Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,211
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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When I pack one of my bikes in a small case, such as the two examples I showed above in the photos, there was a lot of two way velcro and zip ties holding the larger pieces of the bike together in one bundle that TSA could lift out of the case, visually inspect and drop back in. And I had a note on top specifically saying that, with my cell number if they had any difficulty re-packing it.
There have been lots of stories about TSA carelessness in repacking expensive bikes that caused damage because of their carelessness. They take stuff out of the box or case, then put it back in but not in properly, and when it does not fit they use as much force as they can to force the lid closed.
If your bike would fit in the large Samsonite case, that would probably be ideal. I am thinking of the case that Bike Friday uses as a trailer. Years ago I bought one of those suitcases at a garage sale for less than $5 USD. At the time I worked outside for my job and had to transport a lot of field equipment when I flew, that was in the good old days (80s, 90s) when you could check two free bags on most airlines. And that suitcase worked great, at times I had over $5,000 worth of electronic equipment in the suitcase and it was never damaged by airline luggage handlers.