"LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m" <
[email protected]> wrote in
message news:kFM%c.230222$sh.210076@fed1read06...
> > I'm flying on American Airlines (If it aint Boeing, I aint going).
>
> If it's American Airlines, then even if it is Boeing, you still may not
> be going:
>
> http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595079739,00.html
>
> --
> "Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
> to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
> it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)
I have taken my bike (an expensive road bike) on two recent trips--one to
Tucson this past February and one to Colorado, just last month. Here are my
experiences--although I am not sure whether there are any universal
conclusions to draw from them:
1. On the way to Tucson, I shipped my bike ahead by Fedex Ground. The price
was attractive--about $40/$45 as I recall, and I thought i) I would avoid
paying the airline that wanted $100 each way, ii)would avoid the hassle of
finding a taxi (to the airport) and a rental car (in Tucson) that could
carry the boxed bike and the rest of our luggage, and iii) would avoid the
hassle of dragging the box through the airport, and iv) wouldn't worry about
losing the bike when we transferred planes (as is necessary to get from NY
to Tucson).
All well and good--but Fedex totally screwed it up. Rather than finding my
nice boxed bike at my Bed and breakfastin Tucson, I found....well, nothing.
I spoke to Fedex. Said it was coming the next day. Didn't come, even though
I waited around most of the day. Spoke to Fedex. Said they had tried to
deliver--but no one was home. Well that was a lie and in any event they left
no notice of attempted delivery. Same the next day. Finally
arrived--undamaged, thankfully--on the fourth day of my seven day vacation.
Driver--who seemed a pretty sensible guy without an ax to grind--said that
although this was his regular route the bike was not put on his truck on any
of the previous days.
On the way back--I shipped UPS from a UPS store. The owner indicated what
some of the other respondents have stated--UPS can be very finicky about
whether the bike box exceeds some dimension of theirs,which would kick it
into a much more expensive category. Paid a little extra for the store
owners to add additional tape to the box ostensibly to insure that the
dimension was not exceeded--essentially I think I was paying him to take the
risk that he might get surcharged. Also, insured the bike for full value,
which was expensive.
Bike arrived undamaged and on time.
For my Colorado trip, I decided I would try the airlines. I flew Jet Blue
which told me that the charge was $50 each way. Got to JFK in New York and
ticket agent told me that the bike would fly free since (it seems) I was
still the beneficiary of a July TDF "bikes fly free" plan. Ok. Bike arrived
fine in Denver airport (although they temporarily lost some other
luggage...). On way back was charged $50 but bike also arrived fine in JFK.
Couldn't fit bike and rest of family and luggage in a single cab, so bike
and I took our own cab--an incremental $50 or so.
