Air Travel with Bike
kevin warren
appreciate any advice on the topic.
Thanks,
Kevin
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Cris Concepcion
> would appreciate any advice on the topic.
Not to be the list's weekly CrankyPerson, but we did move to google groups
largely for the ease of search functionality. Thus, the following links
might be helpful
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=air+travel&as_ugroup=randon
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=airlines&as_ugroup=randon
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=%22bike+cases%22&as_ugroup=randon
also
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=saddle&as_ugroup=randon
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=lights&as_ugroup=randon
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=training&as_ugroup=randon
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=air+travel&as_ugroup=randon
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q=pbp&as_ugroup=randon
just a suggestion.
-- cris
Paul Harris
Paul
Apopka, FL
acor...@veka.com
In my experience:
1: The bike should be packaged in a bag or box (usually a cardboard box from your local bicycle shop will do). 2: The wheels should be removed and placed alongside the frame in the box. 3: The pedals should be removed. 4: The handlebars should be turned in line with the frame. 5: Tyres should be deflated. 6: Water-bottles should be empty. This really is the bare minimum! It's a good idea to wrap some bubble-wrap around each of the wheels to help prevent them from getting damaged whilst in transit. Also, you'll need to take the required tools with you in order to re-assemble the bicycle when you arrive, most of which you won't be allowed to take into the cabin as hand-luggage so these must be checked-in with checked baggage. Hope this helps!
Andy Corless
| "kevin warren"
<kevinw...@hotmail.com>
Sent by: ran...@googlegroups.com 11/01/2007 17:23
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David Cambon
gallery is not in those archives. This comment is from someone who has
worked in an airport (me):
When going to France put your bike in a cardboard box and write "please
handle with care" and "manipuler avec soin SVP" with a magic marker and put
a cutesy happy face beside your pleading, to demonstrate your unconditional
love for airport workers.
Put a bit of duct tape on the box hand-hold cutouts, so they dont tear and
also so it makes it easier to carry. Make the box as light as possible so it
will be handled by hand. People who put a whole bunch of junk in their bike
box risk getting their bike box handled by mechanical bike-mangling
equipment (like the dreaded bike-wrecking airport forklift).
Tape your bike box well so it can be pushed along the floor by carefree,
minimum-wage airport workers. It's also a good idea to tape it in such a way
that it can obviously be opened from the top. That way, if it is searched,
the airport security staff can just look into the box and tape it shut again
without tearing the whole damned thing apart and making a party of it. You
can also tape the contents of your bike box in such a way that the whole
taped-together mess can be pulled partway out of the box, examined and
pushed back in. Electrical tape is great for that purpose (but packing tape
is better for the outside of the box, and lots of it. If you use enough
packing tape a cardboard box will last a few trips).
When travelling in and out of the United States you have to pack your bike
on the presumption that it will be searched. In Canada, airport security is
a joke and bike boxes are hardly ever hand-searched (they are x-rayed). That
is a secret just between you and me. Don't tell anyone else how bad airport
security is in Canada. It's great for cycling (and terrorists)!
If you fly to Charles de Gaulle just give your carboard box to an airport
staff person and they will take it to the recycling bin. Don't just leave it
lying around! They have airport security in France and the security guys
will go nuts.
On your way back home just put your bike in one of those plastic bike bags
and tape the parts together so it can be easily carried by airport staff.
Don't leave any pointy stuff sticking out that could damage other baggage.
By the way, make sure you take a pedal wrench with you and remember not to
take any bike tools as cabin baggage.
If any airline counter clerks try to bullshit you with some supposed airline
dimensional regulation that you supposedly don't comply with, just play
along and try to elicit some sympathy or make up a fantastic sob story that
no one could resist. Or pretend you don't speak whatever language they are
speaking and start crying while holding a picture of your dear mother in
France.
The truth is that no airline staff really know what their company rules are
regarding bikes (and some arilines don't actually have rules - they just
don't want you to go crazy on the size or weight of the box). I have never
had a problem myself.
Do something to protect your dropouts from being squeezed together and try
to protect your derailluer from crushing damage. You can tape a pair of
packing blocks into the dropouts or you can use a pair of old hubs and
skewers. It is especially important to protect your carbon fiber fork from
squeezing as hidden damage could produce a catastrophic failure later.
Strategically placed expanded polystyrene blocks (Styrofoam) can protect
against crushing damage. Just make sure the blocks do not obscure a
lid-opening visual inspection and that the blocks are taped-on to survive a
contents-pulling during an inspection.
Alternatively, you could try something like the Crateworks plastic box. I
have not actually seen one but I am familiar with the plastic material they
are made of and it is durable stuff.
David Buzzee
David Cambon <bikelanesfo...@telus.net> wrote:
Want to start your own business? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business.
papa...@comcast.net
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "David Cambon" <bikelanesfo...@telus.net>
>
> I'd love to post a scolding too but the following comment from the peanut
> gallery is not in those archives. This comment is from someone who has
> worked in an airport (me):
>
> When going to France put your bike in a cardboard box and write "please
> handle with care" and "manipuler avec soin SVP" with a magic marker and put
> a cutesy happy face beside your pleading, to demonstrate your unconditional
> love for airport workers.
>
> Put a bit of duct tape on the box hand-hold cutouts, so they dont tear and
> also so it makes it easier to carry. Make the box as light as possible so it
> will be handled by hand. People who put a whole bunch of junk in their bike
> box risk getti ng their bike box handled by mechanical bike-mangling
> packing blocks into the dropo uts or you can use a pair of old hubs and
David Cambon
>anyone asks, we never saw it, right?
Yes, this is strictly Personal and Confidential.
>I've been charged for my bike box and not charged based on the person I'm
>talking to.
As a general rule there is a charge for bikes on domestic flights and no
charge on international flights and that info is posted on each airline's
website (but can change at any minute depending on the whims of bike-hating
airline executives). Generally at discount airlines there is a high
turnover of ticket staff who may or may not care if you pay and they just
want people to stop being mean to them but airline managers love taking
money from cyclists and will do so at every opportunity. Keep in mind that
"discount airline" also means low-paid, disgruntled contract baggage
handlers who may be more interested in smoking dope than careful handling.
I fly on full-service airlines myself.
Once at a certain New Jersey airport that shall remain unnamed I saw a
baggage handler try to pick up a bike box that had fallen onto the apron
from a baggage cart. It was too heavy for one man to lift so he took a run
at it with a forklift but the forks were too high and he ran right over it.
The newly flattened bike was then pushed onto the conveyer and sent on its
merry way as if nothing had happened.
There is also that old trick of compensating the skycap adequately enough to
zoom your bike right past the ticket agents who would otherwise take your
money but I would never do that and that and that only works at certain US
airports anyway.
>"On your way back home just put your bike in one of those plastic bike bags
>and tape the parts together so it can be easily carried by airport staff. "
Wouldn't this open the door for a mangled bike?
Yes that does open the door for a mangled bike. On the other hand it makes
the bike easy to carry and more likely to be loaded on top of the other
baggage where it is less likely to harm or be harmed. I mention the bag
thing because sometimes there is no place to store a bike box or get a bike
box from the airport to wherever you are staying in Paris and most airlines
allow bike bags (but again, keep it light). Amazingly I have only had a
bike damaged once when it was in a bag. A tug smashed into a baggage cart
and ran over some of the baggage. I bought a new bike and the airline paid
for the whole thing (that was a full-service airline - don't expect that
kind of treatment form a discount airline).
In Europe I have seen bikes on planes totally wrapped-up in miles of bubble
wrap and packing tape, like a big bubble wrap football with a bike in the
centre (this works especially well with recumbents). I don't know what
would happen if you tried that at a US airport. Someone might say its
overdimensional and try to charge a cube rate even though there is tons of
extra room in the cargo hold.
>Are you saying that this would work for those who can't afford a hardcase?
>I'd be concerned about the bag being enough protection.
John
If you can afford the hardcase and you can handle it at your destination the
hardcase is definetly better protection (especially if it is handled and
stowed upright). The Crateworks case looks kind of useful because you can
fold it up. It looks like it would fit onto my bike trailer with one more
fold (I sometimes travel with a collapsable two-wheel bike trailer).
Ingle, Bruce
> year. I would appreciate any advice on the topic.
Keep your knees and elbows flexed, the pedals level and
your butt off the saddle.
- Bruce