![]() Should you worry about a 70-pound (32kg) limit for bike cases? Jan and I research our flights on, a website where seating charts reveal everything you’ll need to know in order to book appropriate flights.ĥ. Unless your tandem stows in a suitcase-sized container, you must avoid flights on planes with 3-across seating. Tandem cases from BikePro USA and Crateworks barely fit in planes with 4-across seating, which may cause your bike to be delayed if your case shows up after the plane is partially loaded. Even the largest tandem case or box easily fits within the luggage bays found on airliners big enough for 5-across economy seating. Keep reading.īecause the largest tandem cases won’t fit in the smallest “regional” airliners, the size of your tandem case dictates your choice of flights (and may limit your choice of airports). While the existing system is unpredictable and confused, it works just fine for tandem enthusiasts who learn how to avoid the pitfalls. If enough cyclists bother them, the airlines will respond by making it tougher and more expensive to fly with a bicycle. The airline employees who work at the airport ignore stupid regulations. The airline employees who write bicycle size regulations don’t work at an airport. The only airline that publishes different size limits for different planes (United) welcomes larger sporting items on flights with a Boeing 757, and then claims these same items won’t fit on a Boeing 737-which has an identically roomy baggage compartment! If your reason for web research is to feel “safe,” please don’t waste your time. Instead, they’ll publish the too-small limitations of the tiniest plane they subcontract. Because the big airlines don’t want you to avoid their “feeder flights” using teensy sub-contracted planes flown by non-union crews, they’ll never tell you that full-size tandems are easily accommodated on all of their normal planes (and by competitors who use normal planes on the same route). Although we’ll explain later why this is much safer than using the phone, please don’t expect reassurance. These days, when Jan and I finally convince insecure tandem owners to NOT phone the airline, their immediate response is to run to the web. Couples who use my time-tested tips continue to report a 100% success rate.Īirline phone operators will needlessly scare you by reciting the luggage limitations dictated by their smallest prop-liner or regional jet. ![]() While newer coupled tandems have made it easier to get to-and-from airports, full-sized tandems continue to be accepted as checked luggage. In spite of horror stories, there is no reason to imagine that you can’t fly with a full-sized tandem. If you’re traveling with a single-bike skip to Section Three If your tandem fits in suitcase-sized containers, skip to Section Two
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