Anybody ever flown with their bike on Southwest?
I have pictures of rushing onto the plane with my bike while using my mass start swim skills to make sure nobody gets ahead of me.
Little bro’s bike got mangled by Southwest on Wednesday enroute Caliman.
I have flown SW twice with my bike and when I opened my bike afterwards, they had pretty much moved everything around. Therefore, it did not fit correctly and they prety much just shoved it together and have bent my case so it will never close right again. I have flown three times with my bike since I have gotten this case, and my case looks like it has been through hell. They don’t give a shit about your bike. Plus, it cost me $80. Try the $10 and the wink and see if that works.
We flew Southwest to IM CdA last year and had no problems. Left from San Diego so they’re pretty used to seeing bikes so we couldn’t avoid the $50 fee. Same for the return from Spokane. The TSA agents who checked things out were friendly and careful and there was no damage. Still, I hate flying with my bike!
Done it a few times with no problems at all. Matter of fact, I’m flying SW tomorrow to Little Rock for MIM on Sunday.
G
It’s not SWA that opens your bike box, it’s the TSA, it doesn’t matter what airline you are on. I’ve flown SWA with bikes a number of times with no problems. Yes, they charge $40 each way, which is relatively cheap, it’s $50-70 on most other airlines. These days it pays to not overstuff your case with too much extra stuff, as they may well open it and the easier it is to repack the better. For my TriAll3 case, which I used to lock with small padlocks, I now use zipties and I tape new zipties prominently to the top of the case, I also no longer duct tape the non-locking latches on the sides. Next to the zip ties I write a note on a piece of tape which has my cell number and asks them to call if they have trouble closing the case back up. On a recent flight, the case was opened outbound and my spare zip ties were used - I was actually a bit amazed. On the way back it was not opened, it may depend on whether a particular airport has an xray machine big enough to accomodate the case… The nice thing about the TriAll3 case is that the frame itself is fixed in place, so they can’t really move it around, but again that’s an argument for NOT putting all your clothes and other crap in every nook and cranny - just make it easy for them to see what is there and then close it back up.
ahhh i see all my previous postings about “tipping” the agent when checking in has not gone unheeded.
I’ve flown with my bike on SW at least 10 times and have never had a problem with it. Most airports will have you lug your bike to t he TSA agents. stand there while they open it so it goes back together correctly. I’ve been able to repack mine on several occasions or stand next to them and coach them how to do it.
I flew to GFT 1 month after 9/11, the funny thing was they never asked me to open the case for bike inspection? Now it seems almost a given. You say we can stand there while they check everything out, right? I’m flying up to MO for Ultramax and wanna make sure everything gets there in one piece!
I’ve repack the case myself in PHX, told them how to do it one two seperate occasions at ORD, once at birmingham Al and also at the SD airport. Just tell the counter person that it’s worth about 4k and needs to be packed a certain way or it breaks. they wil point you in the right direction
Fed Ex or UPS - avoid all the hassles!
I went to the FedEx web site and punched in 50lbs and the dimensions of a standard bike box. The web site qouted me from $100 on up one way. Are the airlines really so bad that it is worth so much more money to ship it?
Good point on TSA opening it instead of SWA. I did fly United once and they did not charge me either way because my case was under the alotted weight limit. I was pretty impressed with that. I am hoping things go well when I fly to CDA in June. I am definitely not a wrench and if they do anythng to my bike, I am in trouble. I may have to drive to Spokane or something to get it worked on if needed.
40 dollars each way is a great deal, but i just checked my bike box after flying and they cracked the hell out of it.
No - but I flew it ATA, and for $60 each way there was no problem. Everyone knew how to open the bike box (I wasn’t the first one through). And they let me stay and watch to make sure the box got locked up properly again. I didn’t need to worry … but did anyway. they did a great job.
That’s **not **SW… that’s the feds. who inspect bags.
Joe Moya
Ship it with SW about 10-12 times… no problem… but, the baggage handlers do have a habit of throwing it around (I’ve seen them do it looking out the window)… No different than other baggage handlers on other airliners.
I’ve also sent it UPS… no problem either.
Which way I do it depends upon the race/or bike trip situation (foreign, domestic, distance, etc).
A lot of how your bike turns out at the end of trip is dependent upon two things…
The kind of case you use and how well it’s packed.
Btw, in some smaller airports I have actually helped coach the TSA inspectors on how to open the case and how to pack it back… no problems. In other instances (specially at larger airports)… I have asked the ticket agent if I could watch them unpack it and have gotten two answers - 1) yea, come with me… 2) nope, but the clerks says he’ll watch them (so, I show the ticket agent how the easiest way to open). Not had a problem … knock on wood.
FWIW Joe Moya
I’ve flown to two races with the bike going on SWA with no problems. Well except the first time they accidentally charged me $450 instead of $45, so on the way back they let both mine and my GF’s go for free. Getting the $405 back was a little bit of a hassle but worth the $90 we saved.
Since I started this thread, here’s how it ended up:
I flew Southwest with my bike in a rented soft-sided case. Initially I was turned off by the soft case, but the padding is enourmous. I think the soft sided case is harder for the luggage gorillas to throw around. I was charged the $40 each way, which the first ticket agent charged me for both there and back so I didn’t have to pay twice. No problems anywhere.
Mike Plumb posted on here how he uses a garmet bag, if i remember correctly, for his frame.