Lufthansa and bikes - any experience

[400bhp]

Peeps

I'm off to Germany for a week in May.

The bike policy with the airline is as follows:

If you want to take a bicycle with you on Lufthansa flights, please note the following advice: the bicycle does not have to be packaged; handlebars and pedals do not need to be turned or dismantled; nor does the air need to be taken out of the tyres. Unfortunately, electric bicycles cannot be carried on aircraft. Please register your bicycle with us by calling +49 (0)69 - 86 799 799, preferably when booking your flight, so that we can check whether there is sufficient capacity for you to take it on board and you can receive information about differing regulations with partner airlines.

Sounds pretty good but I'd be interested in any experiences.

 

[rockyraccoon]

I suggest you to print off any information and take it with you. I know cases in which people read something on the airline website and when they got to check in it was different. So take it with you as backup. Also give them a ring to check whether the info on website is up to date. Keep a note about when you called and who you spoke to. However because you need to register it before I can not see any problem..

 

[400bhp]

Thanks.
I'm taking an educated guess here but the info suggests they essentially wheel the bike into the hold and wheel off, rather than your bike being thrown about with all the other luggage?

I wasn't going to take my bike as initially I was looking to book with another airline where you had to wrap it up, but the lufthansa option looks reasonable.

 

[Andrew_P]

I would still be tempted by buying a bike box, the state some luggage gets in to not sure I would fancy by bike being tossed around.

Padded bike bags go for around £49 and you can get a Bike Clam shell box for around £149. I only know as I was lookingin to maybe going to Spain this year but the deal relies on me taking my bike!

 

[Chris S]

Padded bike bags go for around £49 and you can get a Bike Clam shell box for around £149.

At that price it would be cheaper to just hire a bike once you've got there.

 

[400bhp]

At that price it would be cheaper to just hire a bike once you've got there.

Nope

 

[400bhp]

I would still be tempted by buying a bike box, the state some luggage gets in to not sure I would fancy by bike being tossed around.

Not sure about that. If they tell you specifically not to turn handlebars/deflate tyres/turn pedals it suggests to me (as I alluded to earlier) that they wheel your bike on and off the plane.

Turn up with the bike in a box and you'll have to check it in with the rest of the luggage.

Has anyone had actual experience of Lufthansa?

 

[Globalti]

All very well intentioned and may work within Germany but could the baggage handlers be trusted to handle bikes the Luftie way? Not in the UK and even less on arrival in foreign-land.

 

[Amanda P]

Not sure I agree with that.

My usual approach is to pad the frame tubes (foam pipe lagging is brilliant for this), remove the pedals and remove the rear mech and cable-tie it to the chainstay, and carry a plastic bike bag. Otherwise I keep the bike rolling until I check it in.

A full-size touring bike with the wheels on won't go through most X-ray machines, so usually has to be manually inspected and swabbed to check it's not a bomb. That's easier if it's not packaged.

Almost invariably, whatever the airline might say, the guys that come to take it from me will say they'd much rather wheel it around than have to lift it and carry it, so it stays rolling and the bag stays rolled up on the rack. If they really want the bars turned, or the tyres let down, I can do it there and then (checking in in plenty of time is a good policy anyway!)

So far, it's worked very smoothly with BA, KLM, Swiss, Iberia.

 

[400bhp]

So, no-one has experience of Lufthansa then.

 

[fossyant]

As a minimum if you are doing this, at least put pipe lagging round the tubes to protect the paint !

I 've only ever flown once with the bike, but it was in a bike bag. The idiots lost both bikes in Lanzarote, we missed our coach, then the last possible coach almost refused to take the bikes as they 'might' damage others luggage. FFS. Then we had to keep a wad of cash spare in case the same happened on the return and we'd be told to take a taxi. The bikes were specifically mentioned when we booked the holiday.

 

[Andrew_P]

So Fossy you have not flown with a bike with Lufthansa either!

 

[Chris S]

Nope

How much would it cost to a hire a bike for a week in Germany?

 

[rockyraccoon]

So, no-one has experience of Lufthansa then.

Nope

 

[400bhp]

How much would it cost to a hire a bike for a week in Germany?

About as much as that for a road bike.