Bikes on planes and trains

Emerald Fox

Hullo, Greetings from Darkest Scandinavia (Finland)! Planning a bike trip across northern England for Summer and wonder if anyone would like to throw in some advice about putting bikes on planes - just where do you get boxes/bags for bikes, or how else do you wrap them so that the baggage-handler gorillas don't mangle them too much? And at the other end, on coming home, one needs again packing material...?! Which airlines are nice, which airlines are nasty? Has anyone ever put a bike on Ryanair? How is it with train companies in England these days, relatively simple or dastardly difficult to get bikes on trains? We'll have 3 bikes, travelling Finland to England.

kdelong

I don't know about Europe, but in the US, the best way to transport a bike is to ship it ahead using a shipping company like Federal Express or DHL. The airlines usually charge outrageous prices if bikes are checked as luggage and there usually is no way to track them if they are lost. With DHL or Federal Express, there is tracking and you can insure the items shipped. The only downside is that there has to be someone at the destination to receive the package. As far as packaging the bikes, I would consult my local bike shop. Yours probably ships and receives hundreds of them every year.

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alienator

I fly with my bike and have zero problems. FWIW, for the frequency it's done, the prices for flying with a bike are reasonable. The last time I flew, I paid $50 each way on Southwest Airlines. With the right, bike container, you might not even get charged. I had been flying with a Sci-con Aero Comfort Plus which offered great protection. Unfortunately, it looked like a bike bag. Also good is the Sci-Con Aerotech Evolution, a hard case. It seems better thought out than the average hard case.

The best option might be the Sci-con Atlas. It doesn't look like a big bag (just looks like a piece o' luggage) and offers great protection.

I don't consider shipping ahead to be a viable option, given the frequency with which I've experienced errant shipments and damaged containers (with pretty much all the main shipping companies.). Right now, a wheel I sold to a guy in Las Vegas, is in Seacaucus, New Jersey. I had no idea that Seacaucus was between Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas.

TheDarkLord

You might want to post this in the regional section to get region specific information. But here are some websites on how to pack a bike:
http://maxp.net/bike/packing.php
http://www.ehow.com/how_1627_pack-bike-ship.html
http://webfoot.com/travel/tips/pack.bike.php
You can find more on google.

Also I found a website that has links specific to many airlines. So, you might want to see if there are any articles related to whatever airline you are going to be traveling in:
http://www.bikeaccess.net/bikeaccess/bikeboxs_db.cfm

Edited to add: see if the trains tab in the last website has any info on trains and bike travel in England.