Ryanair bike costs

[jay clock]

Never a big fan of Ryanair..... bike costs now up to £30 EACH WAY (was £15, poss £17.50). Easyjet only charge £16.50 each way so I suspect they may follow suit

 

[andym]

Take the train then.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Fly easy jet if poss...ryanair totally trashed my bike on the flight to bremen...broken chain, bent de railer...not much fun...and on top of that they lost the entire bike and I had to wait all day in the airport for it to arrive on the next flight out of Stanstead...bloody hopeless.

Easyjet however couldnt have been more helpful at basel airport, even had a box for me.

 

[jay clock]

agreed re easyjet - always use them or Flybe in preference. I have never had major damage with any of the airlines ( i use a clear plastic bag which some reckon helps the baggage handlers respect the contents. The problem is not the handlers (but the respose of the airline if there is a problem, and Ryanair take the top prize on that front

Sadly the train to somewhere like Almeria or Santiago de Compostela is a 2 day trip at huge price. Oh, and Spanish trains don't take bikes unless small local ones

The posting was made for the information of those who do choose to fly

 

[ASC1951]

The problem is not the handlers (but the respose of the airline if there is a problem, and Ryanair take the top prize on that front

People do say Ryanair have a generally arsey attitude although the two times I have flown with them they have been fine.

You can't blame an airline for damaging your bike or losing it. That is squarely down to the baggage handlers and the airport.

Jet2 are now 2 x £25 for bikes, which seems about the going rate.

 

[Riding in Circles]

BA is free.

 

[jay clock]

Try BA... free as long as the bag or box does not exceed the dimensions (H+W+L): 158cm (62in). Very hard if touring unless anyone has a suggestion.

 

[willem]

A bike with S&S couplers will fit in a case of precisely this size. So that leaves the weight problem. On most airlines you can now take one checked 20 kg suitcase/bag, plus 5-8 kg of carry on luggage. In practice you can usually get away with a bit more, but not much more nowadays. The S&S hard case is too heavy, but with the 4 kg backpack case it can just work. With a light (12 kg) bike, lightweight camping gear (say, another 12 kg if you wear some of the heavier clothing), and the 4 kg bag, it is 28 kg altogether.
That of course invites my question about people's experiences with what is probably the lightest bag for this purpose: the Carradice Camper Longflap saddlebag. Even with some kind of support it is probably about 1 kg lighter than a rear rack plus panniers. Is it big enough for ultralight camping in people's experience, and is it not too big and heavy to have behind your saddle?
Willem

 

[yorkshiregoth]

BMI charged me £75 to take my bike from Heathrow to Cairo

 

[jay clock]

Carradice Camper Longflap saddlebag.

shallow though it may be to admit it, I really could not be seen in public with one of these

 

[ataction]

Flybe broke my bike. Will they pay out? Anyone had a claim with Flybe?

 

[rich p]

I don't know but my friend got a new frame and forks out of Easyjet so it's worth pursuing.

 

[jay clock]

Being interested in all things touring, I was attracted to the title of this thread - I was then very suprised to see it was me wot started it!

in spite of my moaning, I did use Ryanair last week (to Malaga) and back from Faro with Flybe, and no problems at all. And Flybe did not charge either.

In terms of claiming from Flybe give them a call 01392 268528

 

[dellzeqq]

Try BA... free as long as the bag or box does not exceed the dimensions (H+W+L): 158cm (62in). Very hard if touring unless anyone has a suggestion.

I've flown BA with a vast bike box - it's all a question of ringing up beforehand and asking them.

 

[Dave Davenport]

We flew to Nice with BA in August. No charge for bikes & no problems.