Current United Airlines bike fee

Don't know what United is charging for International, but since I'm stuck in
airports today I had the opportunity to ask someone (Madison & Chicago;
total meltdown today in the midwest, so I feel lucky to be getting out at
all, even though I won't make it home until 2am) . $100 each way. That's
actually just $20 more than last year. All things considered, it probably
still makes sense to bring the bike on the plane with you, since UPS is
going to run about the same, +/- $30 depending upon distance.

Here at Chicago O'Hare, there's not much chance of finding out about the fee
to bring a bike along on an International flight; the lines for customer
service are literally 200 people deep. It's *really* bad here tonight.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Don't know what United is charging for International, but since I'm stuck
in
airports today I had the opportunity to ask someone (Madison & Chicago;
total meltdown today in the midwest, so I feel lucky to be getting out at
all, even though I won't make it home until 2am) . $100 each way. That's
actually just $20 more than last year. All things considered, it probably
still makes sense to bring the bike on the plane with you, since UPS is
going to run about the same, +/- $30 depending upon distance.

Here at Chicago O'Hare, there's not much chance of finding out about the
fee to bring a bike along on an International flight; the lines for
customer service are literally 200 people deep. It's *really* bad here
tonight.

--Mike Jacoubowsky

Bike Fridays fly for free.

On Jun 6, 7:43 pm, "Pat" wrote:
Don't know what United is charging for International, but since I'm stuck
in
airports today I had the opportunity to ask someone (Madison & Chicago;
total meltdown today in the midwest, so I feel lucky to be getting out at
all, even though I won't make it home until 2am) . $100 each way....

Bike Fridays fly for free.

But not on American Airlines anymore - $15 each way for the first
checked bag with a few exceptions (and $25 if you have a second bag to
check). Just what we need - more encouragement for people to try to
cram everything into an oversized 'carryon' bag.

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Don't know what United is charging for International, but since I'm stuck in
airports today I had the opportunity to ask someone (Madison & Chicago;
total meltdown today in the midwest, so I feel lucky to be getting out at
all, even though I won't make it home until 2am) . $100 each way. That's
actually just $20 more than last year. All things considered, it probably
still makes sense to bring the bike on the plane with you, since UPS is
going to run about the same, +/- $30 depending upon distance.

Hmm, $200 r/t. Maybe a $70 Wal-Mart bike or $150 Costco bike that you
donate to Goodwill at the end would be better, if you're just using it
for some casual riding.

peter wrote:

But not on American Airlines anymore - $15 each way for the first
checked bag with a few exceptions (and $25 if you have a second bag to
check). Just what we need - more encouragement for people to try to
cram everything into an oversized 'carryon' bag.

One of the talk shows tonight joked that American will let you not fly
with them at all for just a "$35 No-Fly Fee."


Bill

__o | Reason has seldom failed us because it has seldom been tried.
_`\(,_ |
(_)/ (_) | --Edward Abbey

wrote:
peter wrote:

But not on American Airlines anymore - $15 each way for the first
checked bag with a few exceptions (and $25 if you have a second bag to
check). Just what we need - more encouragement for people to try to
cram everything into an oversized 'carryon' bag.

One of the talk shows tonight joked that American will let you not fly
with them at all for just a "$35 No-Fly Fee."

I liked this comic:

"http://www.cagle.com/working/080521/sheneman00.gif"

I think that AA will either back down on the first bag charge before the
date it's scheduled to go into effect on June 15th, or discontinue it
shortly afterward. It will cause a lot of delays, including at security,
at the gate, and on the plane prior to take-off. The L.A. Times reported
that AA is going to put more workers at airports to try to ease delays,
and install devices to prevent oversize bags from going through.
Amusingly, they're dropping the "curbside check-in fee."

On Fri, 6 Jun 2008 21:23:37 -0700 (PDT), peter
wrote:
On Jun 6, 7:43 pm, "Pat" wrote:
Don't know what United is charging for International, but since I'm stuck
in
airports today I had the opportunity to ask someone (Madison & Chicago;
total meltdown today in the midwest, so I feel lucky to be getting out at
all, even though I won't make it home until 2am) . $100 each way....

Bike Fridays fly for free.

But not on American Airlines anymore - $15 each way for the first
checked bag with a few exceptions (and $25 if you have a second bag to
check). Just what we need - more encouragement for people to try to
cram everything into an oversized 'carryon' bag.

After a little fuming, I'm just looking at that as a $40 price
increase. At least until I hit "elite" later this year.

Pat

Email address works as is.

SMS wrote:
wrote:
peter wrote:

But not on American Airlines anymore - $15 each way for the
first
checked bag with a few exceptions (and $25 if you have a second
bag
to check). Just what we need - more encouragement for people to
try to cram everything into an oversized 'carryon' bag.

One of the talk shows tonight joked that American will let you
not fly with them at all for just a "$35 No-Fly Fee."

I liked this comic:

"http://www.cagle.com/working/080521/sheneman00.gif"

I think that AA will either back down on the first bag charge
before
the date it's scheduled to go into effect on June 15th, or
discontinue it shortly afterward. It will cause a lot of delays,
including at security, at the gate, and on the plane prior to
take-off. The L.A. Times reported that AA is going to put more
workers at airports to try to ease delays, and install devices to
prevent oversize bags from going through. Amusingly, they're
dropping
the "curbside check-in fee."

Nobody, American included, probably knows for sure. I think you are
probably right, and this is like the "$3 to talk to a teller" fee
the largest local bank tried some years ago. When nobody else
followed, they eventually backed off.

I do know that I've been getting considerable e-mail from American
informing me that I'm not subject to the fee (I'm Gold status on
AA).



--
Mike Kruger
"When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl." -
Anonymous

Update- New UA bike fee, announced today, is $125 each direction, at least
for domestic. Still nothing to clarify the International situation, but my
guess is that it's the same.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message
...
Don't know what United is charging for International, but since I'm stuck
in airports today I had the opportunity to ask someone (Madison & Chicago;
total meltdown today in the midwest, so I feel lucky to be getting out at
all, even though I won't make it home until 2am) . $100 each way. That's
actually just $20 more than last year. All things considered, it probably
still makes sense to bring the bike on the plane with you, since UPS is
going to run about the same, +/- $30 depending upon distance.

Here at Chicago O'Hare, there's not much chance of finding out about the
fee to bring a bike along on an International flight; the lines for
customer service are literally 200 people deep. It's *really* bad here
tonight.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Update- New UA bike fee, announced today, is $125 each direction, at least
for domestic. Still nothing to clarify the International situation, but my
guess is that it's the same.

That makes a good case to rent at the destination, at least where
such is available. Seems a bit excessive to me.....

--Mike Jacoubowski
--
They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for
one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in
your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.
-- Ernest Hemingway