# Taking the Bike on a BA flight



## goody (1 Jun 2013)

I'm off to Italy for a family holiday last week in June. I had planned to hire a bike out there but I'm thinking I might be better off taking my own bike. I've done a bit of googling, can anyone confirm that if the bikes packed correctly I will be allowed to take it?


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## Mr Haematocrit (1 Jun 2013)

*British Airways*

Bikes go free as part of your normal checked-in allowance. You don't even have to inform the airline in advance. The problem for me was it would have meant a two-hour stopover in Gatwick.
Charges before you even get to the bike: Credit card surcharge of £4.50 per passenger.
Cost per bike per one way flight: Free
Weight allowance: 23kg.
Rules: Must be packed in "a recognised bicycle bag" and tyres deflated.
http://m.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jul/31/airline-bike-friendly


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## TheDoctor (1 Jun 2013)

Can I suggest that you ask BA? Policies change so often that they're the only ones who can tell you for sure...


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## goody (1 Jun 2013)

This is on their website, think I'll print it off and take a copy,
Need to find a really cheap "recognised bike bag"

"We will accept non-motorised bicycles of all dimensions provided they are packed in a recognised bicycle bag.

Preparing bicycles for travel:

bicycle pedals must be removed (or fixed inwards)
handlebars must be fixed sideways
the bicycle must be contained in a protective case or bag
deflate the tyres to reduce the risk of damage."


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## bigjim (1 Jun 2013)

BA took mine last year in a clear plastic bag. no problems.


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## jefmcg (1 Jun 2013)

bigjim said:


> BA took mine last year in a clear plastic bag. no problems.


 
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ctc-plastic-bike-bag/
and 
http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-public-transport/bikes-air
(not personal experience, but read of people using this bag and printing out the web to prove it was a recognised bike bag)


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## Bodhbh (1 Jun 2013)

In theory it should be a 'recognised bike bag'. They are basically rubble bags, but CTC sell clear plastic bike bags for a fiver and have a certificate you can print out on the website to prove it's 'recognised' - if someone gets jobsworth. I've used BA a few times and there's never been any issue...

Well the only thing one time one of them kept checking to make sure I'd deflated the tyres, but you can just let a bit out to keep them happy.


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## Simon_m (3 Jun 2013)

I took mine in a clear bag to the US, but they said it had to return in a cardboard box - just because. BA flight was sublet to American Airlines who charged me $100 or something like that. Be prepared. Peddles off, handlebars turned. Seat down. Tires deflated? depends on the check-in person. I did, but when I asked, they said it didn't matter. I used plumbing padding, like the stuff you put around pipes, to protect the bike, and lots of bubble wrap, plus a roll of "Fragile" tape. enjoy


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## Amanda P (3 Jun 2013)

Airlines publish rules, but then there's reality....

A packaged bike is cumbersome and awkward to handle, so I usually pad the frame with lagging, remove pedals etc but keep it as a rolling bike, with the bag strapped on the rack, until I arrive at the special luggage check-in. (A bike is, of course, too big to go on the conveyor at the regular baggage check-in).

At that point I ask the baggage person if they'd like it bagged or not. Every time so far, in a dozen flights or so, they've said no - it's far easier for them to roll the bike than have to carry it or put it on a trolley. I think it's far less likely to be damaged if it's rolled and treated like a bike, too, rather than being lumped about like a particularly awkward piece of regular luggage. If they were to say yes, then of course I'd slip it into the bag and tape it up.

There's no real need to deflate tyres; if the tyres are flat, there's more danger of rims being damaged from the bike being dropped onto the wheels. If someone insists they be deflated, let out the minimum amount of air you can get away with.

It may also be worth removing the rear derailleur; otherwise if the bike's dropped on its right side or has other luggage stacked on top of it, the hanger can get bent. 

The only advantage of bagging a bike that I've seen is that people can't resist fiddling with STI or ergo brake levers - I've seen bystanders and baggage handles do just that on my bike. If the bike's bagged, they can't easily do that....


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## Simon_m (3 Jun 2013)

Before flight:
http://www.webm8.co.uk/riddler/photographs_other/transam-2012/0001/0013.htm

baggage handlers:
http://www.webm8.co.uk/riddler/photographs_other/transam-2012/0002-flight/0004.htm

Coming home (changed link as old one was dead):
http://www.webm8.co.uk/riddler/photographs_other/transam-2012/day-0084/0001.htm


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## robjh (5 Jun 2013)

bigjim said:


> BA took mine last year in a clear plastic bag. no problems.


 
I was refused boarding with mine in the CTC clear bag at Gatwick in 2009, and no amount of reasoning with the BA checkin staff would budge them. I didn't have the CTC paperwork printed out to show them though, who knows if that would have made a difference. It's good to know that many people have a better experience than I did, but that made me rather wary.


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## Dave Davenport (5 Jun 2013)

robjh said:


> I was refused boarding with mine in the CTC clear bag at Gatwick in 2009, and no amount of reasoning with the BA checkin staff would budge them. I didn't have the CTC paperwork printed out to show them though, who knows if that would have made a difference. It's good to know that many people have a better experience than I did, but that made me rather wary.


They've changed their rules since then, we flew BA in 2009 and had to break the bikes right down to fit specified dimensions as per their web site at the time.


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## Simon_m (7 Jun 2013)

Sounds hit and miss, maybe things have improved then?


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## Brains (9 Jun 2013)

Ultimately its not down to the airline, but down to the company that runs the baggage handling at the airport
We found this when travelling between Gatwick and Shannon, same airline, one set of rules outbound, a completely different set of rules for the return.

If in doubt; box it


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## jjb (9 Jun 2013)

Goody, the BA site confirms this. Get a cardboard box from a bike shop, pack up your bike well, keep the contents below 23kg and it counts as your checked bag (bike inside means size restrictions don't apply). You also have one 10kg carry-on bag allowed and one handbag/laptop bag also iirc. Use same bike box on return or enquire at BA desk (on outward leg) to check availability of pram / bike bags (at Nice airport the BA desk was wonderful, searching also for "scotch maron", which is brown tape not whisky to toast my voyage, but still, very good service).

For a family hol and if you have the cash, hiring may be less hassle. They have nice bikes in Italy.



TheDoctor said:


> Can I suggest that you ask BA? Policies change so often that they're the only ones who can tell you for sure...


Good advice - though, out of interest, the BA wording hasn't changed in at least two years.


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## steveindenmark (10 Jun 2013)

I took my bike from Denmark to Pisa with Ryanair. I did nothing to it at all on the way out or back. Didnt take the pedals off or let the tyres down. I didnt even bag or box it.

Check with the individual airline what you need to do.

Steve


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## EltonFrog (10 Jun 2013)

I had one of these

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/sold-ultra-bike-bag-for-sale.131226/

Took the bike in it to the US and back, no bother, No extra fee, no customs hassle, no damage. Superb bit of kit if you can get one.


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## Rymo (16 Jun 2013)

I am flying Heathrow to Sofia at the end of July with BA, I was thinking putting the bike in a cardboard box like the one it originally came in, surely it's easy enough to pick one up at a local bike shop..not sure how i'll get it to the airport though..


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