Qantas Bike Travel

[Swim.Bike.Run]

Hi All,

 

I'm flying Qantas to Aus.  

Do any of you clever okes have some experience with traveling your bike with Qantas?

Any do's/dont's/tips are welcome.

(I see I have a 30kg bagage limit, so it's going to be a stretch to pack the bike, tri gear & clothes within that weight)

 

Thanks in advance.

PS. I know it's a Friday, so can we stick to the topic at least until 15h00? 

[Duane_Bosch]

Hey man.

 

I've not flown quantas but I have flown with a bike many times. 30kg is plenty. Remember you have 7kg of carry on and you can carry your helmet in your hand/helmet bag in addition to that.

 

• Bike bags tend to weigh a ton so I have a shop pack my bike into a cardboard box. Have the shop weigh the boxed bike.
• I have them leave the top of the box open so that i can add a bunch of gear. I tape the box up WELLL. I also write my name, address etc on all the box's surfaces.
• Wear your heaviest gear (jackets) onto the plane.

Arrive early. Be Nice.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Duane_Bosch

[kosmonooit]

Don't take your bike tools / pedals / cassettes / etc with your hand luggage ..

[peds]

Hey man.

 

I've not flown quantas but I have flown with a bike many times. 30kg is plenty. Remember you have 7kg of carry on and you can carry your helmet in your hand/helmet bag in addition to that.

 

• Bike bags tend to weigh a ton so I have a shop pack my bike into a cardboard box. Have the shop weigh the boxed bike.
• I have them leave the top of the box open so that i can add a bunch of gear. I tape the box up WELLL. I also write my name, address etc on all the box's surfaces.
• Wear your heaviest gear (jackets) onto the plane.

Arrive early. Be Nice.

I know this is an old thread but info still seems the same. Is the 7kg additional to the 30 you can check in or is it 23kg check in and 7 carry on?

 

Does anyone know what it would cost to take the bike and pay for it if you over the checked in allowance?

[100Tours]

Most airlines - USD100 per leg for the extra luggage item (assuming you have a bike and a suitcase). If you're super careful you can put everything in just 1 bag.

 

I flew a bag and 2 bikes back from Italy this year. Was charged $100 for the first bike and $200 for the second. So as they say your results may differ.

 

Generally you should pay for the extra bag before you get to the airport to avoid higher costs, or if you don't often win arguments with airline check in agents.

Edited July 17, 2019 by 100Tours

[Duane_Bosch]

Does anyone know what it would cost to take the bike and pay for it if you over the checked in allowance?

It depends on the airline. Short story.

[Desi]

Qantas is particularly bad with excess baggage. They charge AU $80 PER KG of excess baggage. We have just booked flights to Australia, with bikes, and chose to fly Emirates, via Dubai, because they gave us 2 x 23kg bags each. One 23kg bike bag, plus you still have 23kg of luggage, plus hand luggage. The Emirates flights were more expensive, but it works out much less than paying excess baggage for the bikes. 

[peds]

Most airlines - USD100 per leg for the extra luggage item (assuming you have a bike and a suitcase). If you're super careful you can put everything in just 1 bag.

 

I flew a bag and 2 bikes back from Italy this year. Was charged $100 for the first bike and $200 for the second. So as they say your results may differ.

 

Generally you should pay for the extra bag before you get to the airport to avoid higher costs, or if you don't often win arguments with airline check in agents.

 

thanks, I had a look and for excess baggage it sates 14K if i take another 25kg bag / bike. Sounds excessive, will try call them tomorrow and update the thread.

Edited July 17, 2019 by peds

[peds]

It depends on the airline. Short story.

this is a Qantas thread so was hoping someone knew for Qantas specific.

Edited July 17, 2019 by peds

[peds]

Qantas is particularly bad with excess baggage. They charge AU $80 PER KG of excess baggage. We have just booked flights to Australia, with bikes, and chose to fly Emirates, via Dubai, because they gave us 2 x 23kg bags each. One 23kg bike bag, plus you still have 23kg of luggage, plus hand luggage. The Emirates flights were more expensive, but it works out much less than paying excess baggage for the bikes. 

true, I looked at emirates to New Zealand but it is like 20hours extra flight through Dubai. So i chose to fly Qantas because it is 16 hours vs 36 hours.

 

I might just be forced to buy a new bike there

Edited July 17, 2019 by peds

[intern]

true, I looked at emirates to New Zealand but it is like 20hours extra flight through Dubai. So i chose to fly Qantas because it is 16 hours vs 36 hours.

 

I might just be forced to buy a new bike there

Qantas is always my preferred airline for that long haul. It's horrible as it is, so you want to make it as short as possible. The 30kg allowance is generous and plenty to get a bike on - have flown MTBs from SA to here, no probs on Q. Have also flown AKL/Brisbane with my road bike in a bike box, no hassles and smooth sailing. Just let the airline know in advance that you are bringing a bike properly packed for travel - it goes onto the plane slightly differently, you have to drop it off at the 'oversize' door, and then other side you collect it at the 'oversize' door along with the new mums and dads collecting their prams and the surfers grabbing their boards, etc.

[intern]

They operate 747-400s on that route, by the way, so this may be one of your last opportunities to travel on one of those older kites

[patches]

Also use Qantas for long haul (JHB to NZ via Sydney).

 

First time I flew with a bike on that route, I paid a little extra to upgrade to Premium Economy. This means 10kg extra check-in, 7kg additional carry-on, better seats, and business lounge access in Sydney. Well worth it and only slightly more than what 10kg alone would have cost me in Excess baggage.

That said, I was uprooting and moving my whole life to NZ so needed all of those 54kg.

 

Second time I flew Qantas with a bike, I just packed light and stuck to my 30kg.

 

I have also flown Emirates with a 30kg limit and a downhill bike (17kg on its own), full-face helmet, and enough gear for a 3 weeks.... still do-able.

 

The other thing that helps is to use a bike box. A simple, cardboard bike box. These weigh between 2-4kg depending on size and if the cardboard is double reinforced. Whilst the Evoc bike bags (and the like) look cool, and give you mad street cred in the airport, they weigh in at around 9kg (nearly 1/3rd of your limit), plus all you need is a careless baggage handler to gooi the bag and break a rollie wheel or handle or something),

 

So unless you're transporting an eBike or have more clothes than a Kardashian, you should be ok.

Edited July 17, 2019 by patches

[intern]

So unless you're transporting an eBike or have more clothes than a Kardashian, you should be ok.

 

Physics says this isn't possible.

[patches]

true, I looked at emirates to New Zealand but it is like 20hours extra flight through Dubai. So i chose to fly Qantas because it is 16 hours vs 36 hours.

 

I might just be forced to buy a new bike there

 

Besides the baggage limit, just keep in mind that NZ has strict biosecurity laws, so if you're bringing a mountain bike, they'll likely want to inspect it. Both times I flew bikes into NZ they wanted to open up the box, and check for mud etc all over, including the bottom end of the steerer and down the seat tube. So yeah, if you have an MTB, clean it (and your shoes etc) very well!

 

As for buying a bike here... I'm sure some of us expats would be happy to point you to some sweet deals 

[patham]

They operate 747-400s on that route, by the way, so this may be one of your last opportunities to travel on one of those older kites

 Their numbers are steadily reducing. Will be 787s from next year I understand. The odds of having a spare seat next to you will drop to near-zero.....