It had been a few years since I had sent a bike on an airplane for a trip. Imagine the surprise & shock when I checked in with US Airways and they told me it would be $200 for the bike one way!!!! By the time you are at check-in you don't have time to turn on your heels and go to Fed Ex or UPS to ship it. At that point you are at their mercy and your choices are to pay the price or leave the bike.
The bike was nicely packed in a hard shell plastic bike box but the 'oversize-ness' is what drew the fee. THe last time I flew it cost about $50 and so I was very very ill-prepared for the mental sticker shock of a 4X price increase - if only my salary kept pace with that! The insanity is that skis, snowboards, golf bags, etc...are all oversized but do not incur the wrath of the extra baggage fees...huh? Just another little quirk of biking and wanting to take your bike with you.
$200???? holy schnikes! Lesson learned....on the way back, I will try the Fed Ex & UPS route as it certainly has to be cheaper than the airway robbery. The irony is that you pay the penalty and then stress about them pulling your luggage apart and putting the box/bike together as carefully as you originally packed it, only to watch the airlines toss your luggage around like a rag doll.
The bike was nicely packed in a hard shell plastic bike box but the 'oversize-ness' is what drew the fee. THe last time I flew it cost about $50 and so I was very very ill-prepared for the mental sticker shock of a 4X price increase - if only my salary kept pace with that! The insanity is that skis, snowboards, golf bags, etc...are all oversized but do not incur the wrath of the extra baggage fees...huh? Just another little quirk of biking and wanting to take your bike with you.
$200???? holy schnikes! Lesson learned....on the way back, I will try the Fed Ex & UPS route as it certainly has to be cheaper than the airway robbery. The irony is that you pay the penalty and then stress about them pulling your luggage apart and putting the box/bike together as carefully as you originally packed it, only to watch the airlines toss your luggage around like a rag doll.
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