Please point me to another post if this question has already been answered, but here goes: Took my bike out to Colorado to train whilke attending a wedding and borrowed a box from local bike club. The airline damaged the wheels on the case (pushed back inside of the box so it no longer rolls) and I’m waiting for a call from them to see about compensation. Any advice for me when I talk to them? Has this happened to other folks and did the airlines help out? We flew on two different airlines and one already told us that they weren’t liable for any damage.
I believe FRancois has experience of a damaged bike box and the ensuing battle. I had mine damaged by handlers at Frankfurt, and one thing I can tell you is that if you paid of it to be onboard you have a higher ceiling of compensation than if it was part of your weight allowance. As part of your weight allowance you are only entitled to a certain sum per lb per luggage item and luggage isn’t meant to be expensive.