OT: Bike as bagage

[Stewart Fleming]

Andrew Martin wrote:
> warren <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<080920042154188205%[email protected]>...
>>Last month I traveled on Delta with my bike case and I didn't pay
>>anything in either direction.
> And people wonder why they are going under. Most airlines do
> everything they can to charge you the extra $75 each way handling fee.

United took approx $10,000 off the Kiwi team in 2002 between LA and
Atlanta on one flight and $0 on the way back in excess baggage charges.
(I measured it later and found that it is indeed downhill with a
tailwind from Atlanta to LA)

Last week I went from NZ to Aussie and back; QANTAS didn't charge either
way for a 30kg hardcase bike box but Air NZ wanted NZ$50 for a 300km
short hop. Only thing to watch on QANTAS is that they strictly enforce
the 32KG top weight per item. Only way I ever managed to avoid this was
to surreptitiously prop one corner of the box off the scales at weigh-in.

 

[(Pete Cresswell)]

RE/
>What should I do:

This is just sort of trolling - because I have no intention of flying anywhere
soon, but...

Has anybody thought about using two pieces of maxed-out-dimension-wise luggage
and splitting the bike between the two and then padding with whatever else they
would have bought along in their normal suitcase(s)? I mean standard,
brand-name, suitcases that are just as large as permitted.

Dunno about a road frame, but it seems like a FS mtb could be broken down small
enough...

Also seems like it would fall within the two-suitcase limit, avoid any questions
about what's inside (truthfully, not a bike in either one...just parts), and
minimize airport-to-accomodations luggage-handling hassle.


--
PeteCresswell

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
>
>"Kyle.B.H" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<cPZ%c.140802$9d6.44265@attbi_s54>...
>> "otto" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>
>> Never heard of a padded bike bag - online examples?
>>
>> Kyle
>
>got it +/- 11 years ago from performance. the padding is on the sides,
>and around, on the inside. i thought it was relatively standard, but
>i guess not?

Go to https://www.bikeprousa.com and check out their travel cases. I had
a very similar Nashbar case.
------------
Alex

 

[(Pete Cresswell)]

RE/
>>What should I do:

Just asked Somebody Who Probably Knows, and they came up with an acquaintence's
technique: They fabricated their own within-62 box out of plywood and
stenciled "R/C Models, Please Handle With Care" on the outside.

Apparently radio-controlled model airplanes can get pretty large and are a known
phenomonon to the people who process baggage/freight.
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Paul Kopit]

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 03:55:12 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I communicate with quite a number of bike shops across the country, with
>some having no problems using UPS, and others screaming about the same thing
>we're facing. Obviously, this is one of those your-mileage-may-vary things.

I have a FedEx Ground online account. I put in the weight and
dimensions of the package. You can check the charge before you go
forward. When you go ahead, you get a label for you box. You print a
manifest. Bring the parcel to the FedEx office. In 2 years I've had
no question regarding size or weight of parcel.