Originally Posted by
Hermes
I disclose to the airlines that it is a bicycle. I see little point in managing my life and budget via deception - to each his own.
i hear you and understand that point of view.
personally, i find it sad that one can fly with golf clubs or skis for free (oversized by linear inches) and bikes are $150. i think that perhaps this is a failing of USAC vs the ski and golf industries.
wouldn't it be great if USAC negotiated free bikes with, say, united (regardless of measurement...it's pretty much impossible to get an actual bike in <62 linear inches). you might sell many more licenses (=good), and that might create a true incentive to fly with that airline. our representative organization is failing us a bit here, i think.
when i re-read united's policy i noticed that if the measurement is <=62 linear inches
or at least appears to be about that so that the agent does not measure, it doesn't matter if it is a bike or not. i'm fairly sure it used to be a few years ago that if you had a bike you were paying regardless of dimensions. or maybe my memory is failing me there, and it was just their rote assumption that "a bike is pretty much always over 62 linear inches" is what triggered the fee.
personally i've noticed that pre-paying for baggage (eg $25 on united) before you show up at the counter can matter; the agent has to undo that charge and re-do it as a bike. if it's busy or they're feeling a bit lazy, they might let it slide.
i feel like we're discriminated against due to the contents of our luggage. as a whole, cyclists probably weigh less than the average american. too bad we can't get on a scale -- checked bags, carry-on, our body -- and, say, pay nothing if it is under 250#. we're really just cargo. imagine the outrage!