Anyone travelled with a bike on an EasyJet flight recently?
Looking at their policy online they say only a bike can go in the bag (no clothes etc).
Previously when I have used EasyJet (many years ago) I have put all my cycling clothes, helmet, camelback, tools etc in with the bike.
What do people do these days - Just the bike or bike and other stuff?
Thanks
Even 10 years ago I recall a fellow guest at Bike Village having to repack his bags at Geneva airport because he'd stuffed a bunch of clothes into this bike box. I think it's possible that the rule has been there for a long time but how stringently it is applied varies between different airports and possibly even different members of staff.
As far as I can remember, it’s always been bike only, no idea on how well it’s enforced
Only flown with a bike on Easyjet twice, they didn't check inside the bag or even ask questions either time. I had stuff like bike shoes, helmet, tools and spare in there and maybe a few items of clothing on the proviso that I could probably take most of it out and wear it or put it in hand luggage in the event that they did open my bag. Perhaps would have to argue about the tools and say that they're an essential part of semi-dismantling the bike.
At all the airports I've been to with a bike you have to take it to oversized luggage after you check in with the airline so ample opportunity to sneak some stuff back into the bag.
I think in reality they're not that bothered and the check ins are staffed at a minimal rate so they don't really have time to mess about unpacking a bike carrier you've paid for anyway.
Flew EasyJet to Geneva last August, put a few bits in the bike bag (though not much as an Evoc bag plus my bike leaves little scope within the weight limit) and wasn’t pulled up on it. I think it’s always been the rule so any extras are at your risk. I also never deflated my tyres until I got fat 29” tyres that barely fit in the wheel pouches.
I flew with EasyJet last October, I had various clothes, helmet and tools in the bike case. I think total was 23kg, I've read the closer you get to the 32kg limit (or is it 30?) the more chance you have of them opening it and asking you to remove items - in theory though they could do that for anyone so you probably need to allow room in other luggage for stuff taken out of the bike case (not easy to do though, likely impossible without other checked luggage)
Thanks all. I'm only going for 4 days so I think I will only add my camelback, tools and helmet - for ease. I should be able to get it all in my hold bag if it gets checked.
I think it is 32 kg for bike and bag
My empty bag weighs 10kg and my bike 15 kg so it seemed sensible to add
I flew back from Paris with EasyJet last Nov with a bike bag. They asked about tyres and CO2, nothing else. They certainly didn't look in the bag, which was just as well.
Airline staff here (but not them) - dont go mad with loading loads of other kit into the bag, tools particularly. It will get xrayed and this is when it could get spotted.
They will ask at check in, but they also screen the bags later on, and this is the airport, not the airline doing it.
The 32kg limit is the important one - do not get too close to this. Its the single item limit for manual handling and if the bag goes over they will simply reject it.
And dont put any CO2 canisters in there!
Did Edinburgh to Nice. Loads of other stuff in there, tools, spares, helmets, shoes, clothes, etc, etc.
Other than easyJet have also flown with a bike with BA, LATAM, Emirates, China Eastern, Virgin. All say bike only, none have ever checked. Always been bang on the 32kg limit too, and on the China Eastern and Virgin flights had two bike boxes both on the weight limit.
At 32kg easyJet charges £90 return to Nice. China Eastern charged £140 for two bikes to Sydney and back, and BA/LATAM £60 for one bike to the middle of Brazil and $100 back again. So easyJet aren't the cheapest but it was a relatively painless experience
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Put you lights and other electronic bits in your hand luggage!
I'll normally add knee pads and mostly empty camelback or hip pack but it's a heavy bike in an Evoc with extra padding anyway. I work on the theory that what I've added is padding/protection. So far, not an issue. I'm usually between 31 and 32kg. I sail close to the wind with that one
I've always packed clothes, helmet, shoes etc into the box, it's never once been questioned.
So long as it's less than 32kg, within the quoted box dimensions and doesn't have CO2 or any restricted items in it, it'll be fine. Lights, GPS, any electronic stuff, put that in hand luggage. Exception is Di2 which is fine as it is.
As with all luggage, don't take the piss, don't try and be funny or clever at check in and don't try smuggling anything you're not supposed to have or which looks like it could contain things you're not supposed to have - bags or pouches of energy drink are not dissimilar to bags or pouches of cocaine apparently...
I know this because my hand luggage got whipped off to one side very quickly when that got flagged! Good job it was in hand luggage and not the bike box. They did all have a laugh about it though.
Flown EJ 3 times to Nice in the last 2 years - twice from Liverpool, once from London City.
In each case, no one has been interested in what's actually in the bag - bar my mate who once had too many C02 carts in his hand luggage.
I tend to keep it "bike related", ie tools, spares, maybe shoes. I use any armour I take as padding on the bike (knees pads wrapped round fork stanchions typically). With an enduro type bike in an Evoc bag there's not normally so much leeway weightwise to take much random stuff after that.
One of my trips this year was with a gravel bike, touring and that occasion had everything in, bar a small daypack I took as handluggage. It even came back with an additional kilo or so of cheese (which it turns out was a bit naughty of me - I hadn't realised!) and despite it niffing like a good'un (along with kit that had been worn every day for a week!), no one blinked an eyelid.
don't try smuggling anything you're not supposed to have or which looks like it could contain things you're not supposed to have - bags or pouches of energy drink are not dissimilar to bags or pouches of cocaine apparently...
We found out last year that a harmonica looks exactly like a 9mm handgun magazine when x-rayed.
don't try smuggling anything you're not supposed to have or which looks like it could contain things you're not supposed to have - bags or pouches of energy drink are not dissimilar to bags or pouches of cocaine apparently...
Christmas pudding looks like Semtex under x-ray apparently. This bit of info came from my dad who travelled to Northern Ireland a lot in the late 80's.
Flown with bikes on Easyjet nearly 20 times and typically the bike bag is ~31kg with body, arm and leg armour as frame protection, a few tools and other bits and pieces incl. small bottle of lube. I always take a hold bag as well.
The only time there an issue was at Stanstead pre-Covid when, inexplicably, I put a can of GT85 in the bike bag. They found it pronto and got me to open the bag and remove it. The security guys were fine and just thought my obvious embarrassment funny and said they find loads.
On the same flights some friends bike bags were well overweight, with lords knows what, they were forced to bin stuff and pay fines as they could not get their bags below the weight limit. They had hold bags as well! They did get quite flustered sorting it all out, the check-in and oversize baggage team were friendly enough but v firm.
Do not put multitools, tools, etc.. in your hand baggage, they will be found and more than likely binned. I've seen it happen.
Thing is, why get your holiday off to a messy start.
Fly with easyjet with a bike bag a lot. Always weighs just under the limit I stuff everything in the bike bag, tools, armour, helmet ,clothes never had an issue with them.
The "nothing but a bike" has been a thing pretty much since i started flying with bikes, so maybe 30 years? I've found the low cost airlines to be both the strictest and the least bothered. Been stopped and checked with the entire bag packed full of unwashed laundry. And they shrugged. At the other end of the spectrum, they've even made me take a bag with a pedal spanner and the tools needed to assemble a bike out and put it in hold luggage...
Never had the contents checked. My general rule is shove bike, helmet, camelback, shoes, tools and a few other bits in with the bag. Everything else fits into a carry on bag and an underseat bag easily.
Went to Málaga in October with EJ. No issues, put in all the bags I could cram until I got to 30kg.
As said just stay below 32kg. That's their for their h&s lifting
No problem with extra stuff in the bike box.
Thing is you are dealing with three different departments.
The airline are only really interested in the weight and size of the bag. They ship you off to the baggage handlers who again are only interested in the size and weight.
They have a 32kg limit on what there staff can lift. They might send you off to another conveyor belt if the box won't fit easily on that conveyor.
It then goes to the security department. It's them guys that scan/ x-ray the box and decide if it goes on the plane.
Providing you've not put anything prohibited in there, all should be ok 🤞