In my experience, booking a flight with a bike in tow is a frustratingly recurring emotional rollercoaster: find a great deal on a flight, excitedly confirm with your fellow travellers, reach the baggage screen and realise that bike carriage fees have increased the flight cost threefold.
Having been a cycling journalist for nearly 20 years, and taken at least 40 flights with a bike, I've learnt this lesson the hard way, and repeatedly.
The good news for 2026: in much of the world, airlines really have become a little friendlier to bikes. The bad news: the details still matter, and the wrong carrier (or the wrong case) can easily add a couple of hundred to the cost of a trip.
The key numbers to keep in your head are 23kg and 32kg. Twenty‑three kilos (50lb) is the standard economy checked‑bag limit. Thirty‑two kilos (70lb) is the predominant global safety ceiling for anything a baggage handler is allowed to lift. Different airlines have different weight limits, as well as size restrictions that can give way to check-in migraines if you aren't fully prepared.
If you don't already have a bike box or bag, read our guide to the best bike travel cases to help ensure you have the best kit on your side in weight, dimension and protection terms.
Below, we assess the main airlines in North America, Europe and Australia/Oceania on two axes that actually matter to cyclists: total trip cost and weight policy.
You can use our simple interactive airline bike charges guide here, or read below for full details on all the policies.
North America: from punitive to pretty generous
North American carriers have changed their policies significantly over the past decade. Most big U.S. carriers now treat a bike box as regular checked baggage: no special “sports equipment” surcharge, no oversize penalty, as long as you behave on weight.
Best overall: Alaska Airlines
Alaska is the current benchmark. A bike counts as a normal checked bag and the airline waives traditional oversize and overweight surcharges for bikes, provided you stay under 32kg (70lb). If your fare, status or co‑branded card gives you a free first bag, your bike is free. In practice, that makes Alaska comfortably the cheapest option for most North American trips.
However, weight limits are strictly enforced, so keep below 32kgs.
Very good: Delta, American, United
The big three legacy carriers have converged on similar rules:
- No dedicated bike fee.
- No oversize penalty for a bike box.
- If it’s your first checked bag and under 23kg, you either pay the standard bag fee (often US$30–40 domestic) or nothing on many international tickets.
American is particularly forgiving on dimensions, allowing up to 292cm total (115 linear inches), which covers most modern hard cases without drama. For a typical road setup in a soft or hybrid bag, these three are now solidly “bike friendly” on both price and practicality.
Be aware that United imposes seasonal bike embargoes during peak travel periods (e.g., early January around holidays, and Spring Break) and may refuse bikes entirely. Always confirm acceptance when booking during busy periods.
Specialist pick: Air Canada
Air Canada still charges a dedicated bike handling fee – about US$50/CAD50 each way – even if your fare includes baggage. That looks harsh next to free‑if‑in‑allowance rivals, but there’s a twist: on many routes Air Canada lets a bike go up to 32kg without overweight penalties.
If you’re hauling a downhill bike, a heavy travel case or simply like overpacking spares, that extra 9kg can easily be cheaper than the overweight fees you’d trigger elsewhere. For heavy setups, Air Canada moves from “annoying” to “actually pretty smart.”
Bring your wallet: JetBlue
JetBlue sits at the other end of the spectrum. A bike attracts a flat US$100 fee each way, on top of any standard checked‑bag charges, though oversize and overweight penalties are waived. For short domestic hops, that usually makes JetBlue the priciest mainstream option once you factor everything in.
One to avoid: WestJet
WestJet, by contrast, draws consistent criticism from cyclists for higher fees and a less accommodating experience. If flying within Canada, Air Canada is the preferred choice.
North America verdict
If you can pack a road or gravel bike under 23kg, Alaska plus the big three U.S. legacies are the clear winners on cost. Heavy‑bike riders should price‑check Air Canada. JetBlue only makes sense when the base fare is dramatically cheaper than the competition.
Europe: legacy value vs low‑cost sting
Europe is more fragmented, and the gap between national carriers and low‑cost operators is still huge. Once you add bike fees, that €19.99 fare can cost significantly more once bike fees are added.
Best for most riders: British Airways
BA’s policy is refreshingly simple: a bike is just another checked bag. If it’s under 23kg and within 190×95×65cm, it comes out of your standard allowance. No sports surcharge, no drama. On long‑haul or premium‑economy tickets with generous baggage included, that often means the bike travels for free.
For European trips with a race bike in a soft case under 23kg, BA often has no additional bike fee when the route is available.
However, as many fares are now advertised as Basic Economy, be wary that this includes no checked bags along with the ticket price. So for the cheapest fare you will need to purchase a checked bag to take your bike along.
Flexible but fiddly: KLM
KLM sits in the middle. Officially, a bike can incur a sports equipment fee that ranges wildly by route – roughly €70 up to around €250 each way on long‑hauls. However, KLM also runs a weight‑based system on some tickets: if your packed bike is under 32kg and within 300cm total dimensions, it can sometimes ride as part of your standard baggage allowance.
KLM can work well for riders who need the 32kg cap and check fare class rules and pre‑registration requirements in advance. It’s not the cheapest by default, but it can be very good value if you get the details right.
One to avoid for long‑haul: Lufthansa
Lufthansa still applies a traditional, high “bicycle tariff” – in the ballpark of €200 each way on routes between Europe and North America (based on our own baggage calculations on Lufthansa's website). Service is usually excellent, but purely on price it’s one of the worst choices for trans‑Atlantic racers.
One exception is that codeshare bookings can change the equation. Flying Lufthansa metal with a United ticket may mean your bike travels as a standard checked bag if your fare includes one. Similarly, Lufthansa sometimes operates British Airway flights, where a bike bag could fall within a normal baggage allowance.
As a result, if you’re considering a Lufthansa-operated flight, it can be worth checking whether the same service is available to book through a partner airline with more generous baggage rules.
Hidden gems for specific routes: Edelweiss & SAS
For travel to Switzerland, Edelweiss Air is a standout. They transport one piece of sports luggage up to 23kg free, in addition to your normal baggage allowance. They're a holiday airline with limited year-round routes, but when available, they're among the best value in Europe. Their parent company Swiss, by contrast, is expensive and complicated.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) treats bikes as normal checked bags if under 23kg – no sports equipment surcharge.
Travel hack potential: Eurowings
Eurowings offers a credit card perk worth knowing: book with their co-branded card and bike carriage is reportedly free on EU routes.
Solid mid‑pack: Iberia
Iberia charges a relatively modest fixed fee – around €50/US$60/£45 per bike per leg. You still need to pack sensibly and follow the rules (pedals off, bars turned, proper box), but for point‑to‑point Euro trips it’s a fair deal, especially when BA or KLM don’t line up from your local airport.
Low‑cost reality: EasyJet and Ryanair
The low-cost carriers charge fixed bike fees:
- EasyJet: about £50/€61 per leg, up to 32kg when pre‑booked.
- Ryanair: roughly £60/€60 per leg, up to 30kg.
On a single short hop, those fees can be tolerable. Link two or three legs, or travel as a group, and the maths often flips in favour of a supposedly expensive legacy carrier with bikes inside the allowance.
Europe verdict
British Airways typically has the lowest effective cost among European carriers when bikes are under 23kg. KLM is a great option if you need more weight headroom and are willing to navigate its fare maze. Iberia charges around €50/US$60/£45 per bike per leg. Lufthansa and multi‑leg low‑cost itineraries often total more than legacy carriers once all bike fees are included.
Australia & Oceania: generous, with a budget sting
The Australian duopoly is, on paper, among the most cyclist‑friendly in the world – with one big budget outlier.
Best overall: Virgin Australia
Virgin treats a bike box as a standard piece of checked baggage. Under 23kg, it just comes out of your allowance, so many domestic trips end up effectively free on the bike front. For local racing circuits and training camps, that’s hard to beat.
Great, with a quirk: Qantas
Qantas also includes bikes within your baggage allowance and is relatively relaxed on weight, allowing up to 32kg on many international economy tickets. The catch is size: boxes longer than 140cm can be refused as standard baggage and shunted into freight territory.
Plenty of popular soft and hybrid bags sneak under that limit; some bulky hard cases don’t. If you’re wedded to a giant coffin case, measure carefully before you bank on Qantas.
Budget pain: Jetstar
Jetstar charges dedicated bike fees on all routes. Bikes are “oversized items” and incur a dedicated fee: around AUD45 each way on domestic routes and AUD70 on international. Anything over 1m in any direction triggers the oversize rules, which in practice means every adult bike.
You also have to pre‑purchase enough weight. Blow past your paid allowance and you’re into excess‑baggage territory at roughly AUD10 per extra kilo. A 26kg box with a 7kg carry-on can incur excess baggage fees of roughly AUD90–120 above the base ticket and pre-purchased allowance.
Australia/Oceania verdict
Qantas and Virgin include bikes under 23kg in standard baggage allowances on most domestic tickets, with no additional fee. Jetstar only works if the base fare is dramatically cheaper and you’re disciplined about both weight and advance booking.
Asia-Pacific: Limited but some gems
Best in class: JAL (Japan Airlines) JAL offers exceptional value for cyclists – economy tickets include two 23kg bags, giving you plenty of room for bike plus gear without additional fees.
Worth considering: Emirates Emirates requires upgrading to Flex Plus fares for adequate bike-friendly allowances (35kg shared), which adds cost. However, they offer more airport routing options than many competitors for getting between Australia/Asia and Europe.
Flying With a Bike: Tips From Reddit
We posted this guide to r/velo to get real-world experiences. As well as sharing details on providers listed above, here are a few tips the community shared with us:
Seasonal Embargoes: Some airlines impose blackout periods when bikes aren't accepted at all. United is known to refuse bikes during peak holiday travel (e.g., early January). Always confirm bike acceptance when booking during busy periods.
Compact Cases Can Sneak Through: Smaller bike cases used for specific packable frames like the Ritchey Breakaway sometimes pass as regular luggage rather than oversized sports equipment. Results vary by airline and check-in agent.
Codeshares Affect Fees: Flying on one airline's aircraft with another's ticket can change what you pay. For example, Lufthansa metal with a United ticket may treat your bike as a standard checked bag if your fare includes one.
Credit Card Perks: Some airlines (like Eurowings) waive bike fees entirely when you book using their co-branded credit card.
Weight Enforcement Varies Alaska strictly enforces their 50lb limit and may make you repack. American tends to be more relaxed—often just adding an overweight sticker at 50-60lb.
So which airline should you actually book?
Most full‑service carriers in North America, Europe and Australia now treat bikes under 23kg as standard checked baggage. If you can hit that magic 23kg number with a sensibly‑sized case, your bike often travels as cheaply as a normal suitcase.
Weight above 23kg changes the calculation. Heavy bikes and overbuilt cases will push you toward airlines that either:
- allow up to 32kg within a normal allowance (Air Canada, some KLM and Qantas fares), or
- explicitly waive overweight fees for bikes (Alaska).
Low‑cost carriers require calculating: base fare + bike fee × legs + any excess weight charges. For a lot of trips, the “expensive” airline turns out cheaper once you add it all up.
Two final hard rules for 2026: e‑bikes are effectively a no‑go in airline holds because of their lithium batteries, and 32kg is an absolute ceiling for any single bag. Everything else – soft case vs hard, spare wheels, turbo trainers – is negotiable.
If you weigh your packed bike box before you book, and then book with that number front‑of‑mind, the check‑in scale stops being a slot machine and becomes just another part of the cycling trip routine you’ve already planned for.
Note - this article was updated on February 5 2026 to reflect community-sourced travel advice
