Bike-friendly Airlines
 

Reading another thread brought this topic up. I don't need this info now, but could well need it in the future! What airlines would y'all recommend for traveling with a bike? Which ones would you suggest avoiding?

"Bike friendly airline" is a bit of an oxymoron, at least for US carriers. Southwest used to charge lower fees, but I'm not so sure that is the case anymore. The airlines seem to be deliberately sending a message to cyclists loud and clear -- "we don't want to carry your bikes" -- and the added security issues stemming from 9-11 have not helped.

You're from Raleigh? I'm from Pittsboro! Nice to "meet" ya!

You traveling overseas ? or Not?

Southwest is now $75 for the bike but the other bag is still free I think. Not so bad IMO.

I think Frontier is the same.

Yeah. That's not bad as domestic airlines go. The last I checked, Frontier charged nothing extra for the bike. You just had to pay the standard checked bag fee, which I think was $35 for the first and $25 for second. That may have changed.

Unless there were logistical hurdles, like ground transportation of a boxed bike, I would fly with my bike if I were flying Southwest or Frontier rather than ship it. Did just that for Cycle Oregon a few years ago.

OP: The highest I have seen is $200 (U.S. Airways) and $175 (United). In that situation, I would look into shipping domestically. Earlier this year I shipped via FedEx using Bikeflights.com. $73 each way with LBS pickup from Philly to Missoula. That was for an estimated weight of 90 lbs. for the bike, bike box, racks, stove and empty fuel bottle. Had I actually take the time to get a realistic weight, it would have been cheaper. Also, taking it to the FedEx store myself would have saved me the $5 pick up fee. I was flying United, so I saved myself $100 each way. I used that cash to have the bike assembled and tuned for me at both ends.

USAirways is now $150, same as American (with whom they've merged).

This is just a general question - I don't need it right now, but it came up in a thread and I didn't see a sticky, so I thought I'd bring up the topic!

bike flew free, SAS .. SeaTac to AMS via CPH . but Horizon charged for the connecting flight from EUG To SeaTac..
it was 20 years ago so Id ask your travel agent for an update.

My wife and I flew from L.A. to Tokyo on Air Canada. Bikes cost $100US each bike, each way and we had no problems at all with the AC staff. They were very helpful on both ends.

Read this site: Airline Baggage Regulations For Bicycles


Then, if you are planning to fly somewhere ...

1) Check the baggage regulations of the airline(s) of your choice. Note that airlines change their regulations all the time, and if the last time you flew was a year or two or five ago ... things have changed. And if you book a flight and then 2 months later, you're getting ready to go ... check the baggage regulations again. They may have changed in that 2 months.

2) Be sure to look at the bicycle-specific baggage information. There once was a time when it was cheaper to claim that the bicycle was "art" or "miscellaneous sports equipment" or something. Now it is cheaper to claim it is what it is ... a bicycle.

3) Your full-sized bicycle will be oversized. There's no way around it. So you've got a choice ... pay the bicycle fee or pay the oversized fee. The oversized fee is usually more.

4) If you get to the airport early, if you're the first person in line, if you are super friendly to the check-in person .... you may possibly get a break on the price.

But if you're really rude and obnoxious about it, the check-in person may possibly charge you the bicycle fee, the oversized fee, and if possible the overweight fee. You could end up paying a fortune.

5) Also note that many airlines are starting to charge for the first piece of luggage, and even more for a second piece. They are also lowering their weight limits. It's getting harder and more expensive to bring any luggage on a trip.

They don't want to carry any large luggage anymore.

On our flight from Sydney to Auckland to Los Angeles to Vancouver a couple days ago, we were each allowed ONE piece of checked luggage below the 62" total dimension (length + width + height) and within 23 kg ... and ONE piece of carry-on luggage within 7 kg. That was it.


A second piece of checked luggage would have cost $200.
A second piece of carry-on would have been taken from us and checked ... at $200.

This topic is frequently discussed. :)

Yeah ... things have changed dramatically in 20 years.

One problem I came across was with check-in subcontractors insisting on some regulation that the airline's website didn't specify. In my case not boxing my bike and finding the check-in clerk on the return journey (from Lyon, France) trying to tell me I needed to go away find a box and box it all within an hour. I challenged her on this and she backed down but I could see someone accepting it.

Might be a good idea to carry a print out of the bike carriage conditions.

Friendly and Airline are an oxymoron...

My bride is a 30+ year survivor of the "not so friendly skies".

I used to fly for work, now it if is under a long day's drive... I drive.

Aaron :)

After looking at some of the prices airlines charge, I wonder if it might not be easier and cheaper to buy a cheap bike at your destination. In France, Decathalon, the big sporting goods chain, sells some bikes for € 99 to € 159. They might be suitable for a tour, but obviously not for performance riding. But you don't risk damage to your favorite bike by luggage handlers.

It would also be nice to be able to rent a good bike at your destination, but the logistics and such would be enormous because of variation in frame size and equipment. I think some organized tour companies will provide a bike, but I don't know if such a service exists for independant riders.

Some folks, including myself are too tall to use a regular bicycle. A rental bicycle is NOT like a rental car in that it needs to fit you well - and especially the saddle. I must use my own (custom built) bicycle if the trip is NOT to be one of torture.

Unfortunately, that means carting the bike on an aircraft - and the other equipment needed for the trip. Some LCC lines allow you to pay reasonable amounts for extra baggage and sporting equipment (ie Air AsiaX) while other regular fare airlines actually hose bicyclists on some routes (Royal Brunei wanted $86 AUD per kilo between Melbourne and Dubai recently). Cheaper to use an unaccompanied baggage forwarding firm... which is what was done ($7.10per kg plus fees). :thumb:

Who said bicycling was cheap? :notamused:

I weighed in a boxed bike at the check-in and accidently had one end of the box still on the baggage trolley. This reduced the weight of the bike by half and saved the excess baggage charges.

In the good old days; all sports equipment was carried free by all airlines. I remember waiting in a check-in line behind a tall thin man carrying a 12 foot long cardboard tube.
"Are you a pole-vaulter?" I asked.
"No, I'm German, but how did you know my name was Walter?" he replied.

This is why we've gone with folders.

Lufthansa allowed us to fly without boxing our bikes. They did charge $150 for the bikes, but we rode our bikes to the airport, walked our bikes to the ticket counter, took off the panniers, handed over our bikes, and received our claim tickets. Yes, there was a new chip on my bike, but I'm not much of a mechanic, so it was a small price to pay to avoid the hassles and expense of boxing, or of putting a bike together after 20 hours in transit. I left my Bordo lock on the bike where it always lives, and somehow the lock didn't make it home with the bike. Lufthansa couldn't find it, and sent me a check to cover the cost.

Virgin Atlantic also allows you to ship unboxed bikes.

that's good to know, ma'am! (I always call lady teachers "ma'am" :) )

When was this?

We flew from the US to Europe in early June, and home in early August. When we changed planes in Munich, we saw the baggage handlers wheel the bikes up the conveyor belt into the belly of the plane. We hadn't quite believed Lufthansa's stated policy, so before we bought our tickets, we rode out to the airport and talked to the ground staff. They were quite matter of fact. They'll take the bikes in a box or a bag if you'd rather, and in fact, there was also a boxed bike on our flight, but they don't require boxes. My partner's bike would have been oversized in a box, so for him, it was better not to box!

Bike-friendly Airlines
 

British Airways is my goto airline. If your bike box weighs under 23kg and you have no other checked luggage, it goes for free.