Good cycle friendly airline

[in4time]

Anyone happy to suggest a cycle-friendly airline. MAN-SIN route
Thanks

[simonhill]

That's Manchester to Singapore.

Emirates fly from Manchester via Dubai. Take boxed or bagged* bikes no problem, no extra fee, multi pieces of baggage allowed. Only 20kgs in cheapest seats, but rises to 30 in Flex type seats.

I think Qatar also fly from Manchester.

Most SEAsian are bike friendly eg Singapore and Malaysian but I don't know if they fly from Manchester.

I'm told BA take bikes, but only one piece in economy. Most others charge.

Airfares doubled since covid.

" Not sure about a poly bag.

[in4time]

Thanks, appreciated. Widely differing fares with a range of options/restrictions atm. Lufthansa cheapest find but lots of add on costs and only 23kg in goat class! Probably better to pay for a more inclusive package with Emirates or Singapore.
Thanks again.

[MrsHJ]

BA good with bikes although have only been to the USA long haul with them with the bike. Have used regularly in Europe.

Flat rate for the bike (maybe £65- do check) if you have already used your economy luggage allowance. Ok with plastic bag.

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/in ... -equipment

I have never phoned them 72 hours before flying as recommended in the guidance but have stuck to routes with regular size aircraft.

I seem to remember reading that Lufthansa are not great with bikes, uk cycling maintain a guide in how much airlines charge. Includes prices but I’d check it’s up to date. - here, look for the yellow bits towards the bottom- https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-libr ... /bikes-air

[simonhill]

There was talk a while ago that Lufthansa charge for bikes per leg. So you pay once to Frankfurt, then again to Sing and same on return. Not sure???

Why Singapore. KL or Bangkok might be cheaper.

Not sure if you've flown before, but the LBS cardboard boxes weigh about 4kgs. Worth knowing if near the limit.

Sadly Emirates are very lax on hand luggage. Plenty take huge amounts - but might be good for you.

[in4time]

Brilliant advice thanks so much.
BA with their fixed price £65 for a bike looks good value.
Getting some big prices coming in atm.
SIN was my preferred option but KL and Bangkok are doable too.
Would I be pushing my luck ‘padding’ my bike box with soft fabric type things ie clothes. Protect my bike firstly but also free up some checked bag kgs?

I’ll repost with any useful further advice from the airlines.

[rareposter]

Would I be pushing my luck ‘padding’ my bike box with soft fabric type things ie clothes. Protect my bike firstly but also free up some checked bag kgs?

I've always done this and never once had a problem with it. Key thing is that you do not pack any gas cans in there otherwise it'll give the security guys an excuse to open it up and get arsey about it.

Asking airlines will usually result in them telling you that it's bike only but in reality, so long as it's under the weight limit, it'll be fine.

I have little experience with long-haul but on the few occasions I've done it, the bike has always been free.
Short haul, especially the budget airlines, will almost always charge a set fee. Jet2 is £30, easyJet is £45, Ryanair is £60.

The only short haul one I've found that's free is British Airways. There's sometimes a confusing mess of info on airline websites - last long haul I took, all I could find was that baggage over 22kg would be charged at a frankly extortionate per kg rate. I turned up with the bike and they just escorted me to oversize baggage and wished me a pleasant flight. Completely free.

[simonhill]

You can load up a bike box if you want and need if only being allowed single piece.. I don't need to as I always have multi pieces eg on Emirates, or I pay for bags (panniers) on low cost.

Beware any loose items in a box in case it gets damaged as they could fall out. Although some of the LBS cardboard boxes are quite chunky now. Plenty of room and tough, but as I said can be heavy.

Re prices. They have virtually doubled from pre Covid and much less availability. Late booking will be expensive due to the way Economy seats are tranched.

[Ayseven]

You can load up your bike box with clothes if you want, as long as the weight isn't too much. Not sure what the totals allowed are, but common sense (!) says 50 lbs, since that is the around the maximum the handlers are willing to lift.