The Airlines Do Whatever They Want to Charge You

Those of us that travel with bikes know it’s an arms race with the airlines – how much they charge came up earlier this year when Pam and I got popped $175.00 per-bike-one-way by Northwest Airlines. As Mark wrote in response to our trip

Ask about and everyone has a tale of how a friend of theirs flew a bike for $5 blah, blah, blah…. Let me tell you, there was a period of time where I logged 100,000 frequent flier miles over two years. I know about flying with a bike … nothing beats the S&S system for flying a 700C wheeled bike

We know how to fly with bikes too and got charged on that trip because we flew with Scicon cases that say, “bicycle” and are in the shape of a bicycle. Normally we fly with S&S and also with Bromptons and Dahons. The advantage of all of those folders is that they either go into a case that squeaks under the airline surcharge for oversize baggage – pack it light to keep it under weight – or go right into the overhead.

Until recently that is.

The airlines collectively made 2 billion in fees this year and are going to do so however they can. I don’t know if the gate agents are commissioned to find bikes, but we’ve been hearing that travelers are being asked to open their cases and getting charged for Ritchey Breakaways. Today, Lloyd Alter posts on Treehugger that the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled in favor of their airlines that his Strida was a bike and not luggage. Last year, it was bike boxes getting popped.

The Agency is of the opinion that, generally, air carriers should have the flexibility to establish their terms and conditions of carriage and to price their services as they see fit, subject to legislative or regulatory constraints.

In other words, the airlines can do whatever they want and will do so to charge you.

The general assumption for those of us with S&S cases is that whatever is in that big silver case doesn’t matter. When I get asked, I respond with

It’s camera equipment
Mumble like, “mmph it’s a grrphing flavel hoo”
Drums
Makeup

I haven’t been asked to open a case yet, but the next line is “that’s not a bike, it’s bike parts,” which is technically true. Examples of the bikes we fly with are below.