Originally Posted by Mike_Kelly

Would like to add a note to the conversation that most airlines will not insure a bike unless it is in a hard case. I never fly without insuring the bike. Airlines are normally only responsible for a few dollars per pound if the bags are lost. Friends lost their $10,000 tandem when coming back from Europe. No compensation because it was not insured. The trouble is that airline agents don't know how to insure something because then never do it. So it can take an extra 45minutes for them to look it all up.

I now insure my bikes for travel with an independent insurance company that does bike insurance.

When using a cardboard box it can be a problem in Europe because many bike shops get their bikes shrink wrapped in vinyl bags, so no boxes available.