Folding Bikes On AirTran - Part II

by Larry Lagarde

This past Tuesday, I contacted AirTran for a clarification on their regulations pertaining to folding bikes. Today I received the following reply from AirTran:

Dear Mr. Lagarde,

Non motorized bicycles with single seat will be accepted for carriage with a fee of $79.00 provided the bike is packed in a box by the customer and the handlebars and pedals are removed and stored to prevent damage. Bicycles must be packed in a box with no part of the vehicle exposed. Bicycles not properly packaged will not be accepted.

Please follow the link below to view our complete baggage policy.

http://www.airtran.com/policies/carry-on_checked.aspx

If you have further questions regarding baggage that are not covered here, please call AirTran Airways Reservations at 1-800-AIR-TRAN (1-800-247-8726), or 678-254-7999 in Atlanta.

Please do not hesitate to contact me again, should you need any further assistance. We thank you for including AirTran Airways in your travels and we look forward to serving you on your flight.

Sincerely,

Melanie Britt
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

Since AirTran's reply did not answer my question, I replied by restating my question as follows:

Melanie,

You did not answer my question.

If an item is not prohibited by the TSA and meet's AirTran's overall dimensional limit of 55" for a carry on, can I carry it on board?

According to AirTran's carry on bag policy web page, Assistive Devices which collapse small enough to fit in the overhead are welcome in the cabin. When this bike is collapsed, it will easily fit in the overhead, taking up just a fraction of space.

Regards,

Larry Lagarde

Using logic and reason, if a carry on meet's an airline's size/weight restrictions and is not prohibited by the TSA, the carry on should be allowed aboard. So will AirTran address my question with a clear answer? I'll post their reply once I receive it so check back in a few days for the answer.