No bikes on British Airways
November 10, 2007
This week’s CTC newsletter reports that BA’s new size restriction on sporting goods effectively excludes many bicycles – even when the wheels are removed.
The carrier has cut the size of its allowance by 63% — from 430cm in February to 158cm now.
From the BA website:
- Equipment must be packed in a travel case specifically designed for that piece of equipment.
- One piece of sporting equipment should weigh no more than 23kg and should not exceed the dimensions (H+W+L): 158cm (62in).
- Accepted travel cases: compact bag for dismantled bicycle, folding bicycle bag, hard shell bicycle case.
- Bike pedals must be removed (or fixed inwards).
- Handlebars must be fixed sideways.
- The bike must be contained in a protective box or bag.
- You may wish to deflate the tyres to reduce risk of damage.
We will now have to either pay to fly our bikes as cargo or find another airline.
I was dismayed to see that the dimensions of the hard shell bicycle case in BA’s illustration is actually 225cm, 67cm too big.
Apparently BA will honour the previous allowance on existing bookings.
January 4, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I rang them about this and apprently as long as your bag weighs less than 23KG, but looks like one of the 3 pictures they have on their web site they wil let your bike bag on – its worth taking a print out of the web page, along with a print out from say http://www.wiggle.co.uk which sell the hardcase to show how their recommended hardcase is bigger than the sizes they state
July 9, 2008 at 10:38 am
I flew my Cannondale Touring Classic to the US with BA and had no problems at all, and it is a pretty big boy bike. Couldn’t fault them on it.