Revealed: How much airlines charge to take your bike abroad

Bike luggage charges can be a pain. Every airline seems to handle bicycles in a completely different way, and charge completely different premiums to carry your bike box.

There are very few things that I get more excited about than escaping for a long weekend away with my bike. Rebuilding my bicycle halfway up an alpine mountain is a luxury I wouldn’t give up easily. I might be staying in the cheapest hotel for miles around, but with the local roads, trails and cafes to explore, I’m not planning to see a whole lot of it.

Bike Luggage Charges

Where I begin to lose my mind, is trying to book my bike onto the airline. There are dozens of airlines heading to the popular destinations, and if you’re savvy on the price comparison sites, chances are you’ll be using different companies for the outbound and return journeys.

Each airline treats bikes and sports equipment completely differently. Some will include your bicycle in their checked baggage allowance, others will always charge you extra. There is no consensuses over how heavy bike bags for air travel should be, and none of this information is easily accessible on their websites. How does British Airways sports equipment differ from an Easyjet bicycle booking?

A few common themes popped up when we were researching this information:

-E-bikes are typically not allowed, as the lithium battery is listed as a dangerous or prohibited item by many airlines.

-It’s best practise to book your bike onto your flight in advance, not least because it’s more expensive to add your bike at the airport. Given that space is limited in the hold, there may not even be room for your bike if you leave it until the last minute.

Most airlines only provide minimum compensation in the event a bicycle is damaged. Our Bicycle Insurance can provide complete cover for your bike while it is in transit. Our Ultimate tier Bicycle Insurance will even cover your bike box at the same time  for additional cost.

And if you’re riding abroad, we also provide Cycle Travel Insurance  to cover the costs of emergency medical care and repatriation if you injure yourself riding, on top of all the usual things you would expect from standard travel insurance.