Bikes on Planes

[TigaSefi]

Are Ryanair taking the piss with their £60 bike bag cost each way?? Easyjet is £70 for return flights. with 3 people that's an extra £360!

Bloody extortionate!

Absolutely taking the piss. Was looking at a trip last night - flights £81, bike an extra £120. That's 50% more to put a bag in the hold than me in a seat. The only other option for the destination is to go all the way to Gatwick for an Easyjet flight, bikes are "large sports" at £30 e/w. Or take the Brompton.

Wizz Air charge £25.

I know!!! it's shit. So we've decided to drive down there and share the petrol/tolls cost instead. Plus we know that the bikes will be safer than being thrown around by baggage handlers!

[rafletcher]

People put themselves in seats, bikes don't put themselves in holds.  Frankly, you should be astounded at the low cost of the flights IMO. I am (and gratefully so).  Going to France for 4 days cycling is an undoubted luxury. You have a first world problem.

[TigaSefi]

Hardly! There's paying for a decent service and being ripped off/taking the pee. I know what Ryanair are doing (and it not the first one)

[Pickled Onion]

People put themselves in seats, bikes don't put themselves in holds.  Frankly, you should be astounded at the low cost of the flights IMO. I am (and gratefully so).  Going to France for 4 days cycling is an undoubted luxury. You have a first world problem.

Well, yes, the cheap cost of flying is incredible, no doubt about that. But if Wizz Air can manage to put a bag in the hold for £25, and they're hardly doing that as a loss leader, then Ryan Air could manage the same. They still make a profit on the seat with or without hold baggage.

Oh, and last time I flew I didn't notice being able to "put myself in a seat" - several people to check my boarding pass, people to put the steps up at the side of the plane, quite a few stewards on board for the whole flight, security between the gate and plane, etc. Quite a few more, and for more time, than the baggage handlers loading the hold.

[TimC]

British Airways will, I believe, take your bike for free. So, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseilles, Nice and Lyons are available in the southern half of France if you can find a worthwhile cycling destination within range of those airports. Alternatively, get yourself a Ritchey Break-Away or an Airnimal and fit the bike in a normal(ish)-sized hold case with no extra charges. Or hire a bike on arrival?

[Aunt Maud]

There is no size restriction on "Large Sports Items" with Ryanair, as long as it goes through the x-ray machine portal thingy you'll be ok. If you can tape two bike boxes together and keep it under 30kg's you'll only pay for 1 bike.

I've taped two bike boxes together and flown with Ryanair out of Stansted without an issue.

[DDCyclist]

My only experience of bikes on planes was pre-9/11 so things have probably changed considerably.

I was moving from Munich to the south of Sweden. Most belongings were shipped by road (and were dumped in the hotel car park in heavy rain by the driver, who was supposed to phone me to arrange delivery - but that's a bit OT).

I phoned the airline before deciding my travel arrangements. They assured me that there'd be no problem. No need to pack it. Just take the valves out of the tyres, turn the handlebars and generally make it as compact as possible. I can't remember if there was a fee but I suspect there was.

On checking in for departure I was told that bikes were not permitted on that particular airline's flights but I could leave it at the airport until I returned. Err - no - it's a one way trip. After a little negotiation the bike went on the plane with no further problems.

[Kim]

No need to pack it. Just take the valves out of the tyres...

Is this a new, more extreme version of the "tyres must be deflated" rule?   

[DDCyclist]

It was a very high altitude flight. 

I was told to remove them, so that's what I did. I wasn't carrying much hand luggage anyway so a couple of valves didn't tip me over the limit.

[trickedem]

I have used BA twice for bike tours. The great thing is that it can work out much cheaper than Ryanair or Easyjet. The simple fact is that Ryanair don't want anyone to check baggage in because it slows down their turn around time, so they price to discourage. They do the same for skis and snowboards.

First trip was from London City to Granada. I cycled up to London City and then put my bike into a CTC bag. I took a little bit of air our of the tyres just in case they asked! No questions asked, all very friendly and the bike arrived undamaged without any delay. On the way back from Malaga, the check in person (who didn't work for BA) said I couldn't take my bike in a plastic bag. I explained that BA hadn't complained on the way out and after phoning someone she said it was ok. To say I was worried was a bit of an understatement, but again everything went very well.

Second trip was to Geneva. This time I pre-packed the bike in a  cardboard box, with lots of extra padding and again no questions asked and everything went very well. Unpacked and reassembled the bike, left the box next to a litter bin and rode home. Simples!

So on this basis I would thoroughly recommend BA for taking bikes. You can also take panniers on as hand luggage, although you might need to strap them together to count as one bag.

[TigaSefi]

I flew home from Italy in May this year on BA and had to pay £25.

[JStone]

... I cycled up to London City and then put my bike into a CTC bag ... On the way back from Malaga, the check in person (who didn't work for BA) said I couldn't take my bike in a plastic bag. ...

I flew back from Basel to Heathrow with BA in July. Their website says that bikes are accepted provided that 'they are packed in a recognised bicycle bag' (BA website luggage policy), so I emailed them to check whether a CTC bag was 'recognised'. Got the following reply:

<quote>
Our airport teams are hesitant about accepting bikes within these bags as they obviously offer very little in the way of protection for your bike frame and mechanics, plus they are much more difficult to be securely tagged and handled by the baggage teams.

Because of this you will be asked to sign a document to state that if any damage does occur to your bike whilst it is being handled/transported in one of these plastic bike bags, the damage will not be the responsibility of British Airways or its agents.
</quote>

I took a printout of the email just in case, but wasn't asked to sign anything. Sailed through check-in with no problem, and the bike arrived at Heathrow unscathed.

[ianrauk]

I was also with Mr Trickdem on the BA flight to Geneva.
I had deflated the tyres before packing in the box. Next time I wont bother. At no time where we asked to do so or if we had.
BA staff at Heathrow couldn't have been more helpful.

[Kim]

Tyres don't need deflating, but many of the people who will be involved in the process aren't very good physicists.  Some of them are in a hurry and have access to sharp knives.  I know what I'd do...

[DDCyclist]

Tyres don't need deflating, but many of the people who will be involved in the process aren't very good physicists.  Some of them are in a hurry and have access to sharp knives.  I know what I'd do...

Slopey shoulders. If they've told you to deflate them you've got less chance of making a complaint stick if there is a problem with your tyres, even if it has nothing to do with hold pressure. Chances are your bike will be in a pressurised hold anyway (see http://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/8252/are-cargo-holds-pressurised-these-days).

[TimC]

Tyres don't need deflating, but many of the people who will be involved in the process aren't very good physicists.  Some of them are in a hurry and have access to sharp knives.  I know what I'd do...

Slopey shoulders. If they've told you to deflate them you've got less chance of making a complaint stick if there is a problem with your tyres, even if it has nothing to do with hold pressure. Chances are your bike will be in a pressurised hold anyway (see http://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/8252/are-cargo-holds-pressurised-these-days).

I have never flown an aircraft where the hold isn't part of the pressurised hull. They do exist - some ancient (1950s) Russian freighters aren't pressurised aft of the flight deck - but I'll bet you'll never fly in one!

Tyres don't need to be deflated, but the numpty who writes each airline's cargo policy may well not appreciate that. Ask them how the 200+psi aircraft tyres survive the flight - outside the pressure hull. Or what the rules are for cars carried in the hold.

[DDCyclist]

@TimC

There's probably an element of "can't be bothered to update the rules that might have been written in the 1960s" too, especially if it does nothing to improve flight safety or make the workload of any airline staff or ground crew any easier.

[mark]

@TimC

There's probably an element of "can't be bothered to update the rules that might have been written in the 1960s" too, especially if it does nothing to improve flight safety or make the workload of any airline staff or ground crew any easier.

Rules do get updated if airline management figures out that they are annoying paying customers for no good reason. Otherwise a point is reached where paying customers take their money elsewhere.

Whenever I've taken a bicycle on BA they've taken good care of my bicycle.

[DDCyclist]

How odd. Just received an email from Axminster Tools. The subject? "Take a Ride(r) on a plane."

Unlikely to be targeted advertising. Just coincidence.

[mattc]

One of the reasons that has kept me off planes is the sheer bewilderment of options/restrictions.

Something noone has mentioned here is how you are getting to the airport. If you're riding there (or on a train) then bike boxes become almost useless. The CTC bike-bag becomes an option;  just turning the bars.letting tyres down and detaching pedals is even more attractive! The whole door-to-door journey is rather complicated.

Are box users getting taxis/f&f-lifts to the airport? Have I missed the bleedin' obvious?? 

[jsabine]

One of the reasons that has kept me off planes is the sheer bewilderment of options/restrictions.

Something noone has mentioned here is how you are getting to the airport. If you're riding there (or on a train) then bike boxes become almost useless. The CTC bike-bag becomes an option;  just turning the bars.letting tyres down and detaching pedals is even more attractive! The whole door-to-door journey is rather complicated.

Are box users getting taxis/f&f-lifts to the airport? Have I missed the bleedin' obvious?? 

Depends how close you are to a station and how comfortable you are lugging a dead weight around. I did train to Gatwick (with bike in a Halfords cardboard box) last summer: the five or six minute walk to my local station became fifteen, and changing platforms at London Bridge was awkward, but it worked. Going to a different airport or travelling from NotLondon would have been trickier - I'd definitely consider a cab for at least part of the journey, if only to a station that had a direct service.

[DDCyclist]

I waved goodbye to all my stuff (except a couple of changes of work clothes and a few valuables I wanted to carry as hand luggage) cycled to the airport (about 20 miles) and that was that. Easy.

It was a long time ago though. Well before 9/11 and the tightening up of just about everything to do with airports and flying.

At the other end it was 84 miles from the airport to my flat so I used a taxi. 20 miles was about my limit for one day.

[zigzag]

all three times i carried my bike on the plane i cycled to the airport too; carried the bike in either unpadded bike bag or wrapped in a luggage cling film - luckily no damage.

[morbihan]

One thing I'm super leery of when travelling with the bike is having an onward connecting flight
On the recent Raid Pyrenees we did, 3 bikes out of 21 didn't make the connections. (Madrid via States then on to Biarritz)

It seems to happen with bikes more than with reg luggage. Possibly moved separately?

 

[Jurek]

One thing I'm super leery of when travelling with the bike is having an onward connecting flight
On the recent Raid Pyrenees we did, 3 bikes out of 21 didn't make the connections. (Madrid via States then on to Biarritz)

It seems to happen with bikes more than with reg luggage. Possibly moved separately?

I think the issue is with 'unusually-shaped-luggage' ie: anything other than a suitcase.
I ship stuff overseas for a living (amongst other things) all the time.
Connecting flights are The Thing I Avoid.
Lots.
Most of the stuff I ship is in postal tubes 1600mm x 180mm x 180mm.
Not exactly a Samsonite...
If I cannot get a direct flight I tend to re-schedule the job.
I have experience of many, many instances of the postal tubes ending up somewhere different to where my fitters are.