jbphilly

This August I'm going to be flying Philadelphia to Tel Aviv vwith with a bike; the best fares right now are from Air Canada, and they also seem to have a decent bike rate ($100 for a carry-on besides the first; another $50 for a bike) - other airlines I've looked at are charging a good deal more.

Just wanted to check in with people's experiences with them - have they handled bikes well when you've flown with them? Also, their bicycle guidelines specify a "rigid or hard-shelled box specifically designed for shipping." I know it's typical to box bikes in cardboard boxes; I assume they won't give me problems based on not considering a cardboard box to not be "rigid" or "hard-shelled" enough...

Erick L

I think a cardboard box should be alright. I've flown with them three times and used a plastic bag supplied by them. Just remove the pedals and turn the handlebars. I stuffed everything into two panniers and a small backpack and brought the pack onboard. The panniers went into another plastic bag supplied by them I had one extra bagage instead of two. They were all direct flights within Canada. From what I remember, plastic bags were mentionned in their policy before.

BobG

It's been about 25 years since the last time, but I've flown Air Canada from Montreal 4 times round trip to Paris, Geneva, Zurich and Calgary. The bike was handled well on each trip. At that time they supplied a large plastic bag. As you've noted their website now asks for a "rigid" or "hard-shelled box..." with no mention of the plastic bag. Maybe the plastic bag option has changed?

Machka 

I have flown with Air Canada several times and have had good experiences. On 2 flights I went with a hard shell case, but all the rest of the flights I went with cardboard boxes.

Our most recent flight was last October ... Heathrow to Calgary to Vancouver.

calyth

I haven't traveled with a bike on an airline, but I don't prefer Air Canada. But since you're actually flying international, I can't exactly tell you to try west jet

jbphilly

I figured you'd have some input. No problems with the cardboard boxes?

Anyway, I bought the ticket - the cheapest reasonable option and, I think, the cheapest bike shipping option of all the airlines available, though I'm only paying for the bike shipping. I'll leave the thread open in case anybody might contribute some other useful tips.

Machka 

No problems with the cardboard boxes. Just be sure you have one before you get to the airport. We used to be able to get cardboard boxes at the airport without too much difficulty, but that is becoming more challenging now.

In fact ... when we were desperately seeking cardboard boxes at Heathrow, someone from British Airways heard our plight and offered us plastic bags (designed for bicycles). British Airways will take bicycles in bags or boxes. So we headed back to the Air Canada customer service area and asked them if we could use the bags British Airways offered us. They hesitated and debated and looked very uncertain ... and then slowly decided that they guessed it might be OK if we had no other option.

Fortunately we were able to find boxes eventually, so we used them.

indyfabz

One thing that might be an issue with cardboard...

Last month I flew from PHL to Venince with a bike. While I am not certain, I do not believe the international terminal has a large x-ray machine that is capable of scanning a bike. If that is correct, the TSA will open the box. (When I un-boxed my bike in Italy there was a card from the TSA cards inside the box informing me the box had been opened and inspected. Same thing when I flew PHL to PDX with a bike last year.) If your cardboard box is taped shut, hopefully the inspector will be able to tape it closed again if it is opened. Also, hopefully the inspector won't pull out the bike to get a clear look at it and that if he/she does, it will be put back properly. Most hard cases allow easy viewing because the entire lid usually lifts off.

The Venice airport has a large machine so the box did not have to be opened for the return flight. We simply stood there while the bikes were run through the machine. The inspector literally gave us a thumbs up to let us know everything was kosher.

BTW...I certainly would not pack any small items like pedals or QR skewers in a carboard box unless, maybe, they were securely attached to the frame.

Have a fun time. Are you doing that organized fundraising trip? I have some friends here who have done it. They love it. They may even be going again this year.

jbphilly

Good advice - so you suggest keeping pedals and the like in my other checked bag or something? I was planning on finding some old bubble to pad everything in the bike box with.

Which organized fundraising trip are you talking about? I'm actually going over to work on developing a hiking trail across the middle east (www.abrahampath.org), just bringing the bike along for doing some trips in the free time I have.

Machka 

We put the small bits into plastic bags and then either tape them to the rack, or put them into the otherwise empty panniers which we stuff into the box to add a small measure of protection to the bicycles.

Whatever you choose to do, don't pack the small bits by just tossing them in the box. Cardboard boxes develop holes and small bits can escape.


On our travels around the world, sometimes our boxes have been opened, but most of the time they have not been. If they have been opened, we have usually been there during the process ... and the people who opened the boxes to have a look have had tape to close them up again (and so did we). They also have not removed the bicycle, but they have asked us to remove the panniers so they could have a closer look at them.

I can't recall a time when my bicycle box was opened when I wasn't there, although I suppose it might have happened once.

And each airport is different, so I couldn't tell you what Philadelphia might do.

indyfabz

I would put them in my other checked bag unless they are firmly secured to the bike. Cardboard can tear, resulting in things falling out. I have heard more than one BF poster describe how that happened while shipping in cardboard using Amtrak.

I have never not had my box opened post 9/11. And the inspection area has not always been within my sight. Bismarck, ND comes to mind. One schoiol of thought is that you don't want to watch. Flying back from Cycle Oregon last year, we watched as some TSA goon who looked half asleep repeatedly cram down the lid of a bike box trying to get it far enough down to reconnect the straps. Our bikes were next.

I thought you might be doing some fundraising ride in Israel that some people from Philly (and other places) do. Sounds like you are not.

lucille

I haven'r flown with a boxed bike in a while, but you shouldn't have any problems with AC. Besides, it's the luggage handlers that will be getting your bike on board.

You could always call your airport to see if they have an oversize luggage scanner. We always take our bikes to the oversize, even though they fit in suitcases, because I want to be there if they want to open the suitcase and take things out. It has always been fine.

What I would suggest is that you take some tape with you to the airport, in case you need to re-tape the box.

I would put pedals in a clear bag and zip tie them to frame/rack etc.

Also, I've noticed that baggage handlers often will tear holes in cardboard to be able to carry the box, so last time I did this, I made holes and reinforced them with tape, so the box doesn't fall apart.

Rowan

One trick to make the box-opening exercise a bit easier is to put down two runs of tape at four or five locations along the top of the box. Then slit them open with a knife so the top opens normally. When you come to seal the box, use another piece of tape for each location, and fold back the end half an inch or so back on itself. It helps reduce the time and effort.

Straps aren't a particularly good idea because they can get caught on other luggage or projections in the handling process.

I also reinforce the bottom ends with four or five layers of tape because inevitably you will have to drag the box along an airport floor or concrete path, and the tape helps the box slide and protects it from wear and tear.

Check the threshhold dimensions of boxes allowed before an airline will start charging for being larger than permitted. I had this on one Westjet flight using a Corflute box that supposedly was the right dimension, but was two inches too long. Fortunately, the booking clerk was reasonable, and I got away with it... because I was there as soon as she opened the desk, and there weren't other passengers waiting.

If you pick up a box at an LBS, ensure that your bike and associated bits will fit in it before the day of your departure. There is a multitude of sizes of boxes that LBSs deal with (BMX through to downhill MTB) and you want the one that fits your bike but is not so large as to push you into excess dimension fees.

Note also that for some scanners, bike boxes are too large to fit, and you more than likely will be required to open it for inspection there on the spot.

Be aware that a bike box weighs quite a bit and has to be accounted for in your weight limit. Again, check the airline for the weight limit -- flying to and from North America is a little more lenient in my experience than flying to/from other continents. But you don't want to be fussing around at the airport check-in rearranging your gear to try to fit in with the weight limits. I use bathroom scales to check everything, but allow a +/-.

And yes to putting all your small bits into something like a pannier. Placing your small bits into separate checked luggage may be OK, but that luggage may be opened simply because the items may appear on the scanner to be odd.

Try to avoid packing cigarette lighters and such (I had to remove one from my cookset in Japan, yet I was able to put it in my pocket and carry it on board), and don't pack a fuel bottle that has contained gasoline (although alcohol seems to be OK). The US security guys have scanners that they run around boxes to check for explosives residues and gasses, and my boxes have been checked like that on just about every occasions I have departed LA.

On packing, try to limit your clothing and other soft stuff so you can pack it in to a carry-on backpack. Doing so means you have a change of clothes and toiletries to sustain you if your other baggage gets lost, or you have a very long layover before a connecting flight. It also means a reduced hassle at baggage pick-up, and keeps your touring weight to a minimum.

Most but not all airports deliver bike boxes to the oversized baggage area which you will have to find, and may not be near the carousel where your other baggage will appear. Occasionally, the carousels are large enough to accommodate bike boxes.

When you arrive at the other end, and depending on the country, don't expect to be clear or potential hassles. You may need to show your bike (and if you come to Australia, for instance, it has to be clean or you risk a cleaning charge, and it may or may not be the same in Israel), and you could possibly be asked to prove you own it, especially if it's new, so having a purchase receipt with you could be handy (even a dummy one).

indyfabz

As I noted, the international terminal at PHL, where he will likely be flying out of, does not have a scanner large enough to handle a bike. He will not be required to open the box. He will be required to take the box to the oversized luggage inspection area where the TSA will open it.

Once that happens, you are technically not allowed to touch your baggage. I was severely scolded in PDX one year when offered to assist the inspector with the task of re-attaching my bike box straps. Then again, one time at PHL, someone let me do just that.

SparkyGA

Used Air Canada a few times for flying my bike. $50, and AC never gave a big deal about the bike.

I never got the clean bike thing flying into Australia. I got a "nice Surly" comment instead LOL

Erick L

I just talked to an Air Canada rep and she said we can still use one of their plastic bag. I guess a cardborad box would be more than enough. Perhaps it's different outside Canada though.

djb

flew AC last year using a cardboard box I got from a bike store, no problems and I think it was either 50 or 75 Can. each way. If you go the box route, do some internet searches here or otherwise for boxing technique tips, and use common sense for thinking of "what will get scrunched into what" when it is roughly handled or stuff piled on top of it while it is laying flat on its side--basically my opinion is to always assume this sort of thing will happen, so dont put the front wheel hub or whatever right up against the frame without some padding or some other improvised stuff.

as mentioned, its the "roulette wheel" of the baggage handlers that will come into play, what sort of mood the guy is in and/or his general attitude that day. One cant control that so just pack as well as you can and then cross zee fingers.

Carbonfiberboy 

I use a homemade rigid box to fly. It's been opened by the TSA every time, never in my presence, but nothing was every misplaced, damaged, etc. All fine.

Rowan

So, what exactly are you going to complain about? The fees actually look to be less than what the OP stated at the start of this thread for an international AC flight.

Machka 

Was the flight a "codeshare" flight or entirely Air Canada? Quite often Air Canada codeshares with United Airlines, and if that is what happened, the extra $25 fee could be correct.


The other thing is that certain airports charge more. If you fly out of Heathrow, that $50 bicycle fee almost always morphs into 75 Pounds because Heathrow has an extra charge for handling large items.

jbphilly

I should report that flying my bike went without a hitch. Padded, but didn't remove, the disc rotos, and packed lots of extraneous crap into the bike box - so much, in fact, that the whole package came just 4 pounds short of the weight limit. I paid $150 as expected. The box arrived a bit the worse for wear (the handles were starting to tear and I wouldn't have felt safe using the same box again) but it didn't appear to have been opened or the contents damaged.

Machka 

The handles do tear ... we tape them when we're taping up the boxes to reduce the tearing.

jbphilly

Heh, even this tearing was after having been taped quite a bit! I figure I should be able to find a box in better shape for the return flight.

tastest

I recently flew with Air Canada from Toronto to Rome and back. Note that the excess baggage charge is $100 for international flights, not just $25. The bike also get a $50 handling charge and counts as your piece of checked luggage. The check in staff are friendly and get the job done but really don't know what to do with bikes. You may get charged or not.

Bags are generally available, but it is impossible to confirm in advance. The only time I had trouble was in Calgary, and the WestJet staff gave me two bags. Guess who I generally fly with within Canada. On a trip a few years ago I actually went to the airport a day early, with my ticket and tried to get the bags. They absolutely refused, for no good reason. Bus stations sometimes have bags.

Boxes are much easier to manipulate when moving around the airport - they fit on carts, but I think they are more like to have other baggage piled on top of them. This is not really Air Canada I believe but airport staff.

pxboii

my experience with AC was horrible one. few years back I flew to calgary to start a tour with my friend. I got a box from a bike store and pack the bike neatly the night before the departure. when I check in they put the bike box on a oversize luggage belt type of thing. when I got my box in galgary I notice there were some places seem to be ripped and flatten. when I open the box at my friends place I notice my bike was damage. My rear wheel cracked. derailleur hanger and derailleur was bend. few broken spokes. our trip was delay cuz my I needed to replace the rear wheel and fix the hanger. on my return trip I didn't box up my bike and wheel it to the check in counter. I told them what has happen to my bike and AC staff says do not put your bike in a box. they say when your bike is not in a box they have to call a baggage handler and wheel your bike on to the plane and place it in a special cargo area with other sporting equipment like golf clubs, skis, snowboards. as soon as you put it in a box the AC baggage handler will toss it like a toy and pile other luggage on top of it. lesson learned