One of the great uses for folding bikes is taking them along when traveling. I have flown a variety of times with folding bikes socked away in suitcases that met the checked bag guidelines, allowing me to avoid the extra fee airlines charge for carrying full size bikes. But the rules are getting trickier as airlines struggle with sky high fuel costs.
Recently, the New York Times reported that Delta, United and US Airways will begin charging $50 round trip next month for a second piece of checked luggage. Since that story was published, Airtran, Continental & Northwest jumped on this bandwagon too (Airtran's fee will just be $20 RT though).While charging for a 2nd carry on may be viewed as un-American (technically, that's true as American Airlines isn't charging the fee yet), Spirit Airlines has been charging $10/checked bag for some time now. Also, European budget airlines such as Ryanair have been charging for checked bags for years.
Ultimately, it's still more convenient to take your own folding bike when you fly but you'll need to research the airlines you're flying and pack more carefully to avoid paying additional fees.
1 comment:
THIS JUST IN:
DELTA TICKET PRICES UP TOO
Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's third-largest carrier, said this week it raised domestic fares in most cases $10 to $40 per roundtrip, in the form of a fuel surcharge.
The latest hike covers the bulk of Atlanta-based Delta's route system, according to Rick Seaney of airline ticket researcher FareCompare.com.
Northwest Airlines Corp. is also studying the Delta-initiated fare hike, a spokesman said.
Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways Group Inc. is another airline studying the Delta move.
Airlines have been hiking fares in recent months to deal with soaring fuel prices, spurred by oil, which currently stands at nearly $120 a barrel.
Northwest Airlines said it would match fare increases instituted by other carriers, matching the approximately 3-5% increase first implemented by United Airlines and matched by Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines.
Post a Comment