referring to bringing just the bike without any protection or case, I doubt they will take it. Surely it has to be placed in some type of container, bag or luggage that holds the bike. You may want to double check with the airline.

My first ever cycling holiday was to Ireland in 2010. My flight was with Delta Airline and it cost me $150 to and $150 back, for a total of $300 to fly my bike. My second cycling holiday was to Scotland in 2011. My flight was with American Airlines and it cost me $200 to and $200 back, for a total of $400 to fly my bike.

My solution was to buy a Surly Trucker Deluxe frame with S&S couplers.

I have since done 5 other tours (Belgium/Norway/Switzerland/Austria/Slovenia) and paid $50 each time. The standard rate for an addition checked piece of luggage.

I'm sorry to say, US airlines have no problem screwing cycle tourist and you really don't have any options with a USA departure.

Tucson -> Zurich apparently means 2 connections each way.

1. Bike fees often apply to each segment. I'd suggest that you call your carrier to validate the actual fee that will be charged.

2. Flying bikes on routes with several connections increases the likelihood of baggage delays, especially when layovers are short.

3. You may want to consider buying/renting in Zurich. Would make your trip much easier. I, like you, much prefer to ride out of the airport, but in your case, it involves significant cost and complexity.

See here for a few options.

Nope:

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...ge/sports.aspx

Yep and Yep.

Paid $200 each way on U.S. Airways back in 2013 to fly from Philly to Venice for nearly two weeks of cycling in the Veneto, etc., regions. Well worth it, if only for the food. :)

Back in the day, a bike simply counted as one of your two free pieces of checked baggage, at least when flying from the U.S. to Europe. No charge in '95 when I went to the Giro (Delta) and no charge in '00 when I toured Andalucia (British Airway and Iberia).

Your response and the policy are equally ambiguous. The website says "Bicycle should be transported in a sealed box." Sounds like you have an option, otherwise it would say shall or must, but what are the alternatives?

Don't know, but it clearly doesn't have to be boxed. I once flew back from Spain--three flights total--with the bike in a plastic bag supplied by the airline. Rear wheel was a little tweeked, but otherwise the bike was o.k.

problem is from Tucson AZ, you have to get to an airport that may have an international airport served by another airline ,
Like British Airways, that may not charge the bike fee, but the domestic carrier flying between your nearest airport
and the international hub, will.

example: took SAS out of SeaTac, But had to take Horizon out of Eugene, to get there, first.. to get to AMS, via CPH.

Just curious if anyone has actually had this happen, or if it is just internet lore? I've traveled a lot, and have never encountered baggage policy that requires you to pay a fee for each individual take off/landing, just per direction (essentially, from check in to leaving the airport the final time), unless you do something like fly into say Newark and out of JFK, which some airlines will ticket.

Of course renting runs into its own set of issues: bikes that don't fit, bikes that are less than stellar mechanically, not having the freedom to effect repairs on your own if something pops up, returning if it is a one way tour, making sure your luggage fits on the bikes you actually receive, etc.

Would be nice if airlines could simply come up with a uniform set of rules for bikes, or at the very minimum know their own! The airline I'm heading out on next, I have two separate emails from customer service, the first saying the bike MUST be in a bag, and the second saying they recommend it be securely packed in a box :eek:

I'm solving that by packing it in a bag in a box, if they say the box isn't cool, I'll just pull it out :)

As far as I remember, it happened to us last year on YUL-YYZ-SFO flying Air Canada.

Their policy clearly indicates that they charge a $50 fee per segment.

If I recall correctly, that's what we were charged.

If it were me personally, I wouldn't be so quick to nix it. You can fly wholly on BA or Air Canada from Phoenix to Zurich, with one connection in London or Toronto respectively. BA allows the bike free as one of your checked bag fees, Air Canada charges $50 each way, and both flights are within a few dollars of United from Zurich on the same days (randomly punched in a two week segment in September)

Can't remember when BA gets in, but AC arrived at 750am. Most transatlantic flights arrive in Europe in the AM, that should be pretty common, unless you get a layover on arrival somewhere. Also good keep in mind for planning, by the time you land and clear customs/immigration and retrieve and assemble the bike, you're likely adding two hours before getting out of the airport.

I don't see anything in there about segments, from my reading, it clearly indicates each way of travel. I'm reading the multi segment part as a multi-leg journey, where one has more than the normal two checkins in a round trip flight (i.e. if they were doing YYZ-LHR, get out and stay a few days, LHR-ZRH, stay a few days in Zurich, ZRH-YYZ). Anecdotally, when I flew AC last, they forgot to charge me for my bike, maybe they were just making it up on you :)