As I pack my bike up for the flight to CDA, I’m wondering if I have to release the air in the tires. Will they blow up mid-flight if I don’t?
No, they won’t.
in the bagage area, the pressure is equivalent to what you have at 8000ft (or thereabout). I don’t think it’s enough to blow the tires, but then why not just do what they say and release the air of your tires…
No, but deflating the tires will assist a bit in stuffing the bike into the case.
I actually had the air bubble on some Nike’s pop on a flight once. It was on an el cheapo European discount airline, and maybe the baggage area wasn’t as pressurized as the cabin. Nike replaced the shoes with no questions, but either way, why not just deflate them. It takes 1 minute to pump them back up and ensures that you won’t have any problems.