Anyone got experience of having a slightly overweight bag on BA flights? My allowance is 2 x 23kg – my bike in it’s bag + shoes and some tools is just over that. Ideally, I’d stuff some more things in with the bike, like I would with Easyjet flights.

cheers

all depends sometimes you get away with it, sometimes you don’t.

I’ve got stung on the way back with BA on a domestic .. way out the guy ignored the 28kgs on the way back from Edinburgh I had to pony up for the excess.

One if ours was 25kg, we got away with it, the girl stated it was usually £75.

Flew with BA last year, they didn’t even bother weighing it as it didn’t fit on the scales at Heathrow, it was 32Kg 😀

On the way back they stung us for overweight baggage, I have forgotten how much it was. I won’t be flying with BA to Canada again as I cannot get it down to 24Kg, the staff in Canada were very rude and the flight staff were very poor too.

Air Canada this year as they allow 32Kg for the bike!

Thanks. Weirdly, the BA site states that I can take a laptop bag + an additional cabin bag onto the plane, both weighing up to 23kg! Looks like I’ll have a cabin bag full of inner tubes and some heavy tools.

Milkie – I looked at Air Canada, they seemed to want $100 each way for the additional bag, plus potentially an extra $56 each way as a “possible handling fee” – I couldnt get a definite answer out of them, so booked with BA (and got a cheap upgrade to premium economy for the extra bag)

Unlikely to be allowed tools in a carry-on bag. 32kg is the single bag limit with the majority of carriers – anything over that may get bumped and you’ll get charged as freight.

Bike bag will be classed as oversize with a weight limit of 32kg which you can’t exceed. You might be able to negotiate with BA that it’s part of your ticketed allowance, but most carriers charge extra of 100 Euros/$ each way these days. What does you ticket terms say with regard to oversize / sports equipment?

We just went with Air Transat to Vancouver.. a budget airline so a bit more cramped and basic than BA but i’d use them again..

its £20 per flight paid at check in for bikes.. and upto 32kg..

I had my bike.. backpack full of clothes / bike shoes and a few essential tools in there and i weighed it at 30KG.. not sure id be able to get down to 24 with just the bike!

they couldnt weight it at either gatwick or vancouver as it didnt fit on their scales.. and both times they just entered the weight of 30KG that i told them..

Best I’ve found for flying with bike to Canada is Westjet, they allow a bike bag to be up to 45kg!! I just stuck everything in the bag and they didn’t mind.

Looks like I’ll have a cabin bag full of inner tubes and some heavy tools.

Tempting as it is, I dont risk this as i don’t want half me tools confiscated going through security (even take my cleats off my SPD shoes just in case)… again, there’s luck to it as it really depends who you happen to get on the day

Don’t risk tools in hand luggage. I’ve never had a problem with pump or shock pump but once had a single loose Allen key confiscated… Mind you I was allowed through last week with two small multi tools I’d forgotten about although the guy was a bit suspicious of why I’d packed a loose pair of pedals.

BA’s sports equipment policy covers the dimensions of a bike bag, so that isn’t an issue at least.

I wouldn’t try to take most tools in the cabin (got caught with crampons once!) But tubes and pumps are ok. Seriously, removing cleats from shoes?!

Oversized luggage is normally a little way from the check in desk, I may have dropped some extra in on that short walk around the corner – though the TSA in the states do like to escort you which made it awkward until I just gave up and chucked it in

^ that’s what I do as well !. Adventure racing I’ve managed to sneak a paddle, pfd, clothes, lights, shoes etc etc in between check in weigh (wow 23kg well done !) and oversize (can you give me a hand, it’s quite heavy!)
I can get a bike in an EVOC bag to be 22kg.

mikewsmith – Member
Oversized luggage is normally a little way from the check in desk, I may have dropped some extra in on that short walk around the corner – though the TSA in the states do like to escort you which made it awkward until I just gave up and chucked it in

I too have that strange problem between check in and the oversized baggage area..

Also for health and safety its good to prop your knee/leg/foot on your bike bag while being weighed, just to make sure it doesn’t topple over…

^^^ ^^^ ^^^

Thank’s guys, simple solution! Good tip.

NzCol – got some tips on getting a 8.5kg Evoc bag and a 29lb 160mm travel bike to weigh in at that amount?!

NzCol – got some tips on getting a 8.5kg Evoc bag and a 29lb 160mm travel bike to weigh in at that amount?!

29lbs + 8.5kg is 21.6kg…just sayin…

and just in case that is the optimistic weight…
pedals and rotors in the hold bag

Also for health and safety its good to prop your knee/leg/foot on your bike bag while being weighed, just to make sure it doesn’t topple over…

+1 I may have done something similar recently with the back of the bag hanging off the scales at Bilbao airport, for safety purposes of course. 🙂

29lbs + 8.5kg is 21.6kg…just sayin…

+1 With minimal / no other stuff packed with it you should easily be able to get the bike and bag within the limit. My Spitfire is a good chunk heavier than your bike and totals less than 23kg in an Evoc bag.

Best I’ve found for flying with bike to Canada is Westjet, they allow a bike bag to be up to 45kg!! I just stuck everything in the bag and they didn’t mind.

45lbs maybe (20.5kg), but the limit of 32kg is set by the airports, nothing to do with the airlines, to protect the baggage handlers. Anything more than 32kg has to be sent as frieght.

I got round the problem by going BA business class. 3x32kg bags 8)

yeah even delta are giving me 3×23 on internals over there

The maffmatishons beat me to it. Pedals, rotors etc in hand luggage. Bike plus any packing although EVOC bags work well. Use your hand luggage for heavy non pointy stuff.

Yeah, sorry NZCol, my maths was non-existent. I’m currently just over 23kg with my shoes in the bag and a few tools.

Just realised my frugal packing of clothes means I have several kg to spare in my other bag, so shouldnt be a problem.

Not sure what security would make of rotors in hand luggage though, based on some of the comments above, or pedals with brand new pins…

BAs Cabin Bag of 23kg is almost impossible to get to with the actual size, you’d need to fill it with lead ! I stuck loads of the heavy little bits in there.

So much for getting away with it. Last night at the BA counter Terminal 3 to Vancouver. BA rep sent us to the Business counter as lines were packed and I asked if we could just check in at the counter as it was free.

Long story short bike bag was overweight at 25kg he wasn’t budging on the 23kg limit. Managed to sweet talk him but little did I know my wife had not checked the other bags which all 25kgs and 28kg except for my bike gear bag which was 16kg. Had the embarrassing situation of having to repack. Basically he said if it crosse 24kg you have to pony up. Anyhow he let the bike bag go in at 25kg.

But just be careful.

Sounds like you did get away with it? You just had to juggle some stuff from one bag to another.

Just about with the bike bag, the bag just had my pads and the kids pads.

Suitcases had to be repacked. Just keep it below 24kg.

A bit off topic but what is the preferred way of transporting your bikes; bags, bike box or cardboard bike box?

Off to Whistler in a few weeks and not sure which way to go yet.

Cheers

Evoc bike bag if you’re going to be doing a lot. Pricy but so worth it. I did BCBR last year and I reckon Evoc out numbered other makes by at least 20:1.

Have a look at the Polaris bike bag in their sale at £170. Well made and will take a 29er Enduro and kit with ease. Ours has had alot of use and abuse. It’s out in Whistler at the moment with our daughter. One of the bike mags did a test on it, think that was out to Canada. Their is a video on the Polaris site on how it packs.

My touring bikes 32lb ….. We had weight to spare.

Must be that heavy bike bag your using.

Cardboard box ftw.

A few years ago I flew out with bike bags allowable to 32kg/oversize, on the way back, Canadian check-in said they had a lower limit than the internationally agreed 32kg. Perhaps the staff that load the departing planes are not as strong as those that unload the arriving ones?!

Anyway, they’d already sent our normal bags (with my penknife) into the maze of conveyor belts, so we were left standing at the desk with two bike bags over 30kg’s, unable to open them as I’d put a zip tie through the zips, and no bags to juggle with contents into.

We stood there for quite some time whilst supervisors etc confirmed that no, the limit was xxkg (30?). Being out of options, we stubbornly insisted and in the end the supervisor walked away and check in person just said take them to oversize.

So top tip, weigh your bike bags first so you still have the option to throw away your underwear/pet sitter presents and repack, rather than abandon your pedals 🙂

P.S This was Canadian Affair/Thomson desk. I don’t think they were trying it on, they were very insistent.

Max bag weights are a H&S issue for baggage handlers rather than a maximum weight for the aircraft, hence 3x23kg is fine whereas 1x35kg isn’t.