Airport experience - Boston, Hawaii, Ireland

Traveling with my Air Glide is still a pleasure - and the TSA screeners have treated it with care...

I've traveled with my bike twice this year (yeah, I know, I'm slacking off!), and had no airport trouble at all.

In Boston, checked baggage is 100% x-ray screened, and my bike case was not opened at all. Flying home from Kona, Hawaii was interesting because all baggage there is hand-screened. The TSA screener checked the bag in front of me. He did lift the bike up, but didn't pull it totally out of the case. And while I was not allowed to help him repack it, he was happy to take helpful hints from me. He treated the bike (and me) with respect - no problems. I have no idea how the bike was screened on my way back from Ireland - but it was not opened. No problems, and my bikes (my Pocket Rocket for day trips, and my Air Glide for loaded tours) will continue to travel with me!

The only caution I'd pass on to others it to be careful about how much extra stuff you put in your bike case since the airlines seems to be sticking fairly strictly to their weight limitations. On my trip to Hawaii they thought the bag was overweight, but it turned out that it was within the allowed limit. I was flying American Airlines, and the weight limit for domestic flights is 50 pounds per bag. I had my bike, the trailer frame, tools, pump, my biking shoes, and a few other extra (bike-related) items in the case. My trailer wheels were in my duffle bag with my clothes - and I suspect if they were in the case it might have been just over the weight limit.

Click here for links to my trip journals and lots of pictures.