My buddy made the Big Show in Kona and he needs to transport his bike from New York City to Kona.
Any Suggestions?
On the airplane with him.
Often, for the return flight, the airlines do not charge for the bike. So, therefore, it is relatively cheap (only half the normal) and you have control of your bike the whole time.
I’ve been going through the same process in order to get my bike from Madison to Kona. My current plan is to take the bike on the plane on the way out, then drop it off at Bike Works Kona (http://www.bikeworkskona.com/) to put it together, tune it, pack it up again, and ship it back. They’ll also store the case while we’re in town. I’m thinking the cost is worth the convenience.
Shipping via Fed-Ex or UPS is huge to get it to the island. ($400+) Shipping it back seems a lot cheaper.
From my research, it seems that everyone will get charged the bike fee for the plane on the return trip. It’s not like they aren’t going to know it’s not a bike.
-- Scott