Qantas $400 excess baggage charge for bikes.

A warning - Things are getting worse. Don't fly Qantas with bikes any
more. It's too risky.

We got onto Qantas in perth without trouble. Bikes were boxed as required.
And the domestic flight on Air NZ from Wellington was OK, with a $20 per
bike handling fee.
But returning to Oz from Christchurch, the air-NZ staff acting for
Qantas got strict.
Bikes are officially included in the 20kg allowance, and they actually
allow only 25kg each. So with 2x boxed touring bikes at 20kg each,
and 15kg each bags, "that'll be NZ$440 excess charge please".
A chat with the Qantas ticketing office got us the same special
deal that skis and golf clubs (i think?) get - ie the first 15kg of
excess is charged as 3kg, so we only paid NZ$66 after moving some weight
to carry-on. But that was apparently just because they chose to be nice
to us.
Be warned! Be very careful trying to fly out of Christchurch with
bikes. You can save a few kg by loading the bikes unboxed, but will need
to sign a limited release. Also, they don't weigh the carry-on. I have
seen one lady get challenged on that, but she had a _very_ heavy-looking
wheeled case.
Putting the locks in carry-on is a good idea, but Melbourne airport's
security people decided that D-locks were deadly weapons. We then
managed to check them in.
At other airports, they always noticed the locks on the X-ray, but
didn't care once identified. Good luck.

NEXT TIME - I'll be flying Virgin (Pacific) Blue. The bike counts as
only 5kg, and excess charges are much lower - e.g. $25 for up to 30kg.

http://www.virginblue.com.au/helpInf...ge+Information

http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying...rtingEquipment

(Its a bit depressing to realise how mind-numbingly stupid are the
people responsible for our aiport security. I'll happily fight their
security chief, him armed with a confiscated swiss-army-knife, and me
with a smashed glass duty-free bottle or two :-)

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.travel.air.]
On 2005-01-28, Mike wrote:
A warning - Things are getting worse. Don't fly Qantas with bikes any
more. It's too risky.
[...]
(Its a bit depressing to realise how mind-numbingly stupid are the
people responsible for our aiport security. I'll happily fight their
security chief, him armed with a confiscated swiss-army-knife, and me
with a smashed glass duty-free bottle or two :-)

It becomes more understandable -- note, not more acceptable, just more
understandable -- when you come to the realisation that airport security
is not about security. It's about the _appearance_ of security. Or, in
other words: they don't screen you to make sure that the flight is safe;
they screen you to make sure that you _believe_ the flight is safe.

If I walk through the metal detector at Melbourne airport, for example,
I could be carrying a ceramic or glass knife, strapped to my thigh --
and they wouldn't know any different. Meals are served with a plastic
knife ... and a metal fork. Hell, I could do some pretty serious damage
(with the right training) just with my glasses, especially if I
carefully filed the ends to sharp points and covered them with rubber
tips to conceal the sharp points.

To tighten security up to the point where nothing dangerous gets on
board would cost a fortune, and drive up air travel prices to the point
where nobody would fly any more. And doing things effectively on board
the plane (like having cockpit doors that are locked and effectively
impenetrable from the passengers' area) isn't visible, so it doesn't
immediately allay fears of hijack/terrorism/whatever.

Bruce Schneier has some interesting articles on this topic -- google for
"cryptogram" and have a search through the archives.

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@" to "usenet".

"Mike" wrote in message
...
A warning - Things are getting worse. Don't fly Qantas with bikes any more.
It's too risky.

We got onto Qantas in perth without trouble. Bikes were boxed as required.
And the domestic flight on Air NZ from Wellington was OK, with a $20 per
bike handling fee.
But returning to Oz from Christchurch, the air-NZ staff acting for
Qantas got strict.
Bikes are officially included in the 20kg allowance, and they actually
allow only 25kg each. So with 2x boxed touring bikes at 20kg each,
and 15kg each bags, "that'll be NZ$440 excess charge please".
A chat with the Qantas ticketing office got us the same special
deal that skis and golf clubs (i think?) get - ie the first 15kg of
excess is charged as 3kg, so we only paid NZ$66 after moving some weight
to carry-on. But that was apparently just because they chose to be nice
to us.
Be warned! Be very careful trying to fly out of Christchurch with
bikes. You can save a few kg by loading the bikes unboxed, but will need
to sign a limited release. Also, they don't weigh the carry-on. I have
seen one lady get challenged on that, but she had a _very_ heavy-looking
wheeled case.
Putting the locks in carry-on is a good idea, but Melbourne airport's
security people decided that D-locks were deadly weapons. We then managed
to check them in.
At other airports, they always noticed the locks on the X-ray, but didn't
care once identified. Good luck.

NEXT TIME - I'll be flying Virgin (Pacific) Blue. The bike counts as only
5kg, and excess charges are much lower - e.g. $25 for up to 30kg.

http://www.virginblue.com.au/helpInf...ge+Information

http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying...rtingEquipment

(Its a bit depressing to realise how mind-numbingly stupid are the people
responsible for our aiport security. I'll happily fight their
security chief, him armed with a confiscated swiss-army-knife, and me with
a smashed glass duty-free bottle or two :-)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I recently travelled (without bike) from Canberra to Sydney by coach. I
arrived at the coach terminal about 15 minutes before departure, my luggage
was not x-rayed, they did not care if I was carrying a jeweller's
screwdriver or a nail file, and the return trip of 560 km approx was $50 on
a non refundable fare. The time from Jolimont Centre, Canberra to Eddy
Avenue, Central Railway was 3.25 hours. It was all quite civilised.

I will need a good reason to travel from Canberra to Sydney by air on either
airline.

John Dwyer.

Mike wrote:
A warning - Things are getting worse. Don't fly Qantas with bikes any
more. It's too risky.

snip

Thanks for this kind of info. I'm going to try
and take the Puegeot (roadie) to Europe with me
so I'll let you guys know how that works out..
remind me if I don't

hippy

dave wrote:
hippy wrote:

Mike wrote:

A warning - Things are getting worse. Don't fly Qantas with bikes any
more. It's too risky.



snip

Thanks for this kind of info. I'm going to try
and take the Puegeot (roadie) to Europe with me
so I'll let you guys know how that works out..
remind me if I don't

hippy

Hippy I had no problems with quantas or JAL. If you want any tips?

Dave
IMHO its generally not Qantas who the problem but the BA staff at Heathrow

--
Remove norubbish to reply direct

Jack Russell

Jack Russell wrote:
dave wrote:
Hippy I had no problems with quantas or JAL. If you want any tips?

IMHO its generally not Qantas who the problem but the BA staff at Heathrow

Is it a problem arriving at Heathrow or when you try to leave with the
bike? i.e. could they try and sting me _after_ I get off the plane?

dave: Qantas is still an option but it's looking like Malaysian or KLM
for now. I'll get back to you on that..

hippy

hippy wrote:
Jack Russell wrote:

dave wrote:

Hippy I had no problems with quantas or JAL. If you want any tips?


IMHO its generally not Qantas who the problem but the BA staff at
Heathrow


Is it a problem arriving at Heathrow or when you try to leave with the
bike? i.e. could they try and sting me _after_ I get off the plane?

dave: Qantas is still an option but it's looking like Malaysian or KLM
for now. I'll get back to you on that..

hippy

Its leaving London, the BA staff are a shambles. Since they handle many
airlines they might be hard to avoid. Funnily enough I flew Brodeaux to
Gatwick with BA last year. Did not have the bike protected at all (bit
hard after a tour). No problems.
Also 4 years ago flew NZ/United to Caracas. Had the bike boxed, no
charge no problems. Returning from Caracas United charged me some
nominal fee.
So I guess it is all a bit random.

--
Remove norubbish to reply direct

Jack Russell

hippy wrote:
Is it a problem arriving at Heathrow or when you try to leave with the
bike? i.e. could they try and sting me _after_ I get off the plane?

Nop. Once your luggage gets past the check-in counter, its is accepted
all the way to destination. Baggage handlers don't really know if you
paid extra or not.

Technically, if you interline, the second airline might page you if
you've gone way above baggage allowance (they'd see number of pieces
check in if they look for it). But I have never heard this happen.
Generally, the baggage allowance of the originating airline is honoured
by the other airlines on the same trip/ticket.

When you get to a check-in counter manned by an airline whose policies
are different, you need to assert your rights (and then it is good to
know your own airline's precise rules) and insist that they check the
exact rules that apply to you as an airline X passenger. Point out that
your ticket is on your airline X, and airline X's rules apply and that
you have no link to the airlien Y which may be the employer of the check
in agent.

If Y and X are part of the same airline allowance, pickup an alliance
booklet that garantees seemless baggage rules from your airline across
the whole network of airlines part of that alliance.

dave wrote:
Jack Russell wrote:

dave wrote:

hippy wrote:

Mike wrote:

A warning - Things are getting worse. Don't fly Qantas with bikes
any more. It's too risky.





snip

Thanks for this kind of info. I'm going to try
and take the Puegeot (roadie) to Europe with me
so I'll let you guys know how that works out..
remind me if I don't

hippy



Hippy I had no problems with quantas or JAL. If you want any tips?

Dave


IMHO its generally not Qantas who the problem but the BA staff at
Heathrow


BA.. I could tell you stories about BA.. Which stands for Bad Attitude.

Dave
Better than its predecessor BOAC "Better on a camel"


--
Remove norubbish to reply direct

Jack Russell

dave wrote:
The cardboard bike box in the hall has done two trips to london and I
reckon has one more in it btw.

Is this the same sort of box that new bikes come in or a 'special'
cardboard bike box? What about those (expensive I think) bike bags
or (even more expensive) hardcases?

Quantak JAl do this thing where you take Jal to london and get a night
in Japan.. Its not enough time to do anything but its a nice hotel. They
dont actually tell you about it.. but when you get to the Jal hotel
in Narita they just give you a room. Breaks the trip up nicely.
And they laid on an earthquake for me.

The last time I looked.. in the middle of peak season the cheapest
flight I could find was 1755 but the airplane. (air china) didnt
actually exist. The chepest real flight was JAL which was about 2K. A
767 to Japan and a 747 to london. THe more engines the better.
I actually booked the flight 10 hours before getting on it. and I
decided to go an hour before that

Return tickets have a 12-month or 18-month maximum duration. I'm going
longer than that (planning to anyway) so a one-way is the sensible
choice. The cheapest I saw from STA was the Malaysian/KLM one at around
1100+tax. It refuels in KL for 2hrs and then heads to Amsterdam. If I
take this flight I'm going to spend a few days in 'dam before heading on
to London.
I wonder how many people Heathrow gets coming in from Amsterdam that
forgot to remove the lil baggies from their pockets..?!
There is a more direct flight that costs $80 more on Austrian Airlines
(Lauder??) but it doesn't have the 'fun stop'.
Qantas actually had a $2k return ticket that you could get up until
mid-May I think, which I thought was exceptional.
I need to look around some more..

hippy