downtube42

My flight from CDG to Seattle was canceled, and Delta rerouted me through Minneapolis. My bike and 2 checked bags didn't make the trip. A pain, right?

So here's the thing. I walked through international arrivals in Minneapolis like a boss, with just my small backpack, bypassing the hordes. Landed in Portland, took an Uber home ezpz. Two days later, everything showed up at my front door.

I'd pay $100 for that service every single trip.

indyfabz

My baggage didn’t make it once. The airline brought it to my door the next day. IIRC, that was in the early’80s.

AndreyT

Not sure what is this supposed to be about. That airlines will deliver your lost luggage all the way to your door? But that's standard practice and common knowledge, isn't that?

downtube42

Jackpot.

You fully comprehend the situation. No arguments about long debated topics here. No drama. The proverbial Bank Error In My Favor occurred, disguised as an airline failure. In a stupendous win, in addition to delivering my bike to my door, the airline awarded me points for my trouble.

Nothing for you here, move along.

AndreyT

... I am not finished yet. "Two days later" is kinda sub-standard. They are usually expected to deliver the luggage the next day. If I were you, I'd check the bike for any unusual signs of use. There's a chance they were riding it around the airport for a day.

downtube42

Maybe i should demand more points lol.

Bike box came next day. Luggage with clothes and a few bike parts came today. Chain, saddle, pedals were in luggage. I think the bike is good.

My left hand is tingly from too many hours on the bars, so I'm not riding anytime soon.

50PlusCycling

I have a credit card which provides that service if I use it to book my flight. On one occasion my bags got to the hotel before I did.

indyfabz

What’s the best lost bike luggage chain lube?

RCMoeur 

There's a place in Scottsboro filled with rather nice stuff from when the travel deities did not smile upon the traveler. I bought a set of Bose headphones there, and thought, "I wonder all the places these headphones have been... I wonder what music they listened to... I wonder if they had any skin parasites..." (OK, just kidding about the last one)

Glad you got the W on this go-round. It's good to have those once in a while, like the unexpected free suite upgrade at the end of an exhausting day or the cancelled final meeting session that allows a bonus ride at the site.

tcs

Home bound: great!

Outbound: not so much.

Ironfish653

^^ This.

It's a weird flex that your luggage didn't make the connection and it took two days to get it to you.

I was changing planes in Atlanta, on my way home from a crew change, when I got got a call from my office to get back to New Orleans, ASAP, for a priority assignment.
Rebooking the ticket was pretty straightforward, but they had to intercept my gear bag before it got loaded and sent to my previous destination.
As it was, it didn't make the same flight I was on , but they had it at my hotel about 4 hours after I arrived.
Good thing, because I had to leave for the port at 0330. Two days, and I would have been beyond the reach of anything but a resupply vessel.

I could see, though the appeal of having a service, like TaskRabbit, to retrieve and transport your stuff, especially if you've got a lot of/or bulky things like bike cases, that wouldn't fit in a regular hire car.

indyfabz

Heh. This thread has made me think of the time I flew to Boise for the start of the 2002 edition of Cycle Oregon. There were 5 other rides flying with bikes on the flight. We all went to the oversized luggage retrieval area. Only 4 bikes came out. I don’t think I have ever seen a greater look of disappointment on someone’s face. He had flown all the way from JFK, connecting in Phoenix, like the rest of us. (I had started at PHL.) Our bus to the OR-ID border the next morning was scheduled to leave around 10.

Fortunately, America West (Remember them?) Had an early arrival the next morning and he made the ride.

Pro tip: Unless things have changed, when you have a connecting flight you can ask the gate agent to scan your luggage check to see if you stuff has made the connection. Or if you can see the connecting flight being loaded, you can look for your stuff.

HarryPotter69

Airlines Yay

indyfabz

*mind blown*

GhostRider62

Yes, it is wonderful your bike arrived to your door by concierge. But I am sure you had some angst whether the bike would ever arrive.

I had a custom rifle (let's say costing more than bikes) that did not show up at baggage coming back from Africa. They had no idea what happened to it. One day months later, it showed up on my front porch.

I've had similar cases with bikes. The angst ain't worth it especially when the airlines can't tell you where your bike is.

downtube42

I wasn't worried. Perhaps in part because riding my bike after a 1200km event doesn't seem too appealing. Screw the damn thing, you know?

Outbound to Paris for PBP, three people I know arrived without bikes. All were found in time for the ride, but one guy had to drive a few hours to pick it up. Stressful.

People are putting apple airtags in bike bags, for peace of mind.

GhostRider62

The longest I've waited is a week for Lufthansa to deliver my bike. It was a business trip and I was with Siemens, so, I did not worry. It was just a PITA

GhostRider62

United broke the seat stay on my 2015 PBP bike and refused responsibility. Travel with a bike is not without risk

indyfabz

A group of us went to Italy 10 years ago. When one guy returned home, he found his CF frame ruined. It appeared that they used a forklift to move the box and that one of the blades went right through part of the frame. Don’t remember which airline it was, but it did compensate him. Wonder if it would stiff him these days.

indyfabz

IKR. I’ve done several two-week tours out west since 2009. I’ve shipped my bike back and forth. I haven’t even wanted to look at a bike for several days after each tour. Easy to wait 4-5 days for it to make it home. There is always walking or the bus.

GhostRider62

I love CF bikes but steel, Alu, or Mg is probably better with airlines. I bubble wrapped my whole frame and then put cardboard over the bubble wrap on a recent trip (PBP).

I've only flown about 20 times with a bike over the years but have had two issues. One was a wheel that could be resolved locally. I did PBP with a fractured seatstay in 2015 and paid about $500-600 with shipping to have it fixed by Calfee. One very experienced world tourer told me the best way was just to wrap your bike in plastic and give it too them. Since handlers can see it is a bike and they can wheel it, they take more care. I dunno. Certainly not bags or boxes.

indyfabz

I agree, assuming the airline will take it that way. After finishing nearly 2 months in Andalucia I took three flights with the bike in a plastic bag to get home. The rear wheel got slightly tweaked, but that was it.

What I didn’t mention above is that when I flew to Boise I watched a baggage handler in Phoenix throw my bike box onto the tarmac from waist high. I let out and audible scream and then complained to a gate agent. She asked me to point out the guy and then got on her radio.

David_Harris

United breaks stuff. Guitars, or so I hear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Breaks_Guitars