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feature
EasyJet plane.jpgHow to fly with your bike — pick the right airline, save money and hassle
If you’re taking your bike to an island in the sun during the next few months, or maybe heading off to ride one of Europe's big sportives, you need to choose your airline carefully.
A few years back, keen cyclist and regular road.cc reader Dan Kenyon was checking the cost of flying himself and a bike to Majorca. Among the airlines at the time, Monarch had some good deals. As with most, fares included 20kg of normal-sized hold luggage, with Monarch charging an extra £23.50 each way for an additional allowance to carry sporting equipment. But then Dan discovered that Monarch had lowered the weight limit for bikes to just 13kg, charging another £7.50 to £9 for every kilogram over this limit.
Thankfully, these days airlines are more accommodating of bikes, but there are still discrepancies in weight limit and cost.
Now though, Yellow Jersey, a company that specialises in bike insurance, has "created a handy infographic". It outlines key airlines who fly to Europe to try to simplify the somewhat confusing process of finding out if you can fly with your bicycle, how much it will cost and how heavy it can be.
Ryanair’s weight limit for most sporting equipment is 20kg, and a more generous 30kg for bikes (which must be boxed), for an additional £60 (approx) per flight if booked online. This goes up to £70 if you pay on the phone or at the airport, and the Ryanair website is at least refreshingly honest about why these charges are applied: “Sporting equipment including … golf clubs, bicycles … snowboards and skis … are inherently unsuitable for carriage by airlines operating fast turnarounds such as Ryanair.”
In contrast, EasyJet’s weight limit for bikes is the same as for all large sporting equipment: with no item being more than 32kg. This costs £45 per item per flight (if you book and pay online), rising to £55 if you pay at the airport. The EasyJet website, rather enigmatically, says: “Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight of the bicycle.” The bike must be bagged or boxed and you're not allowed to put anything else in with the bike, such as clothing.
British Airways does not impose specific weight regulations for bikes. Passengers usually get a luggage allowance of one bag weighing up to 23kg, which you can increase to 32kg for an extra £30, although this varies according to destination. (If you go first or business class you get 32kg without paying extra.) If you take two bags, you have to pay extra for the second bag. Usually, luggage needs to be less than 90cm x 75cm x 43cm in size, but according to BA’s website: “You may take bags up to 190cm x 75cm x 65cm… this allows you to take items such as sporting equipment… at no additional cost”. Note, however, that if you’re using BA for only part of your journey, and switching to another airline to complete the trip, if the weight restrictions imposed by the second airline are lower than BA’s they will still apply.
Among the holiday airlines, TUI (the airline formerly known as Thomson) seem to have a very straightforward policy. Their website doesn’t specify charges for sports equipment carried in addition to the standard baggage allowance, but a phone call to their very friendly help-desk revealed that bikes can be carried, in a box, for £30 return – apparently with no upper weight limit as long as it’s just a bike inside. One thing they do say is that you need to call them "least 2 months before you travel on 0203 451 2695 to pre-book it onto your flight". Worth getting organised well in advance.
Happy landings
So which airline is the most reliable when it comes to carrying bikes? There’s some anecdotal evidence that the full-service carriers such as British Airways are more reliable than the low-cost airlines. Chris Cammish from Swindon has carried his bike on planes around the world for many years.
“In August this year I went with my wife to Lake Garda and took our bikes for 2½ weeks of cycling,” Chris says. “We flew from Gatwick to Verona with British Airways. We paid for an extra bag – the bike box counts as your main bag – but they didn’t weigh our bikes. At the other end, the bikes came out on the luggage belt after everything else but were not damaged at all. The two extra bags cost £28 each per flight, so the total for taking the bikes was essentially £112. Not an unreasonable price but just enough to make a big hit on the holiday budget.”
For more anecdotal evidence, it’s time to turn to someone in the tour business. Andy Cook is an experienced bike rider, recently passing the major lifetime milestone of 300,000 cycling miles. He is also an experienced tour organiser, taking large groups of cyclists to training camps and European events such as the Etape for over a decade, initially for Sports Tours International and latterly for his own company, Andy Cook Cycling.
“I’ve had first-hand experience of thousands of bikes on hundreds of planes," Andy says. "As long as bikes are well packaged, and clearly labelled, they usually arrive when and where they should. Problems seem to arise when a very large number of cyclists and their bikes all get on one plane at the same time.
"Taking groups to the La Santa training camps in Lanzarote we usually use charter carriers. Because they fly from many different regional airports around the UK, it seems to spread the load and we don’t have many problems.
"I have used Easyjet, RyanAir and Jet2 and they all seem geared up to take sports equipment including bikes. It's a big market for them obviously. The general weight limit tends to be around 32kg which covers most sports bikes.
"However, some riders do like to put a few spares (tools, track pump, helmet, shoes) into their bike bags or bike boxes. Last week on our camp we had an older couple who still use a cardboard box that you can get from the local bike shop following a bike delivery. Padded with pipe lagging and bubble wrap and then sealed using parcel tape there is a strong case for this cheap option as the baggage handlers certainly know it is a bike inside.
"Padded bike bags remain lighter than rigid boxes of course but I have know of damaged gear hangers, chain wheels etc from over-exuberant baggage handlers when using padded bags. Rigid bike boxes are the best at offering protection but do tend to be more expensive and involve a greater degree of dismantling and of course re-assembly at the destination.
"Personally I always prefer to ride my own bike and a rigid bike box such as Bonza provides the ultimate protection for ones trusty steed."
Know the ropes
Whichever airport you fly from, it’s important to understand the airlines’ responsibilities.
“Even if you book long in advance, no airline will guarantee to get your bike (or, in fact, any luggage) to your destination airport on the same plane as you,” advises Tom Hall, editorial director at Lonely Planet guidebooks and prolific travel blogger.
“While the airline is responsible for getting your bike from A to B, an international agreement called the Montreal Convention allows airlines not to carry any item of luggage for reasons of space or safety.”
Tom also knows his bikes, with exploits including various sportives and audaxes, and a two-week stage of the Tour d’Afrique.
“I took my bike on BA and their subsidiary Comair when I flew to Victoria Falls before cycling through Botswana and Namibia. I was concerned it wouldn’t arrive, but I had no problems. The bike box was so big and eye-catching that I reckon it was first on and off the plane, although unfortunately my other luggage went missing on the way home as I transferred through Johannesburg.”
It’s undoubtedly easier taking bikes on long-haul flights on big planes with plenty of room in the hold. Hardy mountain biker Paul McCormack recently took a bike to Nepal.
“I flew on Gulf Air with a change in Bahrain; smooth as silk at the airport and the bike arrived unscathed.”
At the other extreme, a short flight, a small plane and a large number of bikes is the perfect storm. Paul continues: “This summer I went to the Etape on EasyJet from Bristol. The plane was full of cyclists, and there was almost a riot as we taxied to take-off, leaving a trolley loaded with bikes standing on the tarmac.”
Andy Cook’s experience is similar.
“Of all the airlines I’ve experienced, we seem to get the most problems with EasyJet. Having said that, when bikes are delayed, EasyJet is very good at making good the error. They don’t just put your bike on the next plane. Once at the destination airport, they’ll put it in a van and deliver it to your hotel. I’ve had clients biting their fingernails the night before the Etape, waiting for the EasyJet van to arrive – and it usually does.”
The moral of the tale so far: Do some careful research before booking your flight, check the various airlines, read the small-print, and be aware that every airline has different regulations. Sometimes the same airline has different rules for different locations, or for charter flights and scheduled flights, or even on outbound and inbound flights between the same two points – and the rules change frequently.
Don’t be fooled into thinking the airline you used last year will charge the same for your bike this year. And just to keep you on your toes even more, many airports seem to impose their own rules, or at least have different interpretations of the airline regulations. So, once you’ve picked your airline (and your airport), it goes without saying that good insurance is essential: something that covers the full-value of your bike if it’s lost.
Companies like Yellow Jersey are ideal, as they constantly deal with cyclists, they're great for advice.
No fly zone
But if you don’t want to chance your beloved machine to the vagaries of the airline industry, what are your other options?
First, you can hire a bike at your destination. In many popular cycling spots, the quality of rental bikes has improved massively over the years. For example, at Pro Cycling in Majorca you can hire a top-notch bike from about €120 per week. In the same way, many of the Bike Hotels in Italy have good rental options.
If you’re just taking your bike on holiday, rather than heading for a specific event, another possibility is European Bike Express – luxury coach transport for cyclists and their bikes to various destinations in France and Spain. And then there are folding bikes – Bromptons, Mezzos, Airnimals and the like – that you can pack down and get on the plane as standard-sized luggage.
Simon Calder, travel editor of The Independent, takes his Brompton on assignment all over the world.
“The feeling of breezing away from an airport on two wheels rather than crammed into a bus or train is exhilarating indeed," he says. “I can particularly recommend the Amsterdam and Jersey airports, and even Paris Charles de Gaulle.
"Also, I tend to cycle to Heathrow from my home in London because it's far more reliable than the Piccadilly Line. But the airlines, ever keen to cut costs, are cracking down and making it trickier. My Brompton weighs 13kg, and BA are always helpful, but EasyJet and American Airlines have been beastly in the past, even when it's in a box and unidentifiable as a bike.”
While folding bikes are fine for touring or pottering around, they’re perhaps not ideal for a sportive or training camp – although Airnimal riders are occasionally spotted in the Etape. Packable bikes with conventional frames and full-sized 700c wheels that might do the trick include the Ritchey Break-Away and the Dahon Tournado.
One final option is offered by some UK tour companies: a van to carry bikes to your final destination while you take the plane stress-free. This service might cost £70 to £100 for the return trip, but that’s comparable with airline charges, and there’s much less chance of your bike arriving late.
The last word goes to Andy Cook: “We use a van to take client bikes to the Etape and other Continental events, and it works well. Our van driver is a cyclist too (he’s done the Etape three times) so he treats the bikes with a lot more care than they’d ever get on airport trolleys and conveyor belts.”
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33 comments
Have flown with CF bikes to Europe with EasyJet, Ryanair and Swiss. No dramas with any of them, even though I used a soft bike bag. Mate with a hard case fared worse, however. No damage to his bike, but both casters were smashed off and the box broken at their mounting points.
Long time friend of mine is a 'chucker' at Heathrow so I know how things go on, don't cut corners and take photos of your bike just before you pack, extra evidence of condition should the worst happen.
If it's Europe then for me I'm driving/getting the train and spending more time getting there and be far less stressed. I worked out I could get to a fair few places by train within Europe, sit in comfort and the extra was not enough of a deterrant over having the airport hassle/waiting ttime etc and wedged in on a flight.
One example from my own experience was taking a group of 6 (5 riders and myself as the support driver) hiring a VW Transporter in England and driving to Switzerland to do Raid Alpine in 2017. it was cheaper and far less stressy overall than flying and then having to hire a large 7 seater Estate in CH with a drop off in France. Even then it might have had to be a van to take all the bags, spare wheels/bits and the supplies the guys bought in blighty (as it was significantly cheaper here and meant much less time spent shopping) so would have been a very significant chunk over simply driving.
I paid nothing so divvied by 5, smaller numbers would likely produce a more equal figure to flying and hiring abroad but actually being on the Auto-route outside Calais within 4 hours of setting off from home (at least 3.5 hours just to get on the plane) and in control of our journey and importantly the bikes was the way for us. YMMV
+1 for BA - It was cheaper for me to fly business class to Majorca than cattle with easyjet for our May trip, so with the 2 x 32kg bag allowance I get to take my bike, saving 120 quid on bike hire and a bike that fits, and is comfy.
All depends on when you book. Book early enough and the low cost airlines cannot be beaten. Leave it until much later and often the scheduled carriers will be cheaper (for seat tickets, not bike boxes obviously).
Low cost airlines use dynamic pricing - the lower the load factor the cheaper, the quite often loss leading seat prices are. We go to the Algarve every November. As soon as EasyJet reallease the flights we book them, getting return tickets for less than £60pp.
PP
I flew BA to Tel Aviv via Heathrow for a work trip which spanned a weekend. Took my mountain bike in a box. It didn’t make the connection out of Heathrow, but by the time I got to the hotel from the office it had been delivered to my room.
If you need it to arrive, try to get direct flights, or at least don’t go for an optimistic connection at T5.
It's worth remembering if flying British, that going business class gets you 2 x 32kg bags. That was enough for our bikes and eight panniers spread over two large canvas bags a while back.
Plus, you get a bit more space away from the smelly plebs. :-P
I've booked to fly EVA air BKK-LHR-BKK and they pointed me towards this rule (copied and pasted from their website)
London (UK)
Effective since June 1st, 2004, the United Kingdom limits every single piece of checked baggage departing from any airport in that country to a maximum weight of 32 kg/70 lb. If you have a bag that weighs exceed the limit, you should rearrange its contents and pack items in different bags. The maximum length for oversize baggage is 240 cm in length, 75 cm in height and width. Any item exceeding the size will be refused by the security and delivered as cargo.
My current bag is taller than 75cm as are all of the boxes I see for sale. Does anyone have any experience of overcoming this?
Thanks
Don't worry about it. I've never heard of an airline refusing a bike box for being overheight. Nobody could fly with a Bike Box Alan if they did.
They will weigh it though so make sure it is within the maximum permitted. And don't forget that anything you put in the box with the bike could rub or hit the frame unless it's very secure. Clothes are fine but anything like tools needs to be kept well away from the frame.
Ferry and train is a good alternative to much of Europe. Nominally it takes longer than a flight, but in practice I always found the ferry and train journeys much more pleasant and comfortable, while the time at the airport, plus all the transfers, always seems wasted. No hassle to pack the bike, and if you have a tube of toothpaste in your hand luggage, you won't get sent to Guantanamo Bay. And it's generally more interesting as you meet a more diverse range of people than you typically see at airports, and you see the scenery and often have time to look around the cities where you're changing trains.
Ferry prices vary quite a bit though with season. In November and March I paid less for Edinburgh-Newcastle-Amsterdam-Cologne on ferry and trains than I would have paid for a flight, but in summer it's more expensive (although there aren't many cheap flights either, only to very few destinations, not if you're going somewhere else).
Interesting article. It could do with another update to reflect the correct name of TUI which is referred to in the graphic correctly, but then called Thomsonfly and then Thomson Airways in the rest of the article.
For all the anecdotal evidence of just using a plastic bag and never suffering damage to a bike in lord knows how many years of travelling, I would strongly caution against such a policy. Everyone knows that service levels vary from airport to airport, let alone country to country and you are risking damage to your bike every time you travel with it simply in a plastic bag or a soft case.
Its a Bikebox Alan for me every time and I have never suffered damage to my bike. I can rest assured waiting for it to emerge at Outsize Baggage that it won’t be damaged. You simply can’t say that about a plastic bag nor assume that because a baggage handler can see what it is they will take more care of it! Using that logic you would not protect it at all as the more vulnerable it is the more care will be taken of it. Good luck with that one!
It could take thirty years or it could be your first trip, but if the bike falls off the belt loader from the hold door onto the apron (the parking area for aeroplanes at an airport) then the chances are only a hard shell box will save your pride and joy from damage. Take it from me, I see at least one suitcase fall off the belt loader at the cargo door aperture every time I go to work. Oh, and by the way I’m a Captain for Tui...
PP
p.s. And as for insurance I have found Pedal Cover to be far cheaper than Yellow Jersey. They cover my bikes and all kit for theft or accidental damage, including in transit.
Well, at the risk of offending with a commercial post (I hope you think it's relevant to the post), we offer an alternative to putting your bikes on a plane. For our trips your bikes and bags are transported safely down to lovely places like the Alps, Pyrenees & Mont Ventoux for you in our custom-fitted trailer. They go nowhere near a flight and need no packing in a box or bag. You just take your front wheel off and pop it in one of our wheel bags. Then you can either be driven by us (good for Flanders, etc.) or for the long ones you fly and we pick you up at the airport with your bikes all ready to go. You can be riding as soon as we find a nice place to launch you, usually within the hour. Hope that counts as a legitimate contribution to the debate? More here http://www.lavieenvelo.com/cycle.../file/getting_there.php
I have been on many trips to and from Europe and to North America, used to take the beast with me but nowadays it is so cheap to rent a top of the line bike, reduces stress and eliminates damage to your bike.
Having said that short haul flights on Ryanair, Easyjet, British Airways, Vueling, Alitalia and others proved to be uneventful. Long haul flights are usually an issue especially if you have connections. Pack your bike well, use lots of bubble wrap around the derailiuers and chain stays and hope for the best.
Just arrived back from Tenerife using easyjet and monarch. My case was hired from bikeboxonline, a velobox hard case. I fitted my bike, wheels, helmet, shoes, tools, pump in the box, It all weighed 28kg. I would recommend you remove derailleur and chain to reduce chance of damage. I also braced the fork ends with a block of wood.
I've used Jet2.com about a dozen times, also use a bikeboxalan box as I don't want carbon frame bouncing all over the place. Jet2 have been great, and using a solid box means I get about 8 kilos of spare allowance after the bike is packed, which is handy.
I'm not sure I'd ever put my carbon road bike in a cardboard box or plastic bag and trust it to be in one piece at the other end. My aluminum mountain bike I might do but not my road bike hence I have a Bike-Box-Alan.
I flew on Easy Jet last summer, Turkey to the UK was no problem, paid the extra on booking and just checked in and took it to the oversize bags desk. Manchester back to Turkey was a pain as they guy at the oversize bags desk needed me to open the box to check what was in it, specifically flammable stuff like chain oil etc. Then he had to get the guy from the Easy Jet counter to come over to confirm how many CO2 pump cylinders I was allowed in the box - which was confusing as their web site isn't too clear on this but he said it was two but we could have four as there were two of us flying; of course we didn't mention the cyclinders in the other luggage that had already been checked in
We effectively had extra luggage allowance too as the bike and box were well under Easy Jet's 32kg limit, which pleased my wife no end as she isn't one for travelling light.
First time I flew out, I saw a carbon bike in the baggage wagon waiting to be loaded onto the plane we'd flown in on. It was in a clear plastic bike bag, and was loaded nicely in the wagon, but I share your fears.
I read a story of a bloke watching from the plane as his carbon bike being destroyed after the handlers threw heavy bike boxes onto his thinly padded soft bike bag.
My own Buxum Box took a serious hit on the aluminium wheel protector, so much so it bent it into the wheel. That was its first trip too.
Info graphic not entirely accurate Monarch is £30 each way birmingham - arricefe - dont want to tempt fate going next week. But they have always been brilliant thus far. Even when overweight, no extra cost.
Training Camp here we come!!
Thanks for the article.
I'm taking my bike out to France for the last week of Le Tour (I'm not doing Etape).
I'll choose my flights carefully.
SP59, that's a long excursion. I can see the benefit if you're going to do some riding on the way down. Realistically its a 2 day journey, unless you're willing for 10 hour plus drive in one go. Add fuel and possible stop over, might be cheaper than flights, hassle factor though?
I will be using easyjet soon, I have prebooked my bike box, hoping everything goes ok.
I've used EasyJet a number of time from Both Gatwick and Luton to Geneva and not had any issues. It's a regular process for the airport - check-in, take box to over-sized luggage shoot and waive goodbye.
Never considered anything other than a hard case box.
I've found that you can do all the research in the world, then carefully pack your bike in a box, but when you turn up at the airport on the day, the attitude and personal opinions of the person on the desk at the time can overrule any and all rules and regulations that you found on websites, brochures or were told over the phone! Perhaps you were told that you could box the bike at the airport and that boxes are available -- Surprise, no box today, but without a box your bike doesn't fly! (frantically tape together scrap cardboard from dumpsters and make "a box"). Bikes that are beautifully packed in a box may have to be completely unpacked "for security" then you're left struggling to get it all back together (always take extra tape and allow extra time), sometimes the box is allowed to contain your bike panniers, other times it is forbidden for the box to have anything except the bike.
Another nasty gotcha that caught me out ten years ago was when flying Heathrow to Singapore, but having to change planes at the airline's European hub airport. Surprise! The *airport* levied a 150euro "handling fee" on bicycles as luggage! Somehow I managed to talk my way out of it because I'd not been informed when booking my tickets, and I'd expressly enquired about bicycle carriage and charges.
With KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) it's also okay to bring your bike
My partner took her bike with her using Virgin Atlantic on a trip to the USA, they take bikes for free.
I've taken my bike on both Singapore Airlines (SQ) and Thai Int'l Airways (TG), including domestic flight on TG to semi-rural Thailand (UTH). The Customs lady at BKK asked where I was going cycling and wished me "have good time ka", with ubiquitous smile.
I took the bike to local bike shop, asked them to put in an old cardboard box.
The shop
It was easy for me, since I had friends in Thailand to meet me in Udon (everyone in Thailand owns, or has a friend with, a pickup truck) and store the box at their place while I was there.
The most expensive part was the 5km minivan taxi ride to Changi (S$50/25 quid fixed fare). The airport/airline staff didn't bat an eyelid to me taking a bike, and there was never even a hint of a problem or additional baggage charge.
Im going on holiday to Canada over the summer, and I need to ship my bike back to the UK. Unfortunately I cant take it on the return flight as Im continuing my travelling in Canada. Does anyone have any suggestions on how best to do this? Thank you!
https://www.bikeflights.com/
I have never packed a bike in a box. I've been flying touring bikes to Europe, Asia and North America for over 30 years. When you could just put a naked bicycle, with pedals off and bars turned, on a plane, bagage handlers used to treat bicycles with respect. Unfortunately, once you put it in a box, it is just treated as a box with no thought for the contents. For around the past 15 years, I've put my bike in a transparent plastic bag. Some airlines (Thai, for example) used to supply them. Nowadays I use the CTC heavy duty polythene bag available through Evans. A transparent bag has advantages: the baggage handlers can see what it is, if parts get dislodged on the flight they stay in the bag and you can spot them, should the bike be damaged you can demonstrate this before you take the bag off. A bag is light and packs up small so that you can ride with it. Ideally pack an unused spare bag and throw the used one away at your destination. You should put padding on the bike to prevent damage and to stop bike parts breaking the bag.
While on the subject it's worth mentionin that you can buy light but strong 70 - 80 litre holdalls (e.g. Lifeventure) which allow you to consolidate your panniers, bar and saddle bags into a single bag. Such a bag won't survive many trips, but it's a step up from strapping panniers together to make a single item.
As always, airlines differ, so talk to them early. Also talk to other travellers. I've just discovered that Aeroflot will happily transport fully assembled tandems.
Where did you get this news? I'm flying with Aeroflot next month and I'm wondering if I could take my bicycle fully assembled.
Alec, where in Canada are you going? I can recommend some bike shops who will be able to rent you a bike. I used to live there and travelled a lot to the USA and Europe with my bike. On recent trips we have rented at the locations we have travelled to because it is 1) cheap, 2) shops now renting top of the line bikes, 3) avoids damage to your bike on air transport, 4) avoids excessive airline costs and 5) reduces the stress of taking your beloved bike on a plane. Let me know if you want any contacts in Canada, happy to help.
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