Whew. OK thanks for the people who talked me off the ceiling for not worrying too much about traveling with my bike in luggage on JetBlue. I just wanted to post my experiences after getting my bike to and from San Diego from NY/JFK. Due to time constraints I opted to go with having my bike pro packed in the original bike box at the LBS for travel via check in.
JFK → San Diego
So at check in I pay the $50USD fee for traveling with a bike in luggage. I get the 2 check in people at curbside to slap some FRAGILE stickers on the box, slip em each a 10 and ask them to do what they can to make sure its handled as carefully as possible.
When I got to SD there was only really one piece of luggage I was most interested in getting there OK. So having to wait at the Oversized Luggage area, I sweated out waiting for it. Finally it comes popping out and landing on the conveyor with a flat thud.
I grab the box and start to open it on the spot and a guy near me says: “So much for the Fragile stickers on it huh?”
I peek inside and all appears to be OK.
Get it to where i was staying and pull everything out. Everything seemed just fine. Build it up, put it on a trainer, take it for a spin. Fine. Whew.
Heading back I decided I had tempted fate enough and opted to ship it via FedEx. Where my next bit of stress came around. On that end the bike got back all in one piece.
Overall a (personally) worrying experience but one that ended up all in the green. Not to take it for granted but all worked out fine.
cheers
S.