I was chuckling to myself yesterday when asked to join the cause United Airlines is Ridiculous to Charge $175 Each Way to Travel With a Bike on Facebook.
Who would you rather travel with at such a price? Think you can find a rental bike that fits & performs like yours at a quality bike shop wherever you're traveling to?
This charge is not specific to bicycles, but over sized luggage in general - into which category most bike cases fall. Each airline determines what the value of the limited space in their cargo hold is worth. Don't like that particular charge, fly somebody else! Or find out what the real cost of driving is. Take Greyhound or Amtrak! like I tell my kids - you have choices.
Everybody bitching about what the airlines have turned into, verses what they once were - have their heads buried in the sand. Ticket prices have changed little, while costs have soared; thus the advent of a la carte pricing. Make a reservation over the phone verses the airlines web site - pay more. Want free booze and more legroom - pay more. Walk up at the last minute, with no baggage, and explosives in your underwear - pay more. Why should a somebody traveling light, subsidize somebody who has body bags full of crap or a bicycle to check?
BTW, United is a longtime supporter of USA Cycling and offers up to a 15% discount on tickets purchased more than 30 days in advance.
Tip O the Day - save some $$ and ship it ahead of your trip via FEDEX or UPS to your hotel or nearby bike shop. Yeah it takes a little more of your precious time to drop it off at their shipping office, but they're in the cargo business, not the passenger-by-air business.
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