We didn’t have a problem last year on Easyjet but that’s because we thought we had a 32kg limit and so crammed our little hand luggage bags with as much stuff as we could to make the bike and hold bags 32kgs. It wasn’t easy….

Following a post the other day and some very handy advice regarding the bike not attracting excess charges for weight though we will now be armed with T&C’s with relevant bits highlighted.

Has anyone successfully managed to take bike and bags weighing more than 32kg’s (as the check in staff seem to think it must add up to), without being ripped for more cash or getting T&C’s out

just this

Not an Easyjet horror story but a handy ‘avoiding excess luggage charges’ tip. After you’ve checked in and had you luggage weighed at Bristol & Geneva airports (and no doubt other airports) you bags disapear along the conveyor belt but you have to carry your bulky bike bag a hundred yards or so to the desk for oversize luggage. Somewhere on the way all the heavy stuff that you kept as handluggage can easily find its way into your bike bag 😉

Bikes pre booked, 5 day holiday, bikes turn up 3 days into holiday, front rotor bent, saved by Endless ride folks. Easyjet not interested one bit, communication terrible about when they would arrive, staff in airport on return dismissive, fill a form in. Basically told to whistle by customer complaints, no refund, not interested in bikes hire costs etc.

basically awful, will never use again.

Yeah, we flew to Nice to do the Roc d’Azur with Easyjet, we also rented a car from them while we were there.
We got stung for extra on the hire car, and when we showed up at the airport they wouldn’t let us on the plane.

Why?

Because we were a day late!!!!

Doh! 😆

The 32kg is usually a single bag limit for health and safety. You add the bikes onto your booking as sports equipment for about £18.50 each way. My carbon roadie made it to geneva and back without incident on easyJ.

A few years a go Kevin and 4 of his mates flew with them, 4 bikes left on tarmac at East Midlands airport. Jo and I were coming back from Geneva and watching them load the plane, Jos bike fell of the buggy and bounced along the tarmac

Tracey

Just to redress the balance, I’ve used EasyJet twice for bike holidays:

Few years ago I flew Bristol/Geneva with my Orange 5. Practically disassembled it (mostly to fit it in the bike bag I borrowed which was too small for the bike – even had to take the spring out of the forks so I could compress them to make it fit). Anyhoo, just make sure you remove your brake discs – they, it would seem, are the component most likely to suffer bendage. The bike made it there-and-back without injury or incident.

More recently (couple of weeks ago) I took a lightweight carbon-fibre road bike with *very* expensive wheels to the Pyrenees – so flew Bristol/Toulouse. Again, borrowed a bike bag, but this was a good one with a steel frame in the base into which you clamp the chainstays and forks. All tubes wrapped in pipelagging, all cavities in the bag filled with bubblewrap, cardboard layer to stiffen the bag, and made two cardboard ‘coolie hats’ either side of the wheels in their own padded bags. Removed the bars, swung the stem round and removed the rear-mech. When packed (which took a good few hours) the bikebag weighed close to 30kg. It arrived – at both ends- completely unscathed. Phew. MAKE SURE IT IS WELL PACKED.

To avoid getting the bike wrecked by the lugage-idiots, I’ll be driving 1000 miles each way this Summer. At least the coffee will be tastier than on a plane.

people seems to forget that hold luggage staff have nowt to do with easy het 😉

Not had any problems myself, but it does remind me of a mate who went to Morzine and ended up with a broken mech hanger upon arrival. Feeling rather smug with himself, he unpacked his spare only to discover it was for the wrong year of frame!! I believe the issue was resolved with a hastily purchased Dremel.

Same holiday I heard that most of the guys didn’t get their bikes immediately either. Unsure of the carrier, but it was an Edinburgh flight to my knowledge.

I don’t know whether I’d entrust my bike into anyone else’s care to be honest, given the horror stories I’ve heard

My mate got stung with the 32kg crap at Manchester yesterday, flying to Geneva… had paid for the bike separately too. £130 excess. Ouch.

This probably wouldn’t apply to a full-sus pride and joy, but I was given this advice from someone who worked for an airline……..

Apparently bagging up the bike means it will be handled as other luggage would, i.e. thrown around, other bags piled on top, etc. BUT if you just deflate the tyres, turn your handlebars round, and unscrew the rear mech and tape it to the rear chainstay, it’s obviously a bike, so it will be treated as such by the baggage handling crew, and put on last with nothing piled on top of it.

I tried this with my HT, with rack, etc. on it when I flew to Sweden a couple of years back (was on RyanAir, so not much different from EJ) and it came through totally unscathed both ways, and was even wheeled out and given to me personally at both ends.

Been twice with sleazyjet, once with 2 bikes, last time with 5. Took rotors and rear mechs off, no probs at all.

are people using bags or boxes? Are we seeing different results between the two methods?

Wish those Aln boxes were not so heavy themselves!

I have flown with bikes twice using soft bags but reinforced with cardboard and the bikes well padded. No problems either time with either bike.

Slightly OT; My father died when I was on holiday and I didn’t find out for 10 days (pre mobile phones), so had to rush back to the UK, as the rest of the familly were keen to have the funeral for some reason! Easy jet couldn’t get me on an earlier flight, so they arranged my flight with Ryan air and refunded the cost of the original flight, whilst I was travelling back to the airport. Nice of them I thought!

I flew from Liverpool to Basel last year.When the Mrs rang Easyjet to ask about taking a bike on a plane, she was told it would cost £30.No mention of excess charges. The bike was a BigHit and I put it in a bike bag and packed body armour around it. The bag weighed 28kg.No excess charges.Got to Basel and the bike bag was ripped and one of the bag wheels ripped off.Went from EM to Geneva a few months later with the lads.This time we were told at check in we had to pay excess charges totalling £130 between two of us.My bike bag was packed exactly the same as when it was weighed at Liverpool,only at EM it mysteriously weighed 4kg more.When we questioned the checkout girl she said “We get this all the time”, “Go to customer Services”. We went to Customer services “Nowt to do with us,youll have to pay the excess charges,then complain when you get back” We couldnt cancel the flight and get a refund, so we went anyway.More damage to the bike bag on arrival.Got back and emailed Customer Services “nowt to do with us, you should have complained to Customer Services at the airport.” I emailed them 5 times but couldnt get an answer as to why the same bike/kit weighed more at EM than at Liverpool.I even got one reply “You shouldnt have been charged excess baggage.Send me the details and we’ll refund your money” Sent them details and got another reply from someone else stating that “Easyjet has a no-refund policy”. Incidentally the bike bags werent even weighed on our return flight at Geneva Airport.Next year we are driving.

you need to read the t & c’s carefully
for instance jet2 has a weight limit of 20kgs (others are 22kgs and some 25kgs) for a bike at their standard rate but will allow up to a maximum of 32kgs – at £8 for every kg in excess of 20kgs

most airlines have a maximum weight limit of 32kgs for a single piece of luggage – this is h & S (safe handling limit) and does not mean you can automatically take a bike up to 32kgs

the low cost airlines seem to be strictly enforcing their limits now and charging excess baggage cost wherever they can

Jet2 did nt even weigh ourbikes last year but i am expecting different when i fly on tuesday

when they weigh the bike keep your foot under the end of the bag, you can shave 10kg off by doing that 🙂