American Airlines made this change earlier this year. So Delta is actually following their lead.

I'm still waiting for all the airlines to follow Virgin Atlantic where sporting equipment flies free.

What will the excess baggage fee be though for having a large bag (bike bag)? They may just be replacing one fee with another!

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instagram.com/42pointtwo

This is good news for those of us living in Delta hub cities! This changes my planning for races next year and where to go!

Straight from the Delta website:

Bicycles

Bicycles, non-motorized touring or single seat racing, are allowed as checked baggage on most flights, with the exception of certain Delta Connection® carriers.

Standard baggage allowance and fees based on cabin and travel region apply
Bicycles weighing over 50 lbs. will be charged the applicable excess weight fee
If the outside linear dimensions (length + width + height) exceed 115 linear inches (292 cm) or exceeds 100 lbs, the item will not be accepted
Items in excess of baggage allowance will be subject to additional or overweight baggage fees
A limited liability release form must be signed by the passenger in the case that the bike is not properly packed
If the bicycle is packaged in a hard shell case specifically designed for transporting bicycles, then a limited release form is not required
If the bicycle is packaged in a soft sided travel bag or anything other than a hard shell case, a limited release form will need to be signed
Delta is not responsible for damage noted at the time of check in or damage due to over packing the bag.

This can’t be good for TBT. In the past, the TBT fee usually was cheaper than paying Delta for a two way trip, plus very convenient. Now as a Delta medallion member, it’s free. Makes the slight aggravation of reassembling the bike worthwhile.

My experience mainly is with a scicon aerocomfort bag, which is on the larger side for a bike bag. If its under 50 pounds there are no additional fees. I have never had the size questioned only the weight. I have always paid the standard bike fee which has been anywhere from $0 to $150.

I'm flying American on Friday with my gravel bike in an Evoc bag. I'll report back if I have any issues, but I expect it to be accepted with no additional charges.

These policy changes just sound like they are matching united s policy that had been in place for almost three past decade. The key is most bike bags or boxes are over 62 linear inches so you end up paying the 100 or 150 fee instead of it counting like a regular checked bag. They've always considered skis or golf clubs as standard. I remember reading conrad stoltz writing about doing a custom bike pack to get the bike to be smaller than 62 inches by basically using two boxes. These days that doesn't help much unless you get one of those free instead of paying 50 for each checked bag. Im not sure there is a hard case out there that is under 62 linear inches.

They will get you with the oversize. This is to simplify their systems as will not have all those little categories. They Don’t care what it is but if over 50 lbs and/or over their linear inch limit then overweight/oversize apply. United did this. Flat bike fee was $150. EVOC bag is $200. United employee says this is so they won’t need staff at baggage check - just use the contractors and flyers can self check. Flew to Spain through London on British Airways and split trip on connection. Only had to pay £80 for bike as extra bag between Gatwick and Bilbao. Flew to Colorado and it cost $400 on United - and I am a million mile flyer with them so status does not help.

The real benefit is if you can break the bike down to a container under the linear inches then they do not count it as a “bike” so the bike fee would not apply.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

True, but I agree with the above post that I’ve never been questioned about the size of the bag - only the weight.

I use a Pika Packworks (soft shell) and it’s very much like a suitcase, so I have never been questioned when I use that one.

Additionally, when I use a hard case, I usually just say it’s a wheelchair and skip the fee. I would say it’s about a 70% success rate.

As of late, I have been using BikeFlights and I much prefer that if you don’t mind not having your bike for a few days before the race or travel destination. :)

While the new initiative by Delta isn’t exactly revolutionary, it is a good step in the right direction...

Yep way I read it as well. The linear inch is 62 inches so my guess is that will trigger the fees for most bikes/cases.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Lol! The agent I talked to said that one of the reasons for the change is people were not being honest about it being a bike to avoid fees. So easy to go by weight and measurements - don’t care what your shopping. Golf clubs and skis pretty easy to not look like a bike.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Lol 110% me. Things I’ve said my bike is:
1. Wheelchair
2. I’m a phys graduate student, and it’s my ergometer for my dissertation.
3. I’m an art student, and it’s my easel and art equipment.
4. I’m a carbon manufacturer, and I’m on a sales trip, and these are my samples.
5. I’m a band equipment manager, and this is the band’s equipment.
6. I’m a news reporter, and it’s a camera and news equipment.
7. I’m a professional gamer, and it’s my gaming equipment.

There might be more, but that’s all I can think of. Haha


A lot of times they’d ask me to open it, so I started locking it and told them I didn’t have the key because my “boss” has it at my destination. They technically can’t open it, only TSA can. I suppose they could go get TSA, but no one has ever done that.

Read it again. Over 115 linear inches or over 50lbs. Basically any bike box pretty much fits this as long as you don't over stuff it.

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Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook

I had my husband go measure one of our bike boxes (BikeBox Alan which is a big hard case). And it was 37 inches high and 48 inches long. Way below the requirement. Most bike cases should be fine.

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

That's not what it says. Anything over 115 will not be allowed at all. Anything bigger than standard size can be subject to oversize fee.

Yep, at this point it is just keeping the weight down. That can be tough for hard cases, but should be doable.

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Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook

So the more accurate measurements of our hard case (which I think is standard as I haven't seen other hard cases bigger than ours when flying to a race) are:

Length: 45 inches
Height: 38 inches
Width: 14 inches

Total: 97 Linear inches

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

I am happy to be wrong but per their website excess baggage fees are related to weight and dimension. I just don’t want people to show up and pay hundreds of dollars because they think airlines felt magnanimous and decided shipping thousands of dollars of bike equipment suddenly became low risk and was a competitive advantage for growth.

https://www.delta.com/...our-trip/excess.html

I agree, when the flat fee was $150 it was all about the weight. They waved the oversize for sports equipment and would only charge additional if over 50 lbs.

At least with United, once the bike fee was “dropped” the tape measures came out.

If the company employee at the desk checks you in without charging you, bonus, as sometimes even they don’t know the rules. However, I suspect there will be fewer and fewer company staff working baggage and will be outsourced even more, and when you do that you want simple rules. Weighs more than this, charge this amount. Measures more than this, charge this amount. Golf clubs and skis, you’re good.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

This is perfect timing for me, as the BF and I are flying on Delta to France tomorrow with our bikes. One bike has couplers and is in a regulation-sized (i.e. not oversized) suitcase and weights just under 50 pounds. The second is in a BikeBox Alan and also weighs under 50 pounds. If we do get charged or run into any trouble, I'll report back here.

I don't want you to be right but I believe you are definitely right.

"CHECKED BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE EACH WAY:
BAGGAGE SIZE MUST NOT EXCEED 62 INCHES (157 CM) WHEN YOU TOTAL LENGTH + WIDTH + HEIGHT"

I guess the bike publications are making a big deal out of this because on the surface it seems very customer oriented, but drilling down it seems like nothing has actually changed. The only case that is sort of within those guidelines (but not really, ever, if a ticket agent actually measures it the logical way) is the Hen House.

Further, American Airlines actually appears to be the leader in this category. Their baggage policy actually DOES appear to be bicycle friendly.

"Standard checked bag fees of your destination apply up to 50 lbs / 23 kgs and 126 in / 320 cm (length + width + height) or $150 fee applies from 51 lbs / 23 kgs to 70 lbs / 32 kgs"

As I said before, good luck getting a bag that is under 62 inches without using two different bags, or as posted above, having couplers to split the bike in two, or only fits a small sized road bike.

From the articles I read the new policy applies to tickets purchased on or after July 17th, so unless you bought your tickets yesterday the old policy and $150 fee may still apply.

Hopefully you luck out and they follow the new policy.

LOL! I don’t want to be right either. When UA dropped the fee showed up and lady said, oh we don’t charge for those anymore, so rolled with it. On return, person at the desk was also confused and charged me $100. Flew a couple months later and the training and awareness had been spread. If all the airlines go to the same rules, then staffing contractors can just bid the whole airline or terminal and move people from carrier to carrier as demand dictates - especially if we pay all the fees on the app. From business standpoint totally makes sense.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Ah, that makes sense, thanks! Fingers crossed though.

I flew Atlanta to Ireland on Delta with my titanium road bike with S&S couplers. 26x26x10 inch case. Flew as my checked baggage. One way was free and I think I paid $25 coming back. Unsure why, but I was in a hurry and didn't bother to ask.

It is usually well underweight. I avoid cramming a bunch of stuff in it, because TSA usually opens it and never packs it back correctly. I don't want them popping a spoke because they are sitting on it trying to shut it.

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---------------

"Remember: a bicycle is an elegant and efficient tool designed for seeking out and defeating people who aren't as good as you."

--BikeSnobNYC

Alaska airline hasn't charged for bikes for a couple of years now. They are expanding their routes considerably, so worth looking into. The also have many flights to HI.

here is american:

Standard checked bag fees of your destination apply up to 50 lbs / 23 kgs and 126 in / 320 cm (length + width + height) or $150 fee applies from 51 lbs / 23 kgs to 70 lbs / 32 kgs.

i don't see how delta has really changed anything of substance as regards bikes, unless i misunderstand. on american, you're gold with your bike, as long as you keep it under 50lb.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

So you will impersonate a person who needs a wheelchair or needs to transport one to save a few hundred buck?. That is reprehensible.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

It’s really confusing it took me a good 20 minutes. But I believe how it works is the bike is it’s own item under the two bag rule so you have your suitcase and your bike. Since it is oversize sporting equipment you go to the sporting equipment section. This changes the size piece to a normal bike box. So you just pay the regular check bag fee.

It’s the only thing that makes sense because if you look at the sizes on the regular bag page you could never actually ship a bike with delta if you go off those limits.

I hope Delta is matching American as I think that is their intention but does not seem to say that. Interesting United site is now showing the $150 flat bike fee is back so will need to call them back as they overcharged me. So confusing.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Now that I have another screen in front of me I have real numbers.

So when you go to the standard check bag allowance page it gives you the cost up to two bags. Now those two bags cannot exceed 62 inches. Which means like one bike box fits maybe.

So then I clicked on the baggage fee and details rules. Then onto the overweight and oversized bags. When you go to oversized it says bags larger than 80 inches aren’t allowed. Well that obviously can’t be the right section either because only one or two bike boxes fit. No one could ever fly on delta if that was the case so oversize isn’t the right section to use.

Then you click on specialty items, then sports equipment. For all sports equipment at the top of that section it says you now get up to 115 inches. So this is the correct section at least. And it says normal bag fees apply.

For the bike section it says “standard baggage allowance and fees”. You still have to be under 50lbs to not get an overweight fee. But it really does look like the bike fee is gone. There is other section you could actually cover a bike under besides the bike section.

that's what i thought it said at first read. but if you look at it closely, what's more likely is that you can't take the bag on at all of it exceeds 115". not that it goes as regular baggage under 115".

i think it's likely that they've matched american. however, at the ticket counter the agent is simply going to look up the rules and read them. what is that agent likely to interpret? in any case, we're researching it now.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I don’t think so because there isn’t a fee for oversized bags over 80 inches. So you would have to go off the sporting goods section as it’s the only way to get something on the plane up to 115.

But yes I agree on the second point, if I can’t figure it out easily the person at the counter is going to have a rough time unless they see a bunch of bikes

We just checked in with two bikes for an international Delta flight. The ticket agent said she was just told today to stop charging an oversized fee for bikes as a second piece of checked luggage. The overweight fees still apply if the weight is greater then 50 pounds for an international flight if you have two checked bags, or so she said. We purchased our airline tickets in February. One bike box was over fifty pounds but we didn’t get charged the overweight fee since we each only had one bag to check. We only checked the bikes and carried on everything else.

In sum, we (two passengers) just checked two bikes and no other luggage on an international Delta flight and paid nothing even though one of the bike boxes weighed over 50 pounds. It was my understanding that we would’ve had to have paid an overweight fee if we had two other checked bags, but no oversized fees.

I don't advocate this, but sometimes you need to do what is expedient. Last month, a United Airlines contractor asked me what was inside my S&S suitcase, and despite my inner voice, I said it was a bike. The guy tells me to take it to oversize luggage drop. I say it's not oversize, he says if it is a bike it must be. I argue, finally asking for his supervisor, who asks him "well, is it oversize?". Five minutes lost in a stressful situation, where "trade samples" or something would have been expedient.

Hello trimule and All,

Thanks for the heads up .....

https://www.delta.com/...p/special-items.html

Excerpt:

Bicycles
Bicycles, non-motorized touring or single seat racing, are allowed as checked baggage on most flights, with the exception of certain Delta Connection® carriers.

• Standard baggage allowance and fees based on cabin and travel region apply
• Bicycles weighing over 50 lbs. will be charged the applicable excess weight fee
• If the outside linear dimensions (length + width + height) exceed 115 linear inches (292 cm) or exceeds 100 lbs, the item will not be accepted
• Items in excess of baggage allowance will be subject to additional or overweight baggage fees
• A limited liability release form must be signed by the passenger in the case that the bike is not properly packed
• If the bicycle is packaged in a hard shell case specifically designed for transporting bicycles, then a limited release form is not required
• If the bicycle is packaged in a soft sided travel bag or anything other than a hard shell case, a limited release form will need to be signed

Delta is not responsible for damage noted at the time of check in or damage due to over packing the bag.

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

Yep, looks like I was wrong on this. Delta and American seem to not worry about oversize for bikes in cases just the weight. So no $150 charge just whatever normal bag fees would be if applicable. United seems to be back to the $150 fee.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Whether any companies follow Delta and AA depends on sales. If all the sudden 95% of sport related commercial travel goes to two airlines other companies will follow suit and try to one up each other. If everyone ships their equipment and flies whatever other companies won’t follow suit.

Bottom line you direct companies and vote with your dollar. I haven’t flown in a while, but likely flying next year. I’ll still go with the absolute cheapest price after what will be a frustrating amount of research and a bunch of excel spreadsheets looking to save as much as possible.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Exactly what I copy/pasted in post #6

Hello jaretj and All,


jaretj writes: "Exactly what I copy/pasted in post #6"

Yes ..... quite so ........ My imitation is the sincerest form of flattery .... (except my copy has hot link URL's)



and ........





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNel8RwSLyE

"Who made me the genius I am today, The mathematician that others all quote, Who's the professor that made me that way? The greatest that ever got chalk on his coat. One man deserves the credit, One man deserves the blame, And nicolai ivanovich lobachevsky is his name. Hi! Nicolai ivanovich lobach- I am never forget the day I first meet the great lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize! Plagiarize, Let no one else's work evade your eyes, ................ "

(Notice of bias regarding Delta Airlines continued success .... I have a vested interest)

Fly Delta "Keep Climbing"

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

:)

Just as an FYI to those interested... I just traveled to Europe on business and did 3 races in 3 countries in 3 weeks: France, Finland and Germany. I had to travel on several airlines and take the train in several places and didn't want to drag my standard bike case and pay the bike fees on each one of the 5 flights I took.

I found a backpack bike case online called Orucase Sub 62 (size small) that was perfect for my Cervelo P2 (size small). Not only I had a free hand to pull my carry-on bag, I was never charged a bike fee on any flight. The bag was within the weight and size dimensions of a "regular" suitcase. The bag did required me to remove the fork but it wasn't a big deal... worth the extra effort. For larger frames, I think that the medium or large backpack would be needed.

I had a problem with one of the zipper pulls and one latch. I contacted the manufacturer and 2 days later, I had a new bag delivered to my front porch with a free return label to send the one I had back. Incredible.

just to add our experience this past weekend, flew to USAT Nationals in Cleveland on Delta. We get free checked bags due to having a Delta AmEx Platinum card.
For this trip I was using a soft case, a Bike Pro case I bought 25 years ago (and still going strong).
Agent tried to charge me $150 for the bike and I already had the page up on my phone that said the bike goes as a checked bag if under 50lbs and 115". He told me that was only for tickets purchased after July 17th which my ticket was purchased before that date. I showed him the page and there was no date restriction on the page and nicely requested to speak to a supervisor. Supervisor came out and immediately told him as long as it was under the weight/size it goes as a checked bag. So he pulled out a tape measure and it measured 95" and was 49lbs so it went free.

On the return, same thing happened, requested a supervisor. This time I showed the supervisor in Cleveland the page and he looked it over completely and said I was right, if there was no date on the page online, they couldn't charge me so again it flew free.

Love this new policy since I fly Delta 90% of the time.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

I recently travelled with a lacrosse stick (Defense so a long pole). It was in a PVC pipe and weighed about 7lbs but it was roughly 6 feet long. They wanted to charge me $50 each way on Delta. The damn pole itself costs $100. I managed to talk them out of the charge each way.

I'm with you... I fly Delta almost 100% of the time (points baby!!).

Anyway, I was unaware of this AWESOME change and flew to Michigan late July. I was charged the $150 at LAX which I simply expected but when leaving Michigan, I wasn't charged. They simply weighed the box (Scicon Aerocomfort X?) and zero charge since I get free luggage with status. I thought she f*cked up but I'm guessing she actually knew the new rules... so kickass!

Whatever the reasoning, I'm mentioning this because as stated above, STAND YOUR GROUND and ask for a manager if they want to charge you. They simply might not know the rules yet.

Hello BrentwoodTriGuy and All,

Delta Air Lines began as a crop dusting operation called Huff Daland Dusters, Incorporated. The company was founded on May 30, 1924, in Macon, Georgia, and moved to Monroe, Louisiana, in 1925. They flew a Huff-Daland Duster, the first true crop duster, designed to combat the boll weevil infestation of cotton crops.

On April 15, 2008, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced a merger agreement. The merger of the two carriers formed what was then the largest commercial airline in the world, with 786 aircraft.


Go Delta!

'Keep Climbing'

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

I'm on American for IMWI and already have TBT booked but am considering getting a refund now that AA doesn't charge a bike fee. I'd go with a Scicon Aerocomfort Tri bag. AA's limits for bikes are 50lbs and 126 linear inches. Anyone know if the Scicon Tri bag fits under that 126" limit? I assume it's about the largest bike bag available since you don't have to remove your aerobars or seat.

Here are the dimensions from their web site. Looks like it’ll be under the limit.

129 x 98 x 45 cm

Thanks - that's only about 106 inches so should be plenty of room for creative measuring if a ticket agent goes rogue.

You got lucky. It actually is buried on their website that it's only for tickets purchased after July 17th. Just not on the page with baggage restrictions. Super scummy IMO and I'm going to avoid flying delta from now on for sure

I'm thinking about doing the Challenge Cancun next year. I always fly Delta (status) and this is really good news. But here's the deal. I currently do all my races on an old Giant Defy (road bike) but I'm planning on buying a tri bike in the next 18 months. It's probably a good idea to wait until I buy a triathlon bike to also buy a proper case for it. A case that will fit the bike. I don't want to spend money now on a case that might not fit the tri bike.

In that case, no pun intended, I was looking into getting a regular bike cardboard box for this trip to Cancun. Fedex sells bike boxes (https://www.fedex.com/...-boxes/services.html) and the measurements (54" x 28" x 8" = 90") are under Delta's requirements (115").

Is this the way to go??

.
So I am always giving my mates a hard time about spending money on fancy bike boxes and one of them laid down a challenge for me to see how well a cardboard box would hold up to my travel habits.This box carried my CAAD8 undamaged on 31 flights over three continents in 2017/18 before the check in staff in Brisbane started laughing at how much tape was holding it together and told me that I should retire it.I am almost due to retire the box that is two boxes removed from this one.

hahah that answers my question!

Slowman ... have you finished with your research? What is the conclusion?

I've read this entire thread. I thought from reading this that as long as the bike case is under 50 lbs AND under 115 linear inches that Delta would waive the fees. I have an international flight on Delta next week. I called up Delta to confirm. What they stated was that anything over 62 linear inches OR 50 lbs would incur the excess luggage fees. This is contrary to what is said in some of the posts in this thread. Perhaps, the person at the data center answering my phone calls (talked to 2 different agents on two separate calls) is not as keep as the agent on the ground at the airport.

It would be nice to hear from a bunch of people on ST who purchased a ticket after July 17, have flown on delta since the purchased of that ticket, and what the result was when they brought their bike bag to the airport.

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__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

I flew at the end of July before I knew about this updated policy and it was a tale of two.
Leaving Los Angeles flying to Michigan -- was charged $150
Leaving Michigan for Los Angeles -- was charged $0 (mind you, I'm Delta Platinum and bags are free but not bike bag fees)

So, I got home, found this thread and called Delta to tell them about my $150 charge. They refunded my money and apologized. So, the policy does exist!!

I'm also flying tomorrow morning at 6am... we'll see how it goes but I'll definitely have all website info pulled up to show them.

here's the bicycle policy per the website:

• Bicycles… are allowed as checked baggage on most flights and fees … apply.
• Standard baggage allowance and fees based on cabin and travel region apply.
• Bicycles weighing over 50 lbs. will be charged the applicable excess weight fee.
• If outside linear dimensions (length + width + height) exceed 115 linear inches (292 cm) or exceeds 100 lbs item not accepted.
• Items in excess of baggage allowance will be subject to additional or overweight baggage fees.

the website agents say they have a "tool" for these questions and the tool says bikes checked as regular baggage. the first 2 points above tend to justify this. standard baggage allowance and fees apply. but... the dimensional statement simply says that anything over 115" is not allowed on the plane (not that it'll get charged an excess fee). so, what about stuff under 115"? and more than 62". online agents say charged as regular bags.

nevertheless, i have a note in right now to Delta, i'll get the answer back in writing. what i asked is:


1. are bikes, in hard shell cases, under 50lb, charged as regular checked (not oversized) baggage?
2. "Baggage Protection" (insurance) starts at $3,500. Are bikes that are lost given a price limit if Delta needs to reimburse the customer? is it $3,500? or something else?


we'll see what they answer.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Flew Delta this weekend to a race and back. Checked by bike in soft shell scion tri case. Delta charged me the $30 bag fee, no extra charge. Agent explained regular luggage has the 62 inch limit but bikes good to 115”. Also a 50 lb limit but they usually grace you up to 51 pounds. In this day and age of tracked luggage lost bags are extremely rare. Delta has always treated me very well, if you ever encounter a problem politely ask to speak to a “red coat agent”( a semi-supervisor). They are special trained and vetted to handled problems. Delta prides itself on treating people right.

Also just flew Delta to Nice this week with tickets booked after the policy change... 48 lbs, EVOC Pro bag, had to sign a liability waiver for a soft-sided bag. Counter lady initially said $30 (hometown to hub), but I reminded her the bag needed to be through-checked through two itineraries both Delta, so $60 (international, hometown to hub to Nice). She got frazzled in the process, and didn't end up charging me for the bike!

Most people flying through my small hometown airport have bikes or skis with them, so glad they knew the policy!

Flew from DTW to LAX on Tuesday with a bike fee of $40 as it was my second bag. No hassles at all.

I just flew Delta from the U.S to Europe. For my trip, my bike box, with its 100 linear inches was free. However, since it was 73 lbs, they gave me the option to remove 23 lbs from my bike box for pay the $100 excess fees. Since I didn't have enough room anywhere to store the extra 23 lbs, I chose to pay for the excess fees.

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__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."