Bicycle case for airline travel?

[westtexas]

It wasn't nice and neat and I had to wrap stuff carefully, but it was cheap. That was good, cause the airlines charge a bunch to fly bikes - usually around $75 each way.

Yes, this is what I am also afraid of. Looks like Continental/United (the easiest airline to fly in and out of Houston) charges $100 each way for bags over 50 pounds, or 62" H+W+L. Getting under the 50 pound mark is easy but there is no such thing apparently as a bike box that gets to be that small.

I did see this one - BIKND Helium Bike Carrier - on RealCyclist and thought it looked pretty snazzy and my bike shop can order it for me.

[OakLeaf]

If there's any way you can ship the bike to yourself at your destination, then you don't have to schlep the box through the airport. It isn't necessarily any cheaper than flying with the box, but you can pack a whole bunch of other stuff in the bike box, which both helps insulate the bike, and is that much less you have to pack on your flight. Plus there's less likelihood of the box being opened by TSA agents who won't care about putting everything back the way it was.

You can ship hold for pickup at the nearest FedEx depot (I think they require a local address, but that can be a hotel or whatever), or directly to your destination.

[tulip]

If you plan on doing alot of traveling with your bike, you might want to consider getting a Bike Friday. Those airline fees can add up to a new bike pretty quickly. Bike Friday bikes fit into standard size suitcases and there is no extra charge (other than the standard luggage charge) if it's under 50lbs.

The cost of a full-size bike case ($200+) and all those $100 each-way airline fees would add up pretty quickly if you travel by air often.

[wavedancer]

We have tried a couple of different bike cases on airlines and finally got the Tri-all-3 Velosafe. It works great. Minimal dis-assembly required, very sturdy, easy to roll through the airport, and you can get extra hardware so you can fit 2 bikes. Its pricey, but we found one on Craig's list for about 1/2 price.

We always fly Southwest or Jet Blue ($50 charge for both bikes in one case), and try to book direct flights to minimize chances of lost luggage.

[OakLeaf]

I just saw something on LAB that Frontier is accepting bikes for free, within their weight restrictions.

If they go where you're traveling. And of course they're a commuter airline, so you'll have less carryon capacity.

[Veronica]

We have Velo Safe 2. It's a tough fit for two bikes but one goes in so easily.

It's been to Hawaii, Australia and Maine twice. It's got wheels and a strap so getting through the airport really isn't too difficult. It's sturdy enough that you can stack other luggage on top of it.

It is big though and you want to rent a car large enough to get it into. When we travel with it we tend to get a minivan. It was tight fit into my sister's Explorer with additional luggage for two.

Veronica