Bikes on planes

[Screaming Lord]

Hi. I am bringing my bike with me from England to Japan in the summer, flying with Lufthansa. Earlier today I booked the bike as luggage and was told to wheel the bike to the Lufthansa desk on the day, as it is, no packaging required. Is this normal ? I've never taken a bike on a plane before and I've got visions of collecting it at Haneda all mangled up. Any advice appreciated.

 

[theDude]

Looks like that is the case, rather, it is advice they give you.

http://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/Baggage-guide

I've never flown Lufthansa with a bicycle (or at all....) so can't comment on any experience with that offer. I'd be a bit worried about it, I don't know that all baggage handlers would be aware of what to do with a bicycle whilst moving it around airports. I'm assuming you have a transfer in Frankfurt, that would just add to the potential 'bumps' along the way for it.

However, one thing I like with packing it into a bicycle box/bag is that you can jam a bunch of other stuff in with it up to the allotted amount. Just wheeling a bicycle over means you need to accommodate all your gear within the rest of your allowance.

 

[GSAstuto]

I've flown Lufthansa. They can provide bike box at the airport. Please check - as I've not heard of them doing this kind of 'desk service'. One thing about Lufthansa is that they didn't have a weight limit on sporting goods, just got charged per item (box). So, I actually packed 2 bikes in one box along with all the kit, spares, wheels and misc. And , I didnt use a box, I used an Osterich Padded Rinko that belonged to one of the team members.