Planning a trip away? Here is an airline list of rules and charges

Are you thinking of taking your bike on your holiday? Are you confused with the airline bike fees? See below a guide to taking your bike on an aeroplane with UK’s 10 most popular airlines. We will breakdown hidden costs and rules and how to pack a bike for a flight.

Easyjet Bike Fee

Bikes box can be pre-booked at the time of booking or can be added to your booking on a later stage. You will need to login to Manage Bookings and 'Add hold Baggage’ from the menu, before you travel. You can also add bikes by contacting the Customer Service Team. It’s possible to ‘pool’ your hold luggage and sports equipment, as long as you’ve purchased enough checked bags to cover it and no single item weighs more than the max limit, which is 32kg. Be careful, as Easyjet don’t allow you to pack any clothes in your bike box or bag.
See Easyjet website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £45 online £55 airport

Weight/size limit: 32kg

Excess fees start at £12per kilo

Rules:

The bike must be packaged in a bicycle box or bicycle bag,
Only one bike per box/bag,
No other items can be carried in the bicycle box/bag (i.e. clothing)
The handlebars must be flush with the frame.
Pedals must be removed or flush against the frame

Ryanair Bike Fee

Ryanair accepts bikes on flights and charge separately from the standard luggage allowance (which needs to be purchased per item with most of their fares). You can add at time of booking or when you login to ‘My Booking’ after booking. Scroll down to booking extras and select 'Sports equipment.' Select the equipment type from the drop down & the number of items as well as the number of sectors.
See Ryanair website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £60 online £70 airport

Weight/size limit: 30kg

Excess fees start at £11per kilo

Rules:

Bicycles - MUST be contained in a protective box or protective bike bag in order to be accepted for travel.

British Airways Bike Fee

You can take your bike as part of your free baggage allowance, but you might need to pay extra if they're large or heavy. The weight it shouldn’t exceed your BA allowance. Some Domestic and European shorthaul flights do not include a baggage allowance, so you will need to purchase checked bags if you want to put any luggage, including your bikes, in the hold. As hand baggage you can also take 1 cabin bag. Any bag over 32kg will require separate shipping as cargo.
See British Airways website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £20 online £40 airport

Weight/size limit: 23kg Size: 190 x 95 x 65cm

Excess fees start at £11per kilo

Rules:

The bike must be packed in a protective bicycle cover/box no larger than 190 x 95 x 65cm to reduce the risk of damage. This can be a heavy-duty polythene bike bag, padded case or hard shell. Make sure the handlebars are fixed sideways, and the pedals are removed or fixed inwards, so they don't stick out. It is also sensible to reduce tyre pressures.

FlyBe Bike Fee

Bikes cannot be pre-booked with Flybe. They are accepted on a stand-by basis and only if there is sufficient space available in the hold, and they are charged. They can only be booked if you call FlyBe’s contact centre.
See FlyBe website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £30 phone £30 airport

Weight/size limit: 23kg

Excess fees start at £11per kilo

Rules:

Handlebars must be turned and locked in line with the frame.
Pedals must be removed or turned inwards.
The front wheel must be removed and securely attached to the frame.
The tyres must be fully deflated.
The bicycle must be bagged or boxed, wherever possible

Tui Bike Fee

If you are taking a bike with you, it can only be booked from 90 days before your return flight. Tui flights recommend to call at least 2 months before you travel on 0203 4512695, as there's limited space available.
See Tui website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £30 (Short/Mid-haul flights) £60 (Long-haul flights)

Weight/size limit: 23kg

Excess fees start at £13per kilo

Rules:

We recommend you insure your sports equipment for its replacement value and make sure it’s securely packed with zip compartments padlocked. If you’re taking a bicycle, we recommend you use a bicycle bag. Handlebars must be turned inwards, pedals removed, tyres deflated and the bicycle must be wrapped in plastic or cardboard.

Jet2 Bike Fee

Bikes can be pre-booked for a fee when you book your Jet2 flight. From time to time they also do special offers as they offer their own cycling holiday tours. It’s easy to add a 32kg bike carriage to your booking! Simply add it at the time of booking or pick up later through ‘Manage My Booking’.
See Jet2 website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £30 Online

Weight/size limit: 32kg Max size 6ft x 3ft (182 x 91cm)

Excess fees start at £12per kilo, but No single piece of baggage can exceed 32kg.

Thomas Cook Bike Fee

Thomas Cook charge to take bicycles on the plane and they can be pre-booked for a fee when you book online. You can also add your sporting equipment to your booking when you login to ‘Manage My Booking’ after your booking.
See Thomas Cook website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £45 for Balearics, Balkans, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal Mainland

Cost per one-way flight: £50 for Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Malta and Gambia

Weight/size limit: 30kg Max size 200x 40X100cm

Excess fees start at £10per kilo.

Rules:

All bikes must be presented for check-in with the front wheel removed, the handlebars turned in line with the frame, the pedals either removed or turned inwards. Bikes should be packed in a cardboard box or have some protection against being damaged or damaging other baggage. We recommend that passengers have insurance cover for the replacement value of all sports equipment.

Norwegian Air Bike Fee

Bikes can be pre-booked for a fee with Norwegian Airlines. They recommend to book early to make sure they've got space for your bike. Simply add it at the time of booking (It’s under ‘Other special baggage and pets’).
See Norwegian Air website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £35-£45 online Shorthaul£45-£70 airport

Cost per one-way flight: £60 online Longhaul £70 airport

Weight/size limit: 25kg Max size 250 x 79 x 112 cm

Excess fees start at £9per kilo.

Rules:

Check that your sports equipment is the right size
Label your equipment and pack it in a hard case, where possible.
Print out your travel receipt and bring it to the airport so we can see what you've paid for.
Make sure you check in and deliver your bags to us at least one hour before departure.
For bikes not packed in a hard case, the handles must be turned around, pedals taken off, tires deflated and other additional parts removed or covered.
We don't sell protective bike boxes at the airport, but you can rent hard bike cases at selected airports.

Vueling Bike Fee

Bikes can be pre-booked for a fee when you book Vueling. It can be done online at time of booking or by login to ‘Manage My Booking’ after booking.
See Vueling website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: £40 online £49 airport

Weight/size limit: 32kg Max height is 2.7 metres

Excess fees start at £11per kilo.

Rules:

Folded and stored in its box or case
Your bicycle must be folded, with the handlebars secured to the sides, pedals removed and wheels deflated.

Air France Bike Fee

You will need to get prior approval from Air France and book 48 hours in advance with their customer service department.
See Air France website for more information.

Cost per one-way flight: 40 Euros phone Zone 1 within France

Cost per one-way flight: 55 Euros phone Zone 3 within Europe

Weight/size limit: 23kg total dimensions must be 300cm or under

Rules:

Remove the pedals, Remove the front wheel and attach it to the frame, Fix the handlebars to the side (parallel to the frame), Place your bike, folding bike or tandem in a protective container (cardboard, hard plastic, etc.)
Bike containers (175 x 21.5 x 86 cm / 68 x 8 x 33 in) are available for purchase at most Air France airport check-in counters.
Please note: when transporting a bike, folding bike or tandem on AIR&RAIL trips, SNCF requires the use of bike containers with the following maximum dimensions: 120 x 90 cm / 47 x 35 in.

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