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Home Misc Articles Adventures with a bike box |
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Adventures with a bike box |
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Written by Jim Cummins
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I flew to Germany and back with a big TriAll two bike case with two bikes in it with no extra charge on NWA, but not without considerable argument.
In Milwaukee, they first wanted to charge $80. I told them it was my understanding that on international flights bikes could be checked as a piece of luggage. This caused two ticket agents to go into research mode, looking up rules on their terminals, measuring the box, and weighing it ( about 80 lbs ). After about 10 minutes, they slapped a 'heavy' warning sticker on it and off it went.
After the race I stored the bike case at the airport in Frankfurt for about 8 bucks a day while I took a little vacation.
Flying from Frankfurt was amusing. There was a long line at the check-in counter. I had been in line for about 20 minutes, with about 20 to go, when a roving ticket agent started to work her way up the line. When she got to me, she gave me and the bike box the stink-eye and started asking questions:
Agent 'Are you traveling alone today, sir?' ( please insert prominent German accent)
Me 'Yes I am' ( me and 300 other cattle in your miserable sky-bus, god help us )
A 'What is in the box?'
Me 'Bicycles'
A 'It is too big. You cannot fly that.'
Me 'Yes I can. I have a round-trip ticket. My baggage flew here with me, it can fly back' (Oh jeepers, I've got a nazi on my hands here).
A: ' How much does it weigh?'
Me ' About 80 pounds' ( mostly honest, actually we put a bunch more stuff in the box for the ride home, it is now closer to 100 )
A: ( she now acts horrified, perhaps angry, I KNOW she wants to sic a big German Shepard on me) 'Thats 40 kilos! You must pay the excess baggage fee of 350 Euros!' 'We must weigh it, you need to go to the scale over there'. ( I'm not about to get out of the line I've been waiting in, particularly not for the Commisar here ).
Me: 'No. This box flew with me from Milwaukee at no extra charge, that's how it will fly back'
A: ( At least I know she is unarmed, or I'd be dead by now, she is starting to sputter at me.) 'Jaaa, but you did NOT fly from FRANKFORT!'
Me: ( I really can't think of how to deal with that, pointing out that it is the same plane just going the other way seems useless. ) 'Why don't you go get your supervisor? ' I suggest.
A: ' Jaaaa, I will get the supervisor'
So she storms off, I keep waiting in line. The supervisor never appeared. By and by I get to the counter, check my duffel. The clerk asks about the box, I say bikes. They say they need to weigh it, I say OK. So we roll it over to the floor scale. I push two of the four wheels of the box onto the scale, it reads 27 kilo. The clerk says 27 kilo, that's OK, slaps a 'heavy' sticker on it, and I'm on my way.
Of course, back in Milwaukee, I'm waiting at the luggage carosel expecting them to bring the bike up the utility elevator. Then I hear somebody at the end of the carosel where the belt comes up say 'Whooaa!'.
I look in time to see my bike box taking a ride up the belt with all the other luggage. Up, up, up, pretty soon it looks like the UN building, then in slow motion it pivots, WHOOOOOMP-BANG-CRASH it drops down onto the carosel causing more excitement from the crowd.
I felt, oh, angry. But I know when I'm licked. NWA got the last laugh after all.
I will say the bike case did an admirable job. The impact bent two of the latches slightly, but the bikes were fine.
So, I guess the moral of the story is that anything can happen, but don't be afraid to make a fuss and stand your ground. I'd suggest calling the ticket counter at the airport to see what the situation is, and check the airline web site for the official rules.
Good Luck.
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