Flying with a bicycle
There is no consistency in the experience of flying with your bicycle and whilst many members report trouble-free journeys, others are not so lucky, with reports of damaged or lost bicycles being far from uncommon. One CTC member succeeded with a claim by taking a photograph of their tandem intact when it was unloaded from the plane but destroyed by the time it reached the baggage reclaim. Others have seen bikes thrown and dropped, or stacked under a pile of other items. All of these actions were entirely avoidable, but the automated equipment used to handle the huge volumes of checked-in baggage can also wreak havoc with cycles. Bikes have also been left behind on the tarmac because the hold was full, leading to long delays in recovery of the 'lost' cycles, which never flew as booked.
For advice on how to minimise the problems of flying with your bicycle see our Travel Information on Bikes by Air.
Passengers Experiences of Air Travel (PEAT) is the most recent inquiry by the House of Commons Transport Select Committee which makes interesting reading and includes responses by some groups dealing with specific carriers like Ryanair. We encourage members to respond to any future inquiry and feed back on their experiences.
CTC wants clear information to be provided by all airlines on their websites and booking forms to show unambiguously how cycles should be prepared to guarantee their acceptance as checked-in luggage, and what charges and conditions are applied. There should also be clear detail on how equipment such as camping stoves can be made safe for acceptance on a flight. This information should be available at the airport, and the local staff (who may be contractors, not the actual carrier) properly briefed - but we recommend that travellers print their own copy to show to the staff if problems arise.
A Basic Standard - for cycle packaging and cycle handling agreed with all carriers and with all ground handling servcie contractors
A Simple Booking Procedure, where on-line booking services provide direct links to the web page where the cycle and ticket can be booked in a clear and simple operation.
Several airlines fail these basic tests of being cycle friendly. Our Touring_Information sheets have links to easyJet's well laid out extracts from ground handling staff manuals, and British Airways is also very clear about their standards for luggage. Many other carriers do not provide such accessible information. You can help us by making CTC aware of the good and the bad and letting the airlines know where they need to improve their service.
Signing a Limited Liability Waiver is a way that an airline gets around being liable for the closely defined levels of compensation for baggage initially set out by the Warsaw Convention of 1929, and revised by the Montreal Convention (1999). You will often be asked to sign this before your cycle is accepted because you cycle is an item which can easily be damaged. This is the way The Air Users Council has clear & helpful pages which can guide you for flying in or out of the UK and baggage problems which you are likely to come across.
One interesting deal on this comes from Air Canada, who do not require a waiver if the bike is in a hard case, but will ask you to sign one if the bike is in a soft bag.
British Airways - A steady diminution of service
British Airways changed their baggage conditions from 11th October 2006, and again for the start of 2008 BA have told us that this is part of their move to Heathrow Terminal 5. Their announcement states that the new weight and dimension limits will align with the criteria set by DfT and BAA for passengers baggage, so that can all pass through the automated system and associated security scanners. This was originally restricted to a seriously small limit of 75 x 75 x 240 cm and 23Kg maximum weight, and then revised to . an increased size of 100 x 80 x 250 cm. The latest change sets a maximum sum of external dimensions for a second piece of free hold baggage for 'sports equipment' at 158 cm which is almost impossible to achieve for a bike with touring accessories. Any larger items will have to be shipped as cargo, and not guaranteed to be on the same flight. The larger dimension has been allowed because the small number of bikes which BA say will need to be manually taken past the tight spot.
Some confusion has occurred through BA's agents misinterpreting the new regime, but CTC has been advised that all are now correctly briefed, do let us know if you have any information which suggests otherwise.
This announcement highlights a further need to lobby DfT and BAA, as the organisations who set the dimensional constraints for baggage by the design of scanning systems, and automated baggage handling apparatus. If these issues affect your personal touring plans or perhaps your business, as happened with the easyJet MTB problem in 2006-07, write to your MP, and let CTC know what answers come back.
easyJet - a cyclist-friendly website
We have had some success with easyJet who revised their baggage conditions in 2006 - your bike now goes as sporting equipment for a £15 flat fee, which gives you an additional 15Kg of luggage weight allowance. There have however been ground handling problems - refusing bikes packed as specified - at a couple of their UK airports notably Stansted and Liverpool John Lennon. CTC has had quick responses from easyJet to resolve problems like this.
Ryanair - bicycles not welcomed
The policy of Ryanair is reported to have the aim of minimising the time their aircraft are standing on the ground. They are thus working to eliminate all checked-in hold baggage, and impose high charges to deter passengers form taking more than a cabin bag. Cyclists entering the Klagenfurt Ironman event from the UK had to send their bikes ahead by air cargo and return the same way, when Ryanair refused to carry the large number of bikes involved.
The see-through bike bag
The European Bicycle Manufacturers Association notes that with the adoption of clear shrink wrapping for new bikes, damage in transit has been greatly reduced, and the bicycles are treated as bicycles, rather than flat cardboard boxes which are stacked and stood upon. Some carriers provide heavy duty polyethene sacks for bicycles, and other special baggage, but these are not widely available and so CTC has arranged to supply an equivalent item. The plethora of individual contract conditions for each airline means that we rely on member feedback to know which airlines and airports accept the polythene sack solution and to pick up any changes or problems as soon as they arise
Some articles can be taken via the departure gate and handed through the pass door at the plane for direct loading into the hold. This is often done with wheelchairs, and sometimes with prams and folding bicycles. Lufthansa issue a special tag for this, and Air Atlantic (Stansted-Jersey) is trying out a carry to plane option for passengers travelling 'light' with a folding bike.
CTC will continue to seek ways in which the fragile bicycle can avoid the damaging effects of the automated handling systems for luggage, used at most large airports. However the cyclist can reduce the risks by making sure the packed bike is a smooth sided package which can be easily handled and slipped in to the hold, and eliminate any dangling straps which can snag on the conveyor, with the resulting damage to the strap and packed bike, as other luggage piles up against it.
For the carbon conscious
For Europe, the time gained against the hassle of packing the bike and checking in can make coach services like Bolero Holidays' European Bicycle Express an attractive alternative. Sadly the UK Eurolines operation, does not officially carry bikes outbound from the UK in any form, although some inbound services are reported to carry bikes, members report a less helpful postion when trying to use outbound services.
CTC has also joined with the European Cyclists' Federation and secured through the Third Railway Package and Sustainable Tourism Bills passengers rights to bike space on international trains, most particularly the high speed network, which is now challenging short-haul flights, as the fastest way between city centres. The Railteam initiative is the operators' way of delivering the legislation and we look to members to take lobbying opportunities for smooth and efficient travel around Europe by rail, as the viable (and sometimes faster) option for those concerned about carbon emissions and othe impacts associated with flying.
