US Airways - do they accept the CTC bikebag ?

[doxter]

anyone traveled across the atlantic and used the CTC poly-bag with this airline ?

hoping they do and also through-baggage it to my US domestic connection

experiences ?

[travelling]

No experience of us airways sorry

I used klm to fly to minniapolis then onto Rapid city. Although booked through klm it was thier sister company nwa that took me.

At check in they would not accept the ctc bag but insisted I pay 15 quid for a klm bike box

[randonneur]

According to their web site, it should be OK in a plastic bag, however you will have to sign a release form. In other words any damage is your problem.
Have not flown US, but when in USA airlines were never too keen accepting the plastic bag, they are more obsessed with bikes being boxed, even on trains.
Note the cost of taking a cycle on US is pretty hefty at about £70 quid each way

[doxter]

cheers all . i'd imagine geetinf recompense for damage would be rather awkward , at best , anyway

i've booked flights and internal connection so im hoping there's no additional charges . at least the CTC bag is portable - unlike boxes .

did look at hiring in US , but decided to spend the cash on insurance and take my chances.

i'll share my findings .

[pal]

I've flown US Airways with a boxed bike, from Washington to Manchester, via Philadelphia. Check-in people were fine (and didn't bother to charge me the fee -- though this was a couple of years back, when airlines were a bit less broke...). But the bike got left behind at Philadelphia, and took a couple of days to make its way to Manchester (in fairly good condition, though the box had clearly been sitting out torrential rain for a few hours judging by the state it was in). I think this was more the fault of the (notoriously dreadful) Philadelphia baggage handlers than it was of US Airways, though.

I used a box because I wanted to stuff it full of other things rather than because it was the rules -- a local bikeshop in Washington was happy to box the bike up for me, though, and that might be worth bearing in mind as an option if the poly-bag route doesn't work.

[simonhill]

Not sure if the do through transit to onward connection for luggage (or people). I reckon that you will have to pick it up at first destination, clear customs, etc then check it in again. I had to do this when flying to New Zealand via LA and also (bikeless) to a number of Central American destinations (although all these were some time ago).

Sorry to be a further downer, but I have heard some horror stories on bikes and charges on US airlines - I would try and find an American or at least a more international forum to pose this question so at least you can be forewarned.

Good luck.

[Colin63]

I took my Ribble to the USA once. I used an old cardboard box acquired from a bike shop (the sort manafacturers use to ship new bikes) and then packed the box with polystyrene blocks and bubble wrap to give it some protection against knocks. The bike survived the journey just fine.
I'm glad that I used this method because while I was sitting in the plane at O'Hare in Chicago I saw the luggage being loaded and my bike was at the bottom of the pile on one of those tractor pulled baggage carts and the baggage handlers were literally climbing over all the boxes and suitcases while loading the plane. It was a horrible thing to watch especially when my pride and joy was hurled onto the conveyor. I was really anxious until I got to Phoenix and could unpack the box.
the other advantage of this method was that it was completely free as well as effective.

Here's the proof. A fine and dandy Ribble in the Arizona Desert with a younger trimmer me looking very chuffed

[joerider]

Just got back from a trip to New York for the Bike MS ride. Great ride but a warning about the TSA at airports there. My bike was packed in a DHB hard case, chosen after previous damage using a soft case. Advice is do not lock a case traveling through USA. My case was broken open, all locks now useless and the case does not close properly. The case was wrapped in tape to secure it when it arrived on the conveyor belt at Heathrow.Insurance may cover the case but more of a worry is that if the contents of an unlocked case go missing, insurance won't cover them. On the plus side though, Virgin do not charge for bicycles, though the weight limit goes down in November to 32Kgs. This sounds a lot but the DHB box weighs around 14Kg and with even a light road bike at 8kg this does not leave much for stuffing the box with kit, tools etc. Mine weighed 32.4Kg at check in.