by Corban Burns

Created on: March 19, 2010

Nowadays airports are so conscious about what is in your luggage and have strict rules. We can’t blame them for wanting to know what’s in our bags but it can be hard to adjust to their rules. This is especially difficult when you are trying to board your bicycle on an airplane.

Most airports do not allow anyone to have big bulky items for two reasons. One, you can have concealed weapons, gases, liquid poisons, bomb fragments and even illegal drugs. Secondly, bulky items such as a bike take up too much room in the storage compartments. However some exceptions are made when upon purchasing your plane ticket, you purchase separate cargo room on another plane. This will no doubt cost a lot and will also mean that you will have to wait a few days for the luggage to catch up with you. So in order for you to avoid these headaches and high prices, you must prepare in advance.

First, be sure to check with the flight attendant several months in advance to your scheduled flight. Ask questions about their policy and requirements for oversized cargo. Once you get this information be sure to write it down so you don’t forget. Afterwards begin preparing to adjust to their rules. For example, most airports will require you to disassemble your bike fully. This may be a daunting task but it must be done. First begin removing the smaller parts such as the brakes, brake levers, and any other accessories you may have on your bike. Then move onto the bigger parts such as the wheels. In order to conserve space and money (you pay for extra baggage) it would be good to have with you a long flat cargo bag that can be rolled on the ground. This way you can lay certain bicycle parts such as the frame and wheel on a flat surface and stack them on top of each other. As mentioned before, be sure you have the rules on small items such as the brakes. Some airlines may require you to place them in sealed Ziploc bags as a safety measure. While disassembling your bike be sure you hang on to the loose nuts, screws and bolts for you will need them when you reach your destination and have to reassemble your bike. After you fully disassemble the bike, make sure your cargo bag is organized. This way when the airport security teams check your luggage they can easily see what you have packed without having to remove your cargo from its bags.

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