Bike Boxes

[newflyer]

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with taking the large, professional plastic bike cases on QF domestic flights?

I normally pack my bike up in a standard cardboard box - available free of charge from any local bike shop, or $10 from QF - but have just been loaned a professional bike packing case, with all the fruit. Measures 1250mm long, 450 wide and 850 deep:

It's nice, but seems bigger and heavier than the usual cardboard, 'disposable' box I use, and wondering whether QF will try charging me excess baggage? (They never have before, but I haven't used one of these pro ones...)

Cheers and thanks,

Newflyer

 

[NM]

The standard QF bike box is 1400 x 300 x 800mm. So your is similar, being less in one domention and longer in another. So the total linear dimentions of the QF box is 2500mm, while your box is 2550mm.

The bike box is always included in your checked luggage allowance. So for domestic flights, it counts as 1 piece of checked luggage. Economy class passengers are permitted 1 piece of checked baggage only, with additional allowance for Qantas Silver and higher frequent flyer status.

Maximum weight for any one piece of checked baggage is 32kg.

 

[newflyer]

Thanks NM - appreciated. I don't expect to have any problems - the bloke who lent it to me used it for his 32kg downhill bike flying DJ, so I'm hoping QF will be okay. Just wanted to make doubly sure - this is a personal trip (not business!) so I don't want any stuff-ups!

 

[QF WP]

There was a topic on this subject over on the Qantas Forum in Flyertalk, as I remember og commenting. Now to try and find that thread - in fact here's another (but even older). Don't know how much help they'll be....

 

[newflyer]

Thanks for taking the time to search through Flyertalk, NM. I'm much obliged.

Just for the benefit of others who may be reading this, and thinking of places they can take their bike (via plane), there's actually an earlier post on this very subject - see http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/discus/viewtopic.php?t=1415&highlight=bicycle

(I've just also seen that I contributed to it, too!)

In short, I've never had a drama with bikes on QF, so long as they're packed properly. I'll let you know how I go on Wednesday, this time using a bigger, heavier and more impressive case!

 

[newflyer]

Just a quick update on my new-fangled, high-falootin bike box - it was accepted by QF without any dramas, although it just scraped in under the max weight at 31.6kgs. Seeing the bike only weighs 11.5kgs, that's a hell of a box, eh?

In future, I think I'll go back to using the standard cardboard boxes available from any local bike shop (not the ones you can buy from QF - I find them too big with too much space for everything to rattle about in). Downside is you have to spend more time padding and prepping up your bike, but they're smaller, lighter (much) and easier to carry (especially on roof racks to and from airport) and, better still, you can cut 'em down and chuck 'em in the recycling bin when you're done.

Cheers.

NF