Bike Box on airline

Triathlon Forum
1

Ok, so i have my Trico Bike case all packed up and ready and then I go to the Delta website to check to see if I need to know anything special regarding my bike and I read:

Non-motorized touring or racing bicycles with single seats are accepted as checked baggage, with certain limits.

Any bicycle in a box with overall dimensions not exceeding 62" or 157.5cm (length + height + width) and checked in lieu of one bag is accepted. Bicycles exceeding 62" are subject to standard oversize baggage charges.

Your bike must be packaged in a cardboard or canvas container in one of the following ways:

  1. Handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removed
  2. Handlebars and pedals encased in plastic, Styrofoam, or other similar material

Some connection carriers and aircraft may not accept bicycles as checked baggage, and may have different limits.

So now I am worried that they won’t accept the bike box since it is plastic. There is no way I would put my bike in a bag.
Has anyone flown Delta and used a bike box?

2

No no no, of course they’ll take your box – and your $100 too. Seriously, no worries, they’ll certainly take it, but it IS oversized so be prepared to pay. If for some reason you don’t get dinged for the oversize charge – consider yourself lucky!

3

I will gladly pay as long as it shows up with me. :slight_smile:

Thanks. :slight_smile:

4

Hey-

I have flown to many races with a Trico case and am about to go to Clearwater in a few days again with a Trico. I have even flown on Delta with a Trico, they will certainly allow it (unless there are some very new rules about this unbeknownst to me).

The bigger problem you need to worry about is getting around the $80 fee each way.

5

Anyone tried the “bike parts” routine lately?

6

Uh oh, here we go again.

Hang on, let me go get some popcorn…

7

Why wouldn’t you put you bike in a bag?

If you are concerned about damage, you needn’t be. I sold lots of Akona Biospeed travel cases with zero damage or airline fees.

How much does Delta charge for bike transport? Last I heard, it was $75 one way.

8

You’re good. The regulations likely haven’t been re-written in a significant period of time. See if these two links are of any service to you:

Flying with your bike:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/packing.shtml

Packing you bike in a flight case:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/packing-steps.shtml

9

“Last I heard, it was $75 one way”

That’s what I thought too. It’s definitely $100 though, found out first hand :slight_smile: ANYTHING oversize gets the standard $100 charge – but especially bicycles, as we know. :slight_smile:

10

I’ve flown Delta with the Trico case as well. Also, if you are carefull/lucky - have her/him weigh the case and discuss that it is not too heavy: it won’t be over their weight limit. They often just leave it at that since the case is not that big. If not, they will then measure it (but they have to add up all the dimensions total, but many don’t know this if they are new). I’ve travelled for FREE with my bike many times (checking one other bag as well, or my wife/kids with me if I needed 2). If not, pay the $75.

11

I have watched the dudes pack the plane and they are not too fussy about throwing stuff in and “packing” the plane wherever the item happens to fall. So I would think the potential that the bag could be placed underneath something else or hanging over an edge would make me very concerned.
Mark

12

Thanks Tom. I actually had that bookmarked from a while ago. :slight_smile:
Mark

13

Most airlines have been raising the fee. Last flight (September) I paid Continental $95 each way, increased from the previous $80. If your box weighs more than 50 pounds, and if you get an agent in a bad mood, they’ll also try to hit you with an overweight fee in addition to the oversize fee. That’s an additional $25 (unless they’ve raised that too).

I always try the “marketing display” routine, but they’ve smartened up and charge because the box exceeds the size limit, not because it’s a bike. What works better for me is to tell them that usually when I check in, they charge me a fee of $25 (which they assume is an overweight fee), and that’s worked for me around 60% of the time. Don’t count on that working if your going to IMFL on the return trip. You’ll only be the 887th person to use that story in a small airport with limited agents hearing the same thing.

14

I will post this again, as there are a zillion threads floating around on airlines and bike cases:

Regarding Delta
I’m a platinum medallion flier
I’ve talked to 9 different customer service agents/5 different ticket counters about this policy
The official policy is so convoluted, no one knows what it REALLY is
Here’s the best way (read: cheapest) to get it handled( a little shaky morally, but not that bad):

Dress reasonably well (I always wear comfy jeans, nice black work shoes, and a business blazer over my golf shirt, more on why in a sec)
Check in at CURBSIDE, once you’re at the counter YOU ARE FUCKED and will definitely pay AT LEAST $100 each way for the bike case)
When you walk up to the curbside checkin, have 2 $20’s clearly visible in your hand and ask the guys to help you out with checking in.
If they ask you, “Is that a bike case” respond “It looks like a TRADE SHOW DISPLAY to me” and visibly raise the 2 $20s so you are absolutely sure he can see them. Then ask, “You’re not going to make me check that inside are you?”

Every time I have tried this, they say something to the effect “Nope, we’ll take care of you out here”

The reason is that DELTA has no restrictions on TRADE SHOW BOOTH DISPLAYS, even oversized ones, as long as they roll and aren’t a pain in the ass.

So this method costs a total of $80 (or $40 if you only use 1 $20 each way) and the curbside guys all take great care of you.

Unethical? You decide, I don’t have the slightest hesitation with all the other zillion dollars I spend with Delta to exploit a hole in their own system.

EDIT: If you read a lot of the posts above, it involves arguing with ticket counter guys, who are notoriously unhelpful when it comes to this kind of stuff. Your chances of success are left up to their whims. In my scenerio, you are playing on the greed of the curbside guy, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I WILL ALWAYS BANK ON. :slight_smile:

On the return leg of a race like IMFL, you probably won’t have a lot of success (PC doesn’t even have curbside checkin at our little pissant airport), but hey at least it worked on the way out!

Good luck

15

Have a good trip My Friend.

16

<< Last flight (September) I paid Continental $95 each way, increased from the previous $80. >>

A-yup, I had hoped I could at least get by w/ $80, but it’s now $95. Each way.

<< and if you get an agent in a bad mood, they’ll also try to hit you with an overweight fee in addition to the oversize fee. That’s an additional $25 (unless they’ve raised that too). >>

They tried to do that to me too, and 2 agents argued back and forth, but then they finally settled on “just” charging me as a bike.

Oh, in a too late to benefit me search, I found that DHL has their own special bike box, and it can be shipped at a pretty decent rate. Just throwing that out there for future reference for anybody who might be interested…

http://www.shipbikes.com/ is the link

17

What’s the weight limit with Delta? Last time I flew it was with Air Canada & the limit was 50 lbs per piece with a 100lb total.

I have had feedback from end users that some airlines are very relaxed, like Quantis, British Airways, Swiss Air. Airlines that are bankrupt or in poor financial health tend to more likely to grab the $150-200 in additional fees.

18

Yeah, I don’t have the balls to lie or be the slightest bit seedy. I am flying out of Buffalo and as a Can. citizen, i don’t want to take any chances on anything going wrong. I have paid a tonne of money to do this race and an extra $180 isn’t going to set me back if I have the peace of mind the bike will show up. :slight_smile: Of course paying that will certainly not guarantee the bike will show up but if I lie and get caught, they could just chuck me off the plane.
But thanks for taking the time to share your ideas. :slight_smile:
Mark

19

Not a lie. I said “It LOOKS LIKE a trade show display to me” and held the money up. At that point, they will make their own decision.

But to address your point, once it’s past the curbside guys, it goes through the Invision bomb detection machine anyway, so they’re not going to pull you off the plane. Their system doesn’t work like that.

20

Not a lie. I said “It LOOKS LIKE a trade show display to me” and held the money up. At that point, they will make their own decision.

.

ah…haha, I missed that part. Clever. I still wouldn’t have the balls to try it. :slight_smile: I am a wimp when it comes to that stuff.