Nice Airport

dewindygap

So after 6 wonderful weeks cycling in France our bubble burst last night when my wife's bike and baggage were stolen as we checked into hotel in Nice.
As a result we gotta curtail the trip and fly home from here. Has anybody flown with a bike from Nice and how strict are they re. box or bags as the way I feel now I couldn't be arsed going through all that again and would like to send it with the pedals off, saddle dropped and handlebars turned.
Any advice appreciated . It will most probably be with Ryanair.

brownian

That's a massive pain!

If you need a bike box in Nice, try the big supermarkets/hypermarkets for boxes - bike shops can be awkward about giving them to you.

dewindygap

Ok folks, less than a day to go to our flight and panic setting in. My last hope let me down today but he did say for me to buy some big bin bags and insert bike inside them. Any views on this? Will it be acceptable at check in?
God I hate flying with a bike (on a plane)

hungry4k

They will insist you buy a box of them in the airport. It's a rip off, about 20 euro I think and poor quality but it will do the job. Bring tape with you.

Good luck.

dewindygap

hungry4k wrote: »

They will insist you buy a box of them in the airport. It's a rip off, about 20 euro I think and poor quality but it will do the job. Bring tape with you.

Good luck.

Aw that's super news. Thanks for that. Bought sacks but much too small. Am happy out now but wife still distraught .
Just as an aside, Nice is beautiful and the staff in Ma Nolans (they have 2 bars in Nice and one in Cannes) were just superb. Could not do enough for us and the food and Guinness is superb.

simonrooneyzaga

dewindygap wrote: »

Aw that's super news. Thanks for that. Bought sacks but much too small. Am happy out now but wife still distraught .
Just as an aside, Nice is beautiful and the staff in Ma Nolans (they have 2 bars in Nice and one in Cannes) were just superb. Could not do enough for us and the food and Guinness is superb.

the Nacho's are to die for! Sorry to hear about your troubles, gutting stuff. Safe trip home.

hardCopy

We flew home from nice in 2012. No hassle at all and no need for a box, they just put a sticker on the bike and we wheeled it to an oversized luggage gate. Safe travels.

dewindygap

Thank you for that. I suspect the rules have changed since. Will let you all know 😩😩

dewindygap

hungry4k wrote: »

They will insist you buy a box of them in the airport. It's a rip off, about 20 euro I think and poor quality but it will do the job. Bring tape with you.

Good luck.

Just a quick update. Arrived home safely on Tuesday. As hungry4k helpfully said, they insisted on a box @22€; and poor quality is correct. When eventually it appeared at Dublin it was in tatters, upside down, despite marking 'top' all over it plus arrows pointing up. It looks as though it was dragged along the ground as the front forks were protuding with score marks on the tips .
Beats me why they don't just allow them to be wheeled on and off like a few years back. It takes 1 person and no manual handling involved.
Again, thanks to all who contributed.