Flight rules, America

1 September 2008 / 08:10: Zurich - London BA709
1 September 2008 / 09:05: London - San Francisco BA285
Return flight reserved: Buenos Aires Ezeiza - London BA246
Connecting flight: London - Zurich BA712

Taking a bicycle on a plane used to be a complicated and frustrating business, but by now the airlines are used to bike travellers……

Provided that:
1. You book early
2. You check your open-jaw ticket, flight connections and connecting flights precisely
3. You get written confirmation of the transport of your trekking bike, tandem or yak for both the outward and return flights

At this point, at the latest, the exhausting back-and-forth with the airlines begins about how the extra luggage can be transported. At first, it was impossible to get binding information about the free baggage allowance:

Is sports luggage carried free of charge?
Is it transported as part of the free baggage allowance?
Overseas: 2 pieces of luggage of 32 kg or 22.7 kg each?
Weight concept or piece concept?
Bike packed in a cardboard box or in a plastic bag?
Size of the bike box: L 160 x H 92 x W 30?
Maximum weight of hand luggage 5 kg or 10 kg?

And the small print:
"All information without guarantee – subject to change"

Transporting windsurfing equipment (300 x 60 x 50 cm / no weight limit given) for 25 euros per item each way is much easier!

Without written confirmation from the airline, taking a bike (because of the limit on the number of pieces) can cause unexpected problems. Anything can happen: unpacking and repacking at the airport, paying for excess weight at a price per kilo set at the airline's discretion, or in the end having to leave your gear behind.

The travel agency Globetrotter Luzern stood up for us and managed to get written confirmation from the airline allowing us the following free allowance for checked luggage:

2 pieces of luggage per person of max. 23 kg each
1 additional piece of sports equipment per person of max. 23 kg in a cardboard box

Note from the airline:
"The limit of 158 cm per piece of luggage is more of a guideline; it is no longer measured at the airport. What matters is that the bikes are registered with the correct dimensions and confirmed by us, which means we also have the possibility of loading them onto the right aircraft. On www.ba.com there are exact instructions on how the bikes must be packed, and you can also read the rules for hand luggage there. We strongly recommend taking out luggage insurance, as the cover is usually not enough in the event of damage."

And so we would like to thank British Airways and Globetrotter for their support.