Looking for flights online to plan a biking trip and it is not obvious who to use etc. Can anyone with previous experience please point me in the right direction for a good operator/route plan etc?

Thanks for your help on this

Easyjet from Edinburgh – never taken a bike over myself but there were a couple of bikes when I went over in July

Well not done it with a bike but easyjet are an obvious first look and they are used to at least ski size luggage on the route. Geneva airport is hell though!

I’ve done easyjet from Edinburgh to Geneva (and back) a few times, as have a lot of friends. Never had any problems with them, but you do pay a lot more than the ticket price once you’ve paid the extra for bikes, bags etc.

As above, direct from Edinburgh to Geneva with Easyjet though the price ramps up by the time you add bags.

BA from either Glasgow or Edinburgh via a london airport appears to be working out cheaper than Easyjet although you have the hassle of a stop-over. Bike carriage also included in the price, though you may end up buying an extra baggage allowance.

KLM from Glasgow via Amsterdam also looking pretty cheap at the moment for the dates I’m looking at.

Personally I’d sacrifice the direct flight and go with BA or KLM.

Done easy jet to Geneva fro Edinburgh fine, flown easy jet to other destinations with a bike fine. I far prefer a direct flight

easyjet from edinburgh

lost our bikes on the way out – read that as – took too many orders and just dumped bikes randomly off groups bookings……

4 out of 13 never made it on our holiday and i believe keith2000motocross off heres group lost a few on the same flight- id have been raging had i not built my alps bike for peanuts out of used bits so woulda been quids in on insurance 😉

how ever they were delivered to our chalet in les arcs before 10am the next morning – but had they shown up at the correct time we would have had A – an extra half days riding and B not the stress of not knowing where they were – they misplaced some fancy exotica from our group !

I’m doing the same this summer – Edinburgh to Geneva with my road bike for the Raid Alpine. Mate has booked it and it came to just under £100 with all the fees inc. bike added in. That’s one way mind – return is BA from Nice.

I’ve take the EDI-GEN flight before for a climbing trip in 2010 and it was hassle-free (no bikes that time though my previous experience of EJ and bikes was similarly straightforward – Glasgow – Malaga)

Thanks for the help, a few things to consider then. The group booking issue of easyjet being one of them. Good to hear your bikes were delivered pretty quick afterwards but that would been a ton of stress on a “bike” holiday. Actually losing a bike though…wow!

Easy jet booked from Edin to Geneva for July. Did consider the BA flight but MrsT did not fancy the 2 flights, waiting time etc which made a 2 hr flight into a marathon 5 hrs!!! + mucked up transfer times on the other side. Not really all that much cheaper considering the inconvenience. More worried about bike getting damaged rather than lost/mislaid etc. baggage handling is likely to be “outsourced” regardless of who you fly with
Be sure to read the T&Cs regards bike\sports equipment and weights. Whether it is fact or not but I was advised a while ago not to load your bike box/bag too heavily due to baggage handlers being more likely to leave a heavy box on the Tarmac and weigh scales on the return journey showing a heavier wieght !!!!

must have done edi to gva 5 or 6 times with a bike, return. no bother on easyjet.

It’s a real bugger that they stop the Glasgow to Geneva Easyjet flight in summer 🙁

It’s a real bugger that they stop the Glasgow to Geneva Easyjet flight in summer

+1

Never taken a bike on flight before, does anyone know if a bikebag/similar is a must?

Some claim to have wheeled a bagless bike into the check-in desk and it’s been fine and they’ve wheeled it back out again at the baggage carousel.

I wouldn’t fancy trying it personally.

I once worked as a baggage handler as a summer job. You could wheel a bike in but it would take a whole load of trust. It is handled by few people door to door but the chance of breakage/theft are very high.

Boxes and bags are probably treated rougher as they are big generic objects. There is no time to be pretty with things.

steffyboy – yes a bike bag and plenty of care packing is a must. Mates used Easyjet supplied bags one year and bikes come out damaged. As a constrast I watched some guys unpacking their bikes, proper bags, bike taken apart – eg rear mech off and taped inside frame, supporting block between front fork axle, lots of pipe lagging on frame etc. They had kept the cardboard bike box and had used that for packing also.

Why is Geneva airport hell? I find it great, never had a problem there.

Why is Geneva airport hell? I find it great, never had a problem there.

They charged me over £20 for a burger and chips in a self service restaurant. That’s hell.

The check in bit is also a riot, particularly the oversized luggage bit. Zurich airport is far more civilised.

I would pack your bag to survive being thrown 10-15 feet horizontal and 5-6 feet vertically down from a plane hold to the surface of a flatbed truck. All bags/boxes get this. The heavier they are the less the horizontal distance but the vertical will be the same. They then may have to survive a 25mph fall to the ground from 5 to 10 feet depending on your luck.

Flown to GVA a couple of times with the bike, once with EZY direct (no problems) and once with Lufthansa via Amsterdam, bike was wrecked although i have to say i received a rather large cheque within 3 months without too much hasstle. Go direct whenever possible and wrap up your bike well!

Why is Geneva airport hell? I find it great, never had a problem there.

Its just a load of shops with crowded corridors, with only one food place where you get a burger that is still raw in the middle for £20, and a £7 330ml can of warm beer. POssibly worse than dubai airport!