Bikes on Virgin Atlantic ?
thielges
on Virgin Atlantic. Their literature states that bikes can be transported
free, but they must fit into a box not exceeding 62" total length+width+height.
That seems to be contradictory, unless they didn't mean ADULT bicycles. A
standard bike box that can hold an adult bike broken down (wheels, pedals,
handle bars off) measures 90 inches. There's no way I could fit even just
my bike frame into a 62 inch box, let alone the wheels, etc.
I called Virgin to talk to a rep and was told that boxes exceeding their
dimensions guidelines incur a $100 (US) extra fee. Hardly free. My guess is
that acceptance is up to the discretion of the ticket agent at the airport.
I'm interested in hearing any recent experiences of flying Virgin, particularly
from San Francisco to London-Heathrow, in the past year with a bike. Did you
get your bike on free, pay $100, or something inbetween ?
Thanks,
Bart
thie...@xilinx.com <---- you will probably have to use this address to reply
to me rather than the address on the header.
PS - I found an excellent FAQ on Velonet (via rec.bicycles.misc) describing
biking routes out of several international airports. There's also some
information on how airlines handle bicycles, but none recent on Virgin.
Peter Dampier
>I'm interested in hearing any recent experiences of flying Virgin, particularly
>from San Francisco to London-Heathrow, in the past year with a bike. Did you
>get your bike on free, pay $100, or something inbetween ?
Well I've not tried to bring a bike onto a Virgin flight but with regard to
service/comfort etc they seem to be by far the best. The Food, The
Entertainment systems, just the little extras like including a pen in the
coach amenity packs so you can fill in the visa waiver easilty! (Flew
American the other day... No pen, No stewardess seemed to want to lend me
one either!!!) and staff that will REALLY try to help. I was stuck in NYC
during the Blizzard of 96 for 3 days and Virgin were the only airline to
put people up in a hotel free of charge + food, then upgraded me and a
couple of others to Premium Economy on the way back as well. Already said
thanks here once. But thanks again. :@)
Now if only they flew to Denver which is where I now fly to often. :(
Delta - Prove me wrong... Any chance of a free upgrade 15th June Manchester
to Denver? *grin*
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cole...@northcoast.com
to flay that distance everything was great. I spent most of my time
wtching movies. The flight attendant took a liking to me, too and kept
bringing me beers. I didn't get charged any extra for my bicycle. I did
have to pay and extra $60 bucks to take my bike on United from SFO to LAX,
however. I suggest that you take a Double Decker bus from Heathrow to
Victoria Station and then find one of the many people looking for
prospective customers for some of the Hostels. They can give you and your
bike a free ride to a relatively cheap place to stay. Put your bike
together there (some will even store your box for a nominal charge). If
you plan on riding in Great Britain, it's a little weird riding on the
left side of the road. If you are planning to ride on the Mainland of
Europe, it is easy to take your bicycle on the British Rail trains to any
of the ferry terminal.
Good Luck,
Coleman (cole...@northcoast.com)
thie...@gmail.com
> I'm getting confusing information regarding the rules for bringing a bike
> on Virgin Atlantic. Their literature states that bikes can be transported
> free, but they must fit into a box not exceeding 62" total length+width+height.
> That seems to be contradictory, unless they didn't mean ADULT bicycles. A
> standard bike box that can hold an adult bike broken down (wheels, pedals,
> handle bars off) measures 90 inches. There's no way I could fit even just
> my bike frame into a 62 inch box, let alone the wheels, etc.
>
> I called Virgin to talk to a rep and was told that boxes exceeding their
> dimensions guidelines incur a $100 (US) extra fee. Hardly free. My guess is
> that acceptance is up to the discretion of the ticket agent at the airport.
>
> from San Francisco to London-Heathrow, in the past year with a bike. Did you
> get your bike on free, pay $100, or something inbetween ?
>
> Bart
> t...@xilinx.com <---- you will probably have to use this address to reply
>
> PS - I found an excellent FAQ on Velonet (via rec.bicycles.misc) describing
> biking routes out of several international airports. There's also some
> information on how airlines handle bicycles, but none recent on Virgin.
I cannot comment on the return trip because my bike was stolen in London :-( But the trip turned out great anyways :-)
ab.ch...@rogers.com
> To follow up on myself from 2 decades ago, Virgin did not charge for my boxed
> bike on the outbound SFO-LON segment. I also was able to figure out a
> delightful but complex bike route from Heathrow to my friend's house in
> Streatham.
>
> I cannot comment on the return trip because my bike was stolen in London :-(
> But the trip turned out great anyways :-)
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO