CarryMe Folding Bikes Allowed As Carry-On
by Larry Lagarde

As I reported yesterday, AirTran's response was unclear as to whether folding bikes would be allowed on board their flights as a carry on. I rephrased my question and within 24 hours, I had a much clearer answer.

Basically, if the overall dimensions of the folding bike are 55 inches (Height + Length + Width) or less, AirTran will allow passengers to take the bike into the cabin as a carry on. In other words, if you have an A-Bike, CarryMe 1 spd or Carry Me DS, you can take the bike on and store it in the overhead bin above your seat. Unfortunately, the answer is not so great for other folding bikes.

If the overall dimensions of the bike are more than 55", it must be checked and is thus subject to AirTran's checked baggage regulations for bicycles. Sadly, even if your bike meets the overall dimensions and weight allowances that apply to checked bags in general (61" overall & max wt of 50 lbs), AirTran will charge you $79 each way for checking your bike. Ironically, on October 1, 2009, AirTran will be increasing the overall dimensional limit for checked bags to 70" but this change does not apply if the bag contains a bike.

If you're interested, here's a full transcript of my correspondence today with AirTran:

AirTran's Reply To My 2nd Query:

Dear Mr. Lagarde,

All customers traveling on AirTran Airways are restricted to one carry-on item and one personal item. Personal items include handbags, umbrellas, walking sticks, crutches, coats, cameras, reading material, infant food, briefcases, and laptop computers. Back packs may be considered a personal item, providing the bag is packed in a way that it will fit under the seat in front of you, if you are also traveling with a carry on bag. Back packs will be accepted as personal items subject to gate and flight crew discretion.

No carry-on item may exceed the overall dimensions of 55 inches (Height + Length + Width) and must fit under the seat or in the overhead bin. You may view our complete baggage policy online by following the link below:
http://www.airtran.com/policies/carry-on_checked.aspx

Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again. We thank you for including AirTran Airways in your travel plans and we wish you a very pleasant flight.

Sincerely,

Melanie Britt
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

My reply:

Melanie,

Forgive me but I just want to make sure I understand:

It sounds like you're telling me that if the collapsed bike fits in a bag with overall dimensions of 55 inches (Height + Length + Width) and if the bag fits in the overhead bin, I can take it aboard as a carry on at no additional charge. Is that correct?

Regards,

Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Practical & Fun Bicycles That Fold For Storage, Travel & Convenience

Final answer from Airtran:

Dear Mr. Lagarde,

Thank you for your reply. That is correct. As long as it fits within our requirements it would be acceptable as your carry on luggage.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Melanie Britt
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

With AirTran's dimensional limits for checked bags increasing soon to 70", hopefully, AirTran will see the hypocrisy of charging $79 for checked bags that contain a bike yet meet the limit.

If you'd like to fly on AirTran but are put off by this bike fee, TELL THEM TODAY. The more they hear from flyers, the more likely it is that the airline will respond.

Labels: AirTran-Airways, baggage-fees

Are Compact Folding Bikes Subject To AirTran's $79 Bicycle Fee?
by Larry Lagarde

This Fall, AirTran Airways will be offering a new non-stop service between New Orleans and Baltimore. I enjoy air travel but hate changing planes so this new flight could be useful to me - especially if I could take my CarryMe folding bike aboard as a carry on (just like Southwest allows).

Looking for answers, I visited AirTran's site and read through all the baggage policies. According to the site, Airtran allows passengers to bring aboard Assistive Devices "being collapsed small enough to fit in overhead bins"; such Assistive Devices do not count toward the carry-on limited either (cool). But what if they don't consider my compact folding bike as an Assistive Device? There were no prohibitions mentioning bikes and the CarryMe met the other published carry on guidelines (item length + width + height must be less than 55" and must fit in the overhead bin)...

Digging deeper, I found a reference to bicycles under Airtran's baggage policies for Sporting Equipment section of the checked baggage regulations; however, the info was vague and appeared to refer to full size, non-folding bikes. Would AirTran really charge $79 each way for a bike that folded so small that it could easily & safely fit in an overhead bin? To learn more, I wrote the following to AirTran using their online form:

I have an unusual piece of sporting equipment that I take when traveling. Smaller and lighter than AirTran's limit for golf equipment, it's a 17 lb bike that folds. When I fly Southwest, they let me carry it on and store it in the overhead.
Can I do this on AirTran too? Would any fees apply to flying AirTran with this?

Shortly after submitting my query, I received AirTran's standard auto reply which states that it can take 48 hours to receive an answer.

Will AirTran answer my questions like United did earlier this year (sending a general, canned response that had absolutely nothing to do with my question) or will I get a definitive answer? I'll let you know what happens in 48 hours.

Labels: AirTran-Airways, baggage-fees