Hi all,
I am flying to Madison next week to join the party. I notice on my flight reservations that I am on a couple of puddle jumpers into Dane County Airport. Is there any chance my bike box would be bumped from the flight? All packed it would weigh around 50-60 lbs, and I am concerned that the size of the plane could be an issue. Any experience with this?
I don’t have any specific experience with a bike box but in general with flying the small planes. I have had bags pulled off a plane before so they could make weight. I would say if the flight is full and they are short on space there is a good chance the bike will get booted. I think I would look at a different option considering the potential for a nightmare.
Happens all the time. When flying to IMFL, they held back passengers so they could fly more back-logged bikes into PC from Memphis.
It’s nice having your bike “with you” at the airport, but unless I’m flying jet service, I’ll send my bike FedEx Ground (UPS to A LOT more spendy)
Ship it FedEx!
Probably would help to know the type of aircraft? If you are flying on smaller twin turbo props like Beech 1900 A-D, EMB 120, Jetstream 31, or Metro then you might have a problem. The majority of the medium to larger size regional airlines have made the jump to regional jets in the 30-50 seat range which have larger cargo holds and less chance of your bike getting bumped.
The ans. is yes; your bike can get bumped. Weight is an issue on these flights and many times regular suitcases get bumped. I flew for many years and worked in the air freight industry. If there are other flights with bigger equipment than it will eventually get through. The other suggestion is to only fly to the nearest major airport and drive from there…
Ship it there with FedEx. They are not perfect but treat the shipments a little better than UPS. The shipment will be “non-conveyable” and thus will move on a slower belt through the hubs and also get less handling than the other packages. I would send it 2 or 3 day air but that is me.
I used to work for FedEx and I did see some bikes get damaged. Nothing visible but if too much weight is stacked on top of the bike right on the rear dropouts it can bend it. Many bike shippers put in a wood spacer in the dropouts to make sure they are rigid. Also make sure you do not pack any bike parts right against the box without some cushion. If it is packed right than it should be just fine. Hard cases are the best for this problem. No matter what you say to the transport company, the heavy boxes always go on the bottom of the containers or trucks because of the weight.
Best advice is to pack it like it is going to get its ass kicked in transit.
If you have a local bike manufacturing company near by, have them help as they have the most experience in packing bikes!
Any difference between Fedex and a service like sports express?
I live in Madison and fly with a bike 5 or 6 times per year. I’ve never had a problem, but when i expect it to be busy (around IM time or other big rides) I usually call the airline in advance. I’ve never had my bike bumped and it has always arrived with me.
if you are flying through a major city (Chicago) there are 5 or 6 flights per day so sometimes bags get missed but usually make the next flight.
Triman–
I just bought a Triall3 bike case, and it came with a Sports Express coupon. I talked to the folks at Triall3 and they swore by Sports Express. For the 3-day service from Panama City, Fl, to Madison, was only $75 or so…cheaper than flying your bike.
Spot