Airlines Double Prices for Flying Bikes Overseas

[rwgr...@cox.net]

I received this in my inbox today.

Randy Graves

> From: American Bicyclist Update <bikel...@bikeleague.org>
. . . 8<
>
> Airlines Double Prices for Flying Bikes Overseas
>
> Prior to January 2007, most airlines let bicycles on trans-Atlantic and
> trans-Pacific flights fly free, in lieu of one piece of baggage (as long as
> they were within the two-bag limit and underweight limit of 30kg). Early in
> 2007, several airlines have changed their baggage regulations for bicycles.
> By February 2007 the regulations, for most airlines, call for all bicycles
> being charged on these flights. The charges range from $80 to $160 each way
> -- $160 to $320 roundtrip! For more information, go to
> www.ibike.org/encouragement/travel/bagregs.htm.
>

[adam]

Data point: I bought a ticket for a recent vacation on Air France,
which I thought had a good reputation for handling bikes. When I
called to inform them (per their request on their website) that I
would be bringing mine in a regulation box, the rep told me that, as
of 1/15/2007, they would charge me fees of $150US outbound and
150euro return... about $350US all told. I decided to rent a bike
when I got there... unfortunately, not a great option for the PBP-
bound randonneur.

Best,
Adam

Adam Pollock
ad...@bway.net

[Matthew O'Neill]

It is even worse than you think if it is 150 USD one way and 150 Euro
the other. According to Google Calculator (granted it is not the
official keeper of currency exchange rates, but it will do for now),
150 Euro = 199.21500 U.S. dollars.

On the bright side, this makes for a more or less round number of $400
USD total for the bicycle transport fees.

Yikes.

-Matthew O'Neill
San Diego Century Riders
www.sandiegocenturyriders.com

On Mar 27, 1:21 pm, adam <a...@bway.net> wrote:
> Data point: I bought a ticket for a recent vacation on Air France,
> which I thought had a good reputation for handling bikes. When I
> called to inform them (per their request on their website) that I
> would be bringing mine in a regulation box, the rep told me that, as
> of 1/15/2007, they would charge me fees of $150US outbound and
> 150euro return... about $350US all told. I decided to rent a bike
> when I got there... unfortunately, not a great option for the PBP-
> bound randonneur.
>
> Best,
> Adam
>
> Adam Pollock

> a...@bway.net

>
> On Mar 27, 2007, at 3:54 PM, <rwgra...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I received this in my inbox today.
>
> > Randy Graves
>

[Alfredo Garcia]

Hi,

 

That's a bummer. I wonder if anyone has done PBP with a bike retrofitted with S & S couplers and packed it in much compacted luggage. Did the slighly extra weight (on the bike) affected anyone? And how long did it take to get it S & S'ed?

 

Alfredo Garcia

Five Borough Bicycle Club

New York, NY

RUSA # 1292

rwgr...@cox.net wrote:

[Patrick Shea]

I was under the impression that Claus of Des Peres Travel talked Air France into waiving their bike fee for his clients. From his website:

 

Bike Transport on Air France

As of January 2007, Air France has made an unexpected change in their rules regarding bicycle transportation with a fee of $150 each way. However, after negotiating with them since I made my group contracts before January 2007, AIR FRANCE WAIVED THIS NEW RULE FOR MY GROUP FLIGHTS. The bicycle case will be allowed as part of your 2-piece baggage allowance. However, the 50 lbs. maximum weight per piece is still in effect.

Tandems are included in this waiver. Should your bicycle case exceed the weight limit of 50 lbs, the applicable overweight charge is $ 24/kg. ($ 10.90/lb.).

 

Cheers,

Patrick Shea

RUSA #264

 

[papa...@comcast.net]

Try to get a bike case and bike under 50 pounds.  My bike case is a 32 pounder/hard plastic with wheels..  No way am I getting my bike and case under fifty pounds.  Carry peddles, seat and post, what else? Pretty iffy unless I purchase a new cardboard or fabric case. Maybe its worth it.

John V

 

> >> Prior to January 2007, most airlines l et bicycles on trans-

[Matthew O'Neill]

And thus the airlines have given cyclists another talking point to
help them justify to their significant other why it is that they need
that nifty S&S coupled touring bike for their next potential big
trip. :~) I cannot be the only one who thinks this way...

-Matthew O'Neill
San Diego Century Riders
www.sandiegocenturyriders.com

On Mar 27, 3:06 pm, papaw...@comcast.net wrote:
> Try to get a bike case and bike under 50 pounds. My bike case is a 32 pounder/hard plastic with wheels.. No way am I getting my bike and case under fifty pounds. Carry peddles, seat and post, what else? Pretty iffy unless I purchase a new cardboard or fabric case. Maybe its worth it.
> John V
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: "Patrick Shea" <pbp2...@gmail.com>
>
> I was under the impression that Claus of Des Peres Travel talked Air France into waiving their bike fee for his clients. From his website:
>
> Bike Transport on Air France
> As of January 2007, Air France has made an unexpected change in their rules regarding bicycle transportation with a fee of $150 each way. However, after negotiating with them since I made my group contracts before January 2007, AIR FRANCE WAIVED THIS NEW RULE FOR MY GROUP FLIGHTS. The bicycle case will be allowed as part of your 2-piece baggage allowance. However, the 50 lbs. maximum weight per piece is still in effect.
> Tandems are included in this waiver. Should your bicycle case exceed the weight limit of 50 lbs, the applicable overweight charge is $ 24/kg. ($ 10.90/lb.).
>
> Cheers,
> Patrick Shea
> RUSA #264
>

> > >> Prior to January 2007, most airlines let bicycles on trans-

[Robert Magyar]

If your ticket shows that your bicycle is included, you are in good shape, otherwise keep your credit card handy.

http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=sir.10703.0054.eml

 

---

Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:58:04 -0700
From: pbp...@gmail.com
To: onei...@gmail.com
Subject: [Randon] Re: Airlines Double Prices for Flying Bikes Overseas
CC: ran...@googlegroups.com

[Greg Jones]

That is of course if you are not flying Air Canada – as of last summer where the fee could only be paid at the check in counter and in CASH – why in cash and not a credit card, I do not know, you can go argue with them.  Been there, done that.  Hopefully you can convince the ticket agent to take your credit card before the plane leaves.   

 

Good luck.

 

---

</html

[jo...@johnandjuliet.com]

Alfred,

Not sure exactly what you mean by packed it in much compacted
luggage...

The S&S is designed to fit into a standard 62 inch case
(26inchx10inchx10inch).

You can pack in a fair amount of ancillary stuff in the box... I
usually pack in tubes, bike bag, frame pump, shorts and jersey, gloves
and socks and such... and then some other such items but it won't take
much to hit the 50 pound limit...

Because you are allowed 2 checked bags what I do is check the bike
with stuff up to 45 pounds in the hard-shell case and then put the
bike rack and other stuff into a 52 inch suit case.... I usually carry
my helmet on the plane with me along with my shoes and pedals.

The idea is that if my bike doesn't make it on time then I got my
shoes, helmet and pedals. And I can buy clothes and rent a bike. If
the bike makes it then I got everything...

Though in this day and age I'm more tempted to not carry-on the pedals
due to the inspectors giving me such a look for them...

The hard-shell case with the crush-proof spacers can carry a bunch of
stuff without hurting the bike. The secret is to wrap the frame and
other parts well... I use a lots of extra towels and thin-foam/cloth
pads to prevent rubbing/scratching... Other than that the bike if
packed right doesn't rest hard against the case so there is no
crushing that can really happen....

To convert a bike: It must be steel or titanium... Steve Bilenky says
he can do a conversion in 3 weeks if the bike has round tubes. If the
tubes are ovalized (cannot be done if they are sever ovals) it can
take a bit longer. My Airborne took 5 weeks. Got it just in time to
travel to Berlin!!!

Here is a link to Steve's conversion site...
http://bilenky.com/Retrofits.html

A picture of my frame converted and just before he shipped it back to
me:
http://bilenky.com/Airbourne.html

Here it is in the case:(and many other pics of "the bike"
http://jnj.homelinux.net/PICTURES/AirborneCarpeDiem/

[David Cambon]

----- Original Message -----
From: papa...@comcast.net

>Try to get a bike case and bike under 50 pounds. My bike case is a 32
>pounder/hard plastic with wheels..

Here's a photo of a lighweight bike box that I made:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7603714@N08/437058546/

[pamela blalock]

We took our s&s tandem to PBP in 99, and around the world since. One of the really cool things about the s&s cases, versus a big bike case, is getting into a taxi, or on the train, is no hassle. I’ve also traveled a bit with an s&s single. It was one of my lightest bikes (with no rack or fenders), so I can’t really comment on *extra* weight J

 

I will say that TSA makes traveling with any bike stressful. They do open cases, and some of them don’t understand how a simple latch works and will simply use pliers to break open a latch. We traveled with singles and big bike cases a year ago. We did not use locks, just the latches on the cases and the two big straps around the case. Good thing the straps were there, since they pried off the latches of my case and the only thing holding it together was the strap! The note inside said they had to break the locks and were not responsible for damage. I’ll repeat there were NO locks.

 

The concern with the S&S, is that it is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle and when they open it, it may go sproing, and they will not take as much care closing the case as you would. And they won’t call you to help. To fit in the airline max size allowed case, you will have to let all the air out of your 700C tires and compress them a bit to fit in the case. With a single bike, you typically pack the frame in the middle and wheels on the outside.

 

http://www.blayleys.com/trips/2002/wine/index.htm

 

There is a photo at the bottom of this page of my single going into the case. The front wheel goes on top, and then the anti-compression device. Then when you try to close the case, you’ll need to press the side of the deflated tire in to get it to fit into the top. TSA probably won’t do that! S&S sell a net to try and keep everything together.

 

The next link has a photo of our s&s tandem going into the case. We usually have frame pieces in one case, and wheels, racks and other parts in the other. Our cases come in just under 50 lbs. We spec’d 26 inch wheels on this bike specifically for convenience when packing. Seriously, there no issue with having to squish the tires to get them in.

 

http://www.blayleys.com/articles/tandem/ours.htm

 

Despite these concerns, I do think it’s the way to go. We have literally traveled around the world with the tandem. We have put it on the TGV, and hauled it around through the Paris Metro. It has traveled in the back of many small cars.

 

There are a few companies doing retro-fit, but I’d recommend getting one designed as an s&s, since it can be optimized if you will. You can even get carbon frames with couplers now. Calfee does coupled carbon fiber, although I have no direct experience with them.

 

I can highly recommend Co-motion coupled bikes. We’ve owned two tandems and a single of theirs with couplers. They are very experienced building with couplers and do it right. Everything lines up perfectly. We’ve not had such good luck with another builder. I’ll leave it as an exercise for the reader to poke around my web site to find out who that was J

 

 

 

pamela blalock                    pgb at blayleys.com
car-free in watertown, ma         http://www.blayleys.com

-----Original Message-----
From: ran...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ran...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Alfredo Garcia
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 5:20 PM
To: rwgr...@cox.net; randon
Subject: [Randon] Re: S &S couplers was: Airlines Double Prices for Flying Bikes Overseas

 

Hi,

 

That's a bummer. I wonder if anyone has done PBP with a bike retrofitted with S & S couplers and packed it in much compacted luggage. Did the slighly extra weight (on the bike) affected anyone? And how long did it take to get it S & S'ed?

 

Alfredo Garcia

Five Borough Bicycle Club

New York, NY

RUSA # 1292

 ----~------~--~---

[jake Kassen]

Robert Magyar wrote:
> If your ticket shows that your bicycle is included, you are in good
> shape, otherwise keep your credit card handy.
>
> http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=sir.10703.0054.eml

I've copied the message you linked to below:

> From: "Del Scharffenberg" <dels(AT)intersoftsystems.com>
> Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:40:50 -0800
> Subject: [SIR] Re: Des Peres
>
>> it seems that Des Peres Travel got the fees wavied on their group
>> flights.
>
> Be very very wary of what Des Peres claims.
> I too understood there would be no fee, and on the eastbound
> flight there was not. However I had to pay a bunch to get my
> bike back home with me. Claus was totally uncooperative about
> getting me a refund. He also overbooked the 1999 group and a
> bunch of us arrived in France and found out we had no rooms in
> the inn! One frustrating surprise after another on his trip.
>
> -- Del

Has anyone else has issues with Des Peres and this sort of thing?
Messages like this make me nervous, as just getting to PBP is already
costing three times the amount I have ever spent on a bike. I'm getting
more and more tempted to take one of my folding bikes.

Jake

[Tom Rosenbauer]

I had no problems with Des Peres in 2003 and was happy to have them handle
all the travel arrangements. At the time, Air France had a generous bike
policy, so there no issues with surcharges.

However, I would plan on taking any critical items with you as carry-on
luggage ... in a pinch, you could probably find an acceptable bike to ride
but you'll definitely want to have your shoes, saddle, shorts and gloves.
In 2003, there were several problems with lost luggage due to the infamous
blackout that affected most of the east coast ... I would plan on getting
to Paris a few extra days ahead of time in case of travel problems.

Regards,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

----- Original Message ----- > >
> ... Has anyone else has issues with Des Peres and this sort of thing? ...

[Bill Bryant]

I have used Des Peres Travel for three trips to PBP (plus one to Mallorca)
and will again in 2007-- no problems at all on any trip and I am a satisfied
customer. However, that is not true for everyone and Del's comments are
valuable too. (They are, to say the least, distressing.) My question is,
what percentage of the total does this sort of problem represent? There have
been literally thousands of Americans who have successfully used Des Peres
getting to PBP over the years-- but when you are one of the unlucky ones,
these statistics are obviously meaningless. I guess it is hard to know...

BTW, I weighed my Trico Ironcase last night and it weighed 27 lbs sans
bicycle, so when loaded it'll just barely go under the new #$%&@ 50 lb bike
weight limit. But it is going to be tight and some various bike items
(pedals, pump, tool kit) and batteries may go into the other suitcase,
unlike on previous trips to France.

More importantly, like Tom notes below, I plan on getting to Paris a few
days earlier than needed in case there are air travel glitches, particularly
with lost luggage. Problems outside the control of Des Peres Travel are the
ones I worry about more than any from dealing with Claus-- but YMMV.

(Also like Tom wisely suggests, my cycling shoes and shorts will ride in the
carry-on bag during the flight since cycling with newly bought replacement
items at PBP could be a "show-stopper" for me.)

My two cents' worth,
Bill Bryant
Santa Cruz, CA

[The Wolff Den]

I had no issues w/ Des Peres at all last time. But on the return flight the Air France check-in folks did weigh each and every bag. Nothing was weighed for my outbound leg from Miami to Paris. There were folks with lost luggage, bikes, etc and the power failure in the NE contributed to that for sure. But I don't think you can blame Claus for the power grid going down. In fact that is most of the reason I'm using Des Peres again this time. If I made my travel arrangements myself, I'd have even less recourse for flight, baggage or hotel problems once over there.

I'll too may decide to take the folder to make the flight issues more manageable.

MW

____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for earth-friendly autos?
Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.
http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/

[Charles Coldwell]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007, jake Kassen wrote:
>
> Has anyone else has issues with Des Peres and this sort of thing?

I've heard of problems with midcourse hotels arranged by Des Peres. I
used them in 2003 and had no problems. I haven't decided if I will go
through them again this year.

--
Charles M. Coldwell
Somerville, Massachusetts, New England

[Adrian Hands]

I thought this estimate (below) was prohibitively expensive last Nov,
but now...

The box that I've gotten from the airlines and from Amtrak in the past
is 69x40x8.5 inches. This fits an upright bike nicely with wheels and
trunk rack attached. The agent quoted a smaller box below, but I
followed up with these dimensions and she said it won't change the
price--i.e. $331.21 for economy (5-day) service.
She also said if we group bikes for pick-up and drop-off, the price
per bike goes down.

> ________________________________________
> From: Daria Thiersen [mailto:dthi...@theluggageclub.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 1:37 PM
> To: Adrian Hands
> Subject: RE: The Luggage Club - International Quote
>
> Good Afternoon,
> These prices are all one way from Raleigh to Paris. We are a door to door
> business, so it would definitely be delivered to the address of your
> choice in Paris. Unfortunately we do not package the items for you, we
> just pick up and deliver. The box dimensions are what you tell me. I use
> 48x28x12 up to 45 pounds for quoting purposes. If your dimensions are
> different, please let us know so we can recheck the price for you. To
> answer the last question, yes, it is 5 business days one way. The pick up
> day IS NOT one of the days for transit time. Therefore if we pick up on a
> Monday and it is a 5 business day transit time the delivery date would be
> the following Monday, with no delays in Customs. I always like to pick it
> up even earlier when possible to "cushion" the time incase of customs
> delays.
>
> If you have any further questions please contact me at your convenience.
> Thank you!
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Adrian Hands [mailto:A...@akc.org]
> Thank you.
>
> Are those prices round-trip?
> door-to-door?
> Do I box the bike or you?
> What are the allowable box dimensions?
> Five business days each way (for "Int'l Economy")?
>
>
> Segment # Departure Point Arrival Point Level of Service #
> Days In Transit excluding Weekends & Holidays Price
> Outbound Raleigh, NC Paris, France Int'l Priority 3
> $468.59
> Int'l Economy 5
> $331.21
>
> Int' Priority
> Return Int'l Economy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daria Thiersen [mailto:dthi...@theluggageclub.com]
> Sent: Tue 11/28/2006 11:12 AM
> To: Adrian Hands
> Subject: The Luggage Club - International Quote
>
> Good Morning,
>
> Thank you for your interest in an International Quote from The Luggage
> Club.
> I have attached your quote. The Luggage Club will also supply your customs
> documents for you. We are confident that our service will meet and exceed
> your expectations to help make your travels stress free and more relaxing.
> If you have any questions or want to proceed with an order, please give us
> a call. We look forward to working with you.
>
> Thank you and enjoy your day!
>
> Daria Thiersen
> The Luggage Club
> Website: www.theluggageclub.com
> Email: Dthi...@theluggageclub.com
> Phone: 920.231.5111
> Fax: 920.231.5114

[mbiswell]

-Oooh, luggage club - nice to know things are keeping up so well on easy
street. :-)

-If I am reading this correctly, it's a key positive that the luggage club
will have a corresponding customs broker in France, which hasn't been
mentioned here. Most probably nada, but one nightmare scenario when
travelling apart from your bike(s) is that the bike could get held up in
customs, and require a broker's assistance which means maybe a lot of money
plus time to arrange. Some risk exists.

But if it's really gonna cost what people are talkin' about anyways, then
hello, luggage club...

Regards!

-
From: Adrian Hands

[Charles Coldwell]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007, mbiswell wrote:
>
> -If I am reading this correctly, it's a key positive that the luggage club
> will have a corresponding customs broker in France, which hasn't been
> mentioned here. Most probably nada, but one nightmare scenario when
> travelling apart from your bike(s) is that the bike could get held up in
> customs, and require a broker's assistance which means maybe a lot of money
> plus time to arrange. Some risk exists.
>
> But if it's really gonna cost what people are talkin' about anyways, then
> hello, luggage club...

I'm not sure if a customs broker is necessary. Judging from the delivery
times (anything from overnight to four days depending on price), I would
guess that they are shipping your luggage using common carriers (FedEx,
UPS, DHL, whatever). You need to fill in a customs form, of course, and
they could inspect the contents of your luggage, but my guess is it is a
lot easier than dealing with the TSA.

It is an interesting option, I must say.

[mbiswell]

Adding to my comment, I would say that if 6-10 people from Carolina could
work it out to deliver their bikes together to the luggage club, they should
negotiate in advance and easily expect the assurance that there would be a
ready customs broker on the France side for them, should any problem arise.

If the luggage club can't give that assurance, they aren't what they say
they are, and maybe not ready to operate on euro turf. Maybe they are?

Regards!

Charles Coldwell

I would
guess that they are shipping your luggage using common carriers (FedEx,
UPS, DHL, whatever). You need to fill in a customs form, of course, and
they could inspect the contents of your luggage

It is an interesting option, I must say.

[Cary Way]

For what it is worth I did check with Sports Express about shipping my bike
through them and the cost would have been approx. $350-400. As a reminder if
you have booked through Claus at Des Peres then Air France is waiving the
fee.

Cary Way
Murfreesboro, Tn.

_________________________________________________________________
Watch free concerts with Pink, Rod Stewart, Oasis and more. Visit MSN
Presents today.
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[Adrian Hands]

Despite the subject line of this thread, the email from ibike.org, and
Air-France's web page that claims a €150 tax, I've been checking web-
sites and telephoning airlines and have found that the others are NOT
charging this "tax". In particular, the operators I spoke to at
United and Iberia (Spain) say they still count a boxed bike that
wieghs less than 50lbs as one of your allowed two checked bags.
United and Iberia both have some of the lowest fares to Paris from
this area.

[Matthew O'Neill]

By "...this area" do you mean NC or the US in general?

-Matthew