My plan is to fly into one city and out of another. I am using a Co-Morion hard case, and my bike fits in fine, if packed correctly. I only do light touring, and no camping, so my extraneous luggage is a lot less. The plan is to get to a place to overnight, assemble the bike, take the case to the shipper, and then ride away from the overnight place.
And while we're here...I'm hoping to take the train out of Indianapolis, to San Antonio, where I can catch a bus back home to Mexico. I have no idea what their baggage rules are on Amtrak