Bike on a plane...

spyderski

wersal gummage wrote: »

Thanks for all the comments.

For cost and subsequent storage reasons I'm not willing to go with the hard case.... Realise that I could well regret that decision. Will do some research on anything I can do to make the packing as secure as possible, although of course I know it can't be the same as a hard case. The bike bag is 9kg and I guess the bike with pedals is a little under 8kg, so I have a few kg of bubble wrap or whatever to play with!

Would you not rent a hard case?

brianomc

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Nor have I but one of our club members was charged excess on an AL flights a few weeks ago. Think it was €10 per kg over.

What is the max weight on Aer Lingus out of curiosity? I brought mine over to Isle of Man at the weekend so it might be different on the small regional flights. The person at the desk just asked me did I know the weight of it, I guessed 20kg, turned out to be 22.

Evoc bike bag, a few scuff marks on the case but otherwise the bag did it's job.

When you land back in dublin the bike could be at either of 2 oversize areas going by my experiences. One by luggage carousel 1 and another by 6. Mine and 2 others were at 6 this time around. Worth a shot if you are waiting more than 5 or 10 mins after your luggage comes out.

Wishbone Ash

brianomc wrote: »

What is the max weight on Aer Lingus out of curiosity? ...

23kgs

spyderski

brianomc wrote: »

What is the max weight on Aer Lingus out of curiosity?

32kg last time I flew with them in the summer.EDIT Maybe it was 23... jaysus I was really pushing it !

Spaniard14

I was not allowed to go over 32. Aer Lingus informed us that it is a regulation. Before that happened I called Aer Lingus Customer Service, and they mentioned: Bikes have no weight limit. It is a joke... I had to open the bike boxes and take out stuff like tools, and go through the security control with them, those guys were pretty reasonable that time.

Wishbone Ash

spyderski wrote: »

32kg last time I flew with them in the summer.EDIT Maybe it was 23... jaysus I was really pushing it !

23

Sports Equipment General Guidelines:

Aer Lingus will carry your sports equipment as checked baggage.
The maximum weight allowable for sports equipment is 23kg/50lb. Normal excess baggage rates apply if you carry in excess to this maximum allowance.
Each passenger can carry a maximum of one piece of sports equipment.
For our flights operating to/from North America, sports equipment is carried as part of the standard baggage allowance. Excess baggage rates of €75/$100 apply if you carry in excess of the standard allowance. This fee is charged per passenger, each way.
For all other Aer Lingus flights, Sports Equipment is subject to a fee of €40 or equivalent payable online prior to departure; or a fee of €50 or equivalent payable through our reservations centre or at the airport on the day of departure. This fee is charged per passenger, per direction.
If you’re travelling on Aer Lingus Regional flights, the carriage of applicable sports equipment is subject to available space on the day.
For business class passengers, sports equipment is carried free of charge.
Groups travelling with sports equipment should contact us directly to ensure there’s sufficient space in the aircraft.
Important: Pack your sports equipment carefully to prevent any damage to it or other items. We’ll only accept sports equipment if it’s packed ap

propriately to prevent damage and that meets the size and weight restrictions.

wersal gummage

spyderski wrote:

Would you not rent a hard case?

Won't be returning for 3 months and won't really have storage for a hard case, so no.

Tenzor07

spyderski wrote: »

32kg last time I flew with them in the summer.EDIT Maybe it was 23... jaysus I was really pushing it !

Ha! Well 42KG is quite a weight to be hauling around the airport..

Tenzor07

Spaniard14 wrote: »

I was not allowed to go over 32. Aer Lingus informed us that it is a regulation.

It's true, H&S regs, 2 baggage handlers not allowed to lift anymore than 32kg

Spaniard14

I was unable to find that policy, and that is why I reached them on the phone (same phone that I used to book the sports equipment, couldn't be done during the reservation). Now it is quite easy to find that information...
23 kg is not much, most of bike boxes are over 10 kg. I learnt the lesson though. They allowed us to fly without paying excess both ways, but definitively they provided us with the wrong information).

spyderski

wersal gummage wrote: »

Won't be returning for 3 months and won't really have storage for a hard case, so no.

Fair enough. Make sure there’s plenty of padding/reinforcement on the seatstays. That’s what always breaks with the soft cases.

1bryan

spyderski wrote: »

Yeah, they weigh them every time, it’s just always after they’ve processed your boarding card and other baggage. The O/S baggage belt has a scales built in. Last time I flew mine was 42kg! Bike box alone weighs 13kg so easy to go over the weight limit. I’ve said for ages the airlines will catch on some day. Maybe that day has arrived...

they have to weigh all the luggage so they can calculate the amount of fuel to transport the weight on board. I'm sure we'll eventually arrive at a day where they weight the people on board too, for the same reason!

The last time I flew with aer lingus they didn't actually weigh the bag but the guy at check-in asked me how much I thought it weighed. I said around 25kg, and was that a problem. He said it wasn't, just that he wanted to know whether to put a 'Heavy' sticker on it for the baggage handlers.

Tenzor07

1bryan wrote: »

The last time I flew with aer lingus they didn't actually weigh the bag but the guy at check-in asked me how much I thought it weighed. I said around 25kg, and was that a problem. He said it wasn't, just that he wanted to know whether to put a 'Heavy' sticker on it for the baggage handlers.

There's two area's at T2 Dublin airport, over by the Aer Lingus check in desks which is for heavy baggage, and then the oversize baggage area back near the Eithad check in desks.. that's probably why they put the sticker on..

wersal gummage

Can anyone recommend a travel insurance policy that covers any damage here? I just checked my vhi multi trip and it excludes any damage incurred to checked items.....

wersal gummage

[quote=spyderski;Fair enough. Make sure there’s plenty of padding/reinforcement on the seatstays. That’s what always breaks with the soft cases.[/quote]

Thanks. Would it be worth trying to put a very, very soft, small wooden block between the stays?

Wishbone Ash

wersal gummage wrote: »

Thanks. Would it be worth trying to put a very, very soft, small wooden block between the stays?

Yes, or a small length of pipe secured with the skewers.

07Lapierre

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Yes, or a small length of pipe secured with the skewers.

I use these:

(You can get one for the front axle too)

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/bbb-chaingrip-tool-btl50/rp-prod29802

1bryan

wersal gummage wrote:

Ps, gonna go for the SCICON AEROCOMFORT 2.0 bike bag.....

I was looking at that bag too, since Chain have a large discount on it. One thing that kept popping up in reviews was that the shifters/hoods were turned inwards when people retrieved their bikes after landing. Some reckoned it was because of the wheels under the case - that it wouldn't stay still when being transported to the plane, so the baggage handlers flipped it over. And, because you typically don't remove your bars or saddle with this case, they end up taking all the weight on them. Other complaints were cracks in the seat stay, all consistent with the theory above.

I don't see why scicon couldn't come up with some kind of contraption (plastic or otherwise), to put around the bike after you pack it, that would protect the bars and saddle.

Edit: there's always a good reason bike retailers heavily discount stuff. I wonder if the above is why.

wersal gummage

Thanks, that is all very helpful and I will pack accordingly!

Bryan, maybe the version 3 of the bag addresses those faults? I'm happy to remove saddle, handlebar etc if it helps anyway, don't need the "convenience" of leaving the bike fully assembled

triggermortis

Regardless of who you fly with, you need to make your packing secure. All baggage handlers won’t treat your bike half as well as you do, any many are seasonal so will be new to the job.
There is definitely no separate area in a planes hold for bikes, they just go where they fit, so the more regular you can make the shape the better. I’m taking a bike away this summer, but it won’t be my good bike.
All airlines will do their best to get out of paying for any damage they do to luggage and their limit is pretty low (around 1200 I believe) so make sure you have adequate insurance to cover you.

1bryan

wersal gummage wrote: »

Thanks, that is all very helpful and I will pack accordingly!

Bryan, maybe the version 3 of the bag addresses those faults? I'm happy to remove saddle, handlebar etc if it helps anyway, don't need the "convenience" of leaving the bike fully assembled

possibly. Like I said, I havent any first hand experience with it. What I mentioned is just what I found when I googled around for different reviews.

spyderski

If anyone wants one of the Scicon bags I have one for sale. Only used twice. I’ll do it for €70 less than whatever CRC are charging. PM me if you’re interested.

gg2009

Flying to canada with a mountain bike in a bike bag.
Traveling to toronto(aer lingus) and then on to vancouver (air canada), all booked through aer lingus.
Getting a number of different answers from aer lingus -
- book as extra bag (doesnt need to be sports equip for transatlantic flights),can be booked on website.
- book as sports equip (by phone)
- check it in on day of travel as oversized baggage, will there def be space?

There was a moment of panic when an aer lingus staff member told us that there was no guarantee our baggage would be transfered to our second flight..which didnt really make sense if our originl bags would be moved!

Any experience or opinion appreciated!

Effects

Quick question and didn’t want to start a new thread.
Should I lock my bike box before checking it in with Aer Lingus?

gg2009

Effects wrote: »

Quick question and didn’t want to start a new thread.
Should I lock my bike box before checking it in with Aer Lingus?

We were told in airport not too as they will cut through zips or bag to get in if they want to check it so youd rather they can just unzip it!

Effects

I was in the queue so really last minute.
She said to lock it, that it would be fine.
It’s an internal lock on a catch so they’ll have to break it to open it
Fingers crossed

andy69

Effects wrote: »

I was in the queue so really last minute.
She said to lock it, that it would be fine.
It’s an internal lock on a catch so they’ll have to break it to open it
Fingers crossed

I got a "free" lock with my new bike box and they said that it is "TSA friendly" in that the security people can open it with some kind of universal airport security mater key or some sh!te like that.
Don't know what "TSA" is....sounds like American for something so I'm not sure if it is valid in Europe. Anyway, coming from Ballyfermot I'd have the lock open myself in about 10sec , so I think they're only for piece of mind kinda thing. Anyone wants to see what's in the box, they'll see it