EasyJet's baggage terms explained

[North Wales Yorkie]

I received this clarification:

28th February 2013

Dear Alan,

Thank you for your e-mail.

If you want to know with regards to carrying as bicycle then Carriage is subject to the availability of space on board the aircraft. The conditions of carriage for bicycles are:

· One bicycle per bicycle box/bag will be permitted (and charged 1 Sports Equipment per 1 flight)
· No other items can be carried in the bicycle box/bag (e.g. clothing)
· The handlebars must be flush with the frame.
· The pedals must be flush against the frame or removed.

With regards to Electric Bicycles, they can be taken as sports equipment as long as the weight limit (32kg) is not exceeded. Batteries need to be taken as hold baggage separately from the bicycle.

Bicycles are exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight of the bicycle. If the hold baggage and bicycle weigh more than 32kg, passengers will not have to pay any excess baggage fee as long as the hold bag weighs no more than 20kg and the bicycle weighs no more than 32kg. The total weight of the baggage cannot exceed 50kg.

Please let me know if you have any further queries.

Regards

Aaron Dsouza
easyJet Customer Services.

We flew out from Gatwick, where our bikes wouldn't fit the conveyor belt and scanner for large items, the security staff used a hand scanner and took the bikes away on a trolley.

We returned from Seville airport, checked in at 10:00, two hours before the flight with our bikes prepared and packaged. We took them over to the large items area but they were too big for the scanner, and unlike Gatwick they didn't have a hand scanner. Eventually they got the other two of our party's bikes through but not mine, so I had to open up the carefully packaged back to lower the saddle. Still no good so I had to remove the front wheel. They tried again but the machine failed at that point!

They said the only option was to find the police to approve the bike, so the Spanish EasyJet representative, who was excellent, sorted this out for us and then took my bike to replace the wheel and repackage it and arrange for loading as we were in danger of missing the flight with all the faffing about.

It does seem bizarre that airports insist on a conveyor belt scan but don't install sufficiently large equipment to cope with a bike. I'd certainly drop the seat post in advance next time, but am reluctant to remove wheels.

[Sweep]

Interesting - thanks.

So they have shifted to a "unit charge" system for the bike.
In that case it makes sense that you can't put other stuff with the bike.