This week my wife traveled on Southwest with her bike in a Trico case. Upon unpacking her bike, she noticed TSA did not properly put stuff back in place and the wheels were placed on top of the foam instead of between the foam, resulting in bent teeth on her cassette. I’ll check for more damage upon her return but the mechanic said a few of he cassette teeth were bent.
Is it worth my time submitting a claim for $85 for a new cassette. Any experience from anyone who has submitted a claim with TSA?
Traveling with your bike sucks, heck this is a new frame because we believe on a prior trip her carbon dropout was damaged causing it to snap.
Consider yourself fortunate that this did not result in more damage…
Unless you not the average Joe, have followed their claim procedure to the T (as having inspected/documented/reported everything as soon as you received the bike back at the airport), you likely are out of luck.
I actually remove my cassette when packing my bike just for that reason.
Other things I do are to remove the rear derailleur, Chain, put spacers in the rear dropouts and fork, zip tie the bars to the frame and take every part that is not attached to the bike and put it in a different bag.
I will be able to pick the bike up out of the box without anything moving around and place it back in the same way. I don’t have a solution for the wheel issue that you experienced though.
X2 on taping and packing as one piece unit. And I also put a laminated, full-page notice to TSA to put the bike back exactly as packed and to call me on the airport PA if they need help. Only in St. Croix do they inspect it in front of you, and occasionally let you give verbal instructions on how to do it correctly. Other than STX, it’s some Joe in the back room just jamming the pieces back into the carton.
i’d prob file a claim only in an attempt to make some tsa agent’s job miserable. it’s gonna cost ya’ some time but i despise that organization more than the IRS. it would be strictly for mental therapy knowing at some point i’d prob get to yell at someone.
if it were taking too long i’d eventually just drop it, but not till i was able to yell at someone.
if it got real heated you could throw something in that you’re not surprised they didn’t know how to pack a bike, it appears none of them exercise as it is.
I watch the TSA agent check my bike the last time I flew with it.
I thought he was very careful with my bike, maybe because i was watching him. All he did was swab my wheels and frame, put the swab in a machine to check for something then sent the bike on it’s way.
I’m totally with you there Madduck. The whole TSA airport security is such a farce! It’s a shitshow to make people believe they are somehow safe when in reality a) getting around airport security in its current state is quite simple and b) if someone wanted to inflict some REAL damage, they would hit up something other than a passenger aircraft. Think chloralkali plants for example…
I’ve never had an issue with TSA allowing me to watch them do the inspection and then help them repack my bike. When I drop it off I just ask if I can please help them close it back up to ensure it’s repacked and closed properly. They have always allowed me to do this and usually seem relieved to not have to figure it out themselves. I fly out of Atlanta but this has never been an issue for me in other airports either.
If you want to properly take care of your bike when flying (or any other luggage for that matter) put a hand gun in there.
I’m not joking, the case is locked down tighter than Fort Knox and isn’t allowed to be opened before it is delivered to you.
I have successfully filed a claim with TSA from an improperly repacked bike. They countered with a slightly lower number, which I accepted.
I had many pictures, the TSA check slip, flight information, bike invoices etc. It took quite a while, but eventually came through.
All I did was fill out the form and wait a few months.
Not sure if there is a minimum amount able / worth claiming though.