[Closed] Flying BA with bikes

JUst put pedals etc in hand luggage, watch out for tools as security don't like them. You can put multiple small stans bottles in your hand as well as < 100ml. Watch for lubes. I stick one in my bike bag and never had a problem with it. I've found BA generally reasonably lax when it comes to weighing sports stuff !

I have found they are fine, as long as both hold bags are less than 46kg. So keep your bike bag as light as possible even if it is over the 23kg, and make sure the second bag is within the difference.
Then pack clothes in your carry on luggage.

Checked in with BA at Heathrow T5 with bag, pushing the limit, but the guy at the desk insisted it was actually 32kg for bikes, regardless of what it said on the web site. Also it's a faff to weigh them anyway due to the size so they didn't bother.

32kg is the absolute limit for a single bag though for all airlines as that's the max weight baggage carriers are allowed to carry. Anything over must go cargo.

Anyway, with BA you get two carry ons and at 23kg each. One has to fit under the seat though, but I find it's generous room. I fill all my clothes and gadgets in the carry ons. I also take a helmet just in a loose bag or no bag as third carry item. Done that with both bike and skiing loads of times and never been questioned (even with EasyJet and RyanAir).

p.s. economy with BA is one checked bag including sports bag. Except certain destinations.

I've had them insist on weighing bike bag before at 23kg - so i'd try to stay at 23kg

i also noticed on ba web site that they say you should ring in advance to tell them your taking a bike

Any one else bothered to do that - its impossible to get through at the mo due to the strikes..

Hopefully our trip with them to USA in sept is going to miss the strikes

Flying BA with bikes

It was hard enough getting him on a flight at all, never mind with a bike....

i also noticed on ba web site that they say you should ring in advance to tell them your taking a bike

I've had a few flights in recent years via Expedia and they default to budget no bag ticket meaning paying for the bag on check-in. I can't remember if BA was one of them, but check-in online to pay and ticked 'special item' for sports equipment and it just says checked-in but have to pay at the desk. Turn up and they had no clue about the check-in and insisted I had to pay full price at the desk, not online price. Twice happened to me. The second time the guy at the desk said just check in as a normal bag online, only use the special item thing for really weird stuff. Bikes, skis etc are the normal bag price so long as not over the weight / size limits.

I’ve had them insist on weighing bike bag before at 23kg – so i’d try to stay at 23kg

Could be interesting.

Bag: 9Kg empty
Bike: 14.9Kg

So rotors and pedals in luggage then? What else, helium filled tyres and frame?

Theres nothing unfortunate about it. BA are the best airline to fly with bikes. I can't think of anyone who has more reasonable terms with bikes and I continue to more or less only fly BA wherever possible in the world.

If you bag goes above 23kg it will be. charged as a heavy bag (unto 32kg ish if the memory is correct).

P.S. What on earth have you got a 9kg bag for? Bizarre.

No rental places over there?

Have flown numerous times in Europe with BA and bikes. They have always weighed the bike bag and Ive stuck to the weight limits just in case. Now try and fly business class if with a bike as it seems to work out at roughly the same cost overall if booked well in advance and a lot, lot less hassle. The total baggage weight limit on business class is 2x32KG (used to be 90KG total) so although they’ve weighed the bike bag it’s not an issue.

That's the weight of an evoc bike bag. Just had it on the scales. It's still packaged up so there may be a few grams of polythene and some cardboard tat to throw away inside, but yes, unbelievable. My old CRC one weighs nothing like that. The alpine was just too long to fit in without dropping the forks out though.

Wouldn't want to rent. She'd not forgive me & I'd end up upside down in a ditch on k-line the next time I get up to Hamsterley. Vindictive things, bikes.

As above, Business (and First) baggage allowance is mahoosive, and so can be worth a look on some flights.

Just make sure you're wearing appropriate footwear...

My Evoc with carbon FS inside was weighed by BA on both occasions that I flew with it this year. It comes in under 23kg by a few kg so if it's a short trip I can take everything I need in BA's generous hand luggage allowance. But if a longer long-haul trip I think I ended up spending £150 for another 23kg bag (can't recall if that was each way or both legs).

As with others, flying BA business has often worked out cheaper and a lot more stress free. I've found the support of the checking staff ot be a different level - i.e. not a lot of questions, everything is no problem, delighted to help, plus no queues, fast security, lounge for a 'fill yer boots' 30 minutes etc etc.

I have also found them extremely good, when flying BA business, at helping with CO2 canisters. They happily have brought out the 'exemption' form and signed it for the security guys on many occasions. (this is required by BA policy, and a very nice way to put a surly security person in their place)

I can 'just' get my bike & bag to 23kg, but that usually pushes the other checked bag over (disks, tools, pedals etc etc).

In that situation, and this is for sure another reason why I am going to hell, is that a well positioned and very steady foot can ensure the bike bag is around 23kg (miraculous given the amount of stuff in it...), and yet the other checked bag also comes in under 23kg.

Stick pedals in your jacket pockets. Wonder what security would think of them though. DMR Vaults especially are deadly weapons 😁

Theres nothing unfortunate about it. BA are the best airline to fly with bikes. I can’t think of anyone who has more reasonable terms with bikes and I continue to more or less only fly BA wherever possible in the world.

Must have upped their game since they lost my bike (on an admitted shit storm of a day thanks to mr shoe Bomber) then refused to have anything to do with it when BMI found it in their Heathrow warehouse (which wasn't even where I flew through) months later. No offer of compensation, no assistance getting it back, nothing. Their loss record only got worse from then on (company booked flights, not by choice) and it became the norm to have nothing show up for a few days.

Their loss record only got worse from then on (company booked flights, not by choice) and it became the norm to have nothing show up for a few days.

Many, many flights a year here. In the last year mostly with BA, but also Cathay, Qantas, American, Delta, Virgin and Aeromexico among others. In all my years of travel, i Have only had two flights where my luggage hasn't arrived with me. Both with AA between Dallas and San Antonio, a flight I've only flown twice!

Everyone gets things wrong, but I'd suggest "The norm" might be stretching it a bit.

Main one I had was with flight changes where the airline changes. Change in Chicago to Salt Lake City. Can't remember for sure but it may have been BA on the long haul but was Delta internal.

The luggage went awol more likely due to airport staff confusion at Chicago with different airlines. Though was worrying when advised to just dump bags in this random corridor and it'll be sorted. They stayed there for half a week.

Return, I've had quite a few occasions of luggage not turning up on the belt at Heathrow and have to be delivered days later by taxi. BA and Delta. Almost certainly it's Heathrow that's the problem. Though BA and T5 seems to be generally smooth.

Anyway, with bikes, if at all possible and not too epic a journey, I'd prefer to drive (door to door to Alps factoring in airport transfers, parking and faff, it's not much more time, more relaxing and can take bucket loads of stuff).

Flying and a short trip, I'd think twice about taking a bike for fear of the bike not turning up as that writes off the trip. At least renting for a couple of days on a long trip is not so bad.

I'd heard a lot of horror stories about BA but they were the only option for my trip to Brazil last month.
BA Edinburgh-Heathrow
LATAM Heathrow-Sao Paulo
LATAM Sao Paulo-Campo Grande
LATAM Campo Grande-Sao Paulo
BA Sao Paulo-Heathrow
BA Heathrow-
.
To be fair BA were alright, not great, there was a slight delay (medical of some sort leaving Heathrow the first time) but this didn't affect the connection in Sau Paulo.
Much longer delay leaving Heathrow the second time, but no connecion to make (for me!) Problem with the baggage system, the bags were all on the plane but the pilot had no idea where, affects weight distribution and suchlike and prevents take-off for a while.
Anyway, bike was fine on all legs. 23kg was the standard, mine was 32kg there, 30kg back (I'd eaten my gels and drunk my energy drink). The cost for the excess was £65 there, US$100 back. I am reliably informed by someone who has left without his bike a few times that the baggage lift at Heathrow T5 can only take one big box at a time.
There is a dimension but not weight limit on cabin bags so put small heavy things in there, pedals, spare tyres, lights, cassette tool, spare mech etc. Not tried allen keys, don't know how that would go down. Brake pads were fine. 2 small 16g CO2s in the hold bag.
My advice is avoid Heathrow (if only for the extremely rude staff, is this really the first thing we want visitors to see of this country? Nowhere else comes even close)
In my experience the best for bikes are Emirates, just generally nicer and 32kg limit in cattle class, and Virgin (23kg of baggage plus 23kg of sports equipment = two bikes for me, £140 extra to up them both to 32kg and get them to Sydney and back)

My experience with BA is that for long-haul they are the worst airline in the world - business is dated beyond belief, the food crap (if they actually have a meal for you - I ordered a special meal for business class when travelling with work and it didn't appear on either leg so went very hungry) and the staff just about passable. It's just all so dated and mumsy and yuck.

However, for flying within Europe with bikes - I hate to say it, they are brilliant! No fuss, no hassle, just make sure to go Club Europe if you can and it's the best experience I've had. No dramas at all - plus some bubbles on the flight 🙂

Everyone gets things wrong, but I’d suggest “The norm” might be stretching it a bit.

As in every time I returned home from sea to find out my baggage was still in Heathrow? No, that was definitely the norm for me. No other airline has ever given me so much hassle with baggage, even FlymayBe and the other budget carriers can get that one basic thing right.

My experience with BA is that for long-haul they are the worst airline in the world

Yup, flew from Buenos Aires with them and when we stopped for fuel in Sao Paolo they wouldn't let us off so the cleaners had to vacuum round our bloody feet. Joke of an airline.

Yup, flew from Buenos Aires with them and when we stopped for fuel in Sao Paolo they wouldn’t let us off so the cleaners had to vacuum round our bloody feet. Joke of an airline.

Bit unreasonable to blame BA in this situation as it's almost certainly rules laid down by the Brazilian government keeping you on the plane.

So why not clean the plane when it was empty in Argentina? I know there is a reasonable argument for doing both on paper but when it's you sitting in the seat it's bloody annoying.