[Yak] RE: Yak Digest, Vol 54, Issue 4

[John S. Allen]

At 01:22 PM 12/3/2008, Martin, Carl wrote:
>I used US Air last summer to fly to Albuquerque. I checked two bags in
>at the curve, one of which was my Bike Friday in the case that came with
>it. I had no problem and was only charged the extra $15 bag fee.

Same with me traveling to Portland and back from Seattle in September.

>Does
>this mean that I should now avoid US Air? I do not want to arrive at the
>Air Port and be surprised by a big bike fee. That would defeat the whole
>purpose of having this bike.

No, just don't tell them it's a bike in the suitcase. USAirways' 
rules, cited previously on this list, only charge specially for a 
bicycle if it is oversize. Some employees may not read the rules 
carefully. But the simplest way to address the problem is that the 
contents of your suitcase are none of an airline's business, and the 
counter personnel won't know unless you tell them. It is the TSA's 
business, but the TSA doesn't report to the airline.

The only hitch with this is if you need to put in a claim for damage 
or loss. Then you may have to state what was damaged or lost. Would 
the airline refuse the claim if you hadn't declared the contents or 
paid the (bogus) baggage charge? I am awaiting a response from 
attorney Bob Mionske about how to deal with this. The chapter in his 
book about liability waivers, including those for baggage, is a real 
eye-opener both as to their reach and their limitations. He himself 
owns a travel bike (a Ritchey Breakaway) and told me that he plans to 
write about the stealth bicycle baggage issue sometime soon.

John S. Allen
7 University Park
Waltham, MA  02453-1523  USA
781 891-9307
jsallen at bikexprt.com
http://bikexprt.com