Flying with a Bike Case/Box

[andydale]

I am thinking of getting a Bike Case, how hassle free are they for international flights, what to do with it at the other end is not a problem.
Can you just check it in like any other suitcase, and assuming you don't exceed your weight restrictions then there is no extra charge.
Or is it treated separately because it is oversize and doesn't fit the conveyors or the x-ray machines or whatever they use to check baggage.

[tatanab]

Depending on the airport's baggage handling you sometimes (seldom in my experience) hand it over at check in. More commonly they say "we'll get somebody to take it away", just as they do if you put the bike in a poly bag; in which case I hover in the background until that happens. Somtimes they say "take it to over size baggage over there", again I make sure I see someone in the area and don't just leave it with the rest.

So the answer is, any of your options could happen and it really is not a problem.

Retrieving the case on arrival - most places you hang around in the reclaim area to watch for it being brought through a door; they seldom come out on the carousel; sometimes there is a separate oversize reclaim area where it is a good idea to chat to the person manning the conveyor. Make a joke about your box being red so it stands out among all the black ones. It helps his day and might get you better service if the box does not appear. That happened to me and the person phoned through to the handling area further down the line where he was told "oops, it is right here".

[V4281051]

I would just get a cardboard bike box from a local bike shop..They don't cost anything..I left my cardboard bike box in a corridor in Malaga Youth hostel ..When I went back a fortnight later it was still there!
I have heard stories of them being left in skips outside the airports and they are still there days later..ready for someone else...