Club Europe is often worthwhile as it is frequently less than £60 extra, and that’s how much a bike costs each way anyway for non-status pax. As SCH, this is one of the most valuable benefits to me as my TP come mostly from holidays, so the bike trips are usually on super-cheap BA holidays Flight+car deals in Y.I use an Evoc bag - wrap the entire frame in bubble wrap and remove the rear mech too. I always take a spare hanger and a spare disc rotor too in case they get bent. Worth putting dropout spacers in (ask your LBS for some from a Bike packaging box) and also something over the top of the seat tube. I pack the wheels with the rotors to the inside.Weirdly, at times times the brake hose banjo at the calliper has come loose post-Flight. I wonder if it is to do with the changing air pressure as I never have it otherwise.
CO2 cartridges - you can usually take two in the bag. More than that is excessive.
Take helmet, one set of clothing, pedals and shoes in your carry on in case they loose your bike.
LHR T5
Oversize is down by the Business check in. As a SCH they have never really been fussed about weight. All very easy other than having to drag the bag from the pod which is the opposite end of the terminal! Arriving back it comes out on the belt, but occasionally a man brings it through the door. A couple of times someone has left it on the other (locked) side of the door, took a bit of locating even though it was only a few yards away.
LHR T3
Usually quite easy as you take it round to the oversize in the centre of the terminal. Occasionally I’ve had to take it down into the bowels of the terminal which was a bit weird. Arriving back is easy enough.
GVA
Arriving, the bike comes out in the far right hand side of the reclaim area. Departing, they are extremely fussy about weight - they have variously told me it has to weigh 23kg (even in CE / SCH), that it counts as an extra bag and that it won’t be insured. You need to know your rights, have the relevant page open on ba.com and/or ask to speak to someone else. Rental cars are via a bus so best to stick the bag up by the driver out of the way.
HEL
They are very fussy about aerosol cans. I’ve had notes left inside saying “excessive aerosols” due to a tiny GT85 can. OK for weight.
BCN
No worries with weight, very helpful agents and easy to find oversize. On arrival it comes out of a lift door - in true Spanish style they occasionally need a nudge to go and look for it. Long walk to/from rental cars.
NCE
Very easy, although as a small airport they won’t accept it until 2-3 hrs before the flight.
VCE
Very easy.
VER
Long oversize wait, no issues though.
LUX
Comes through a door adjacent to the baggage reclaim. Usually takes ages. No worries with weight.
FAO
Long wait for bikes out of the reclaim at the back wall of the terminal, big signs. They have even provided Bike stands and a track pump which is remarkable! No worries with weight.
KRK
Arrival - turn left as you go into the baggage reclaim. Oversize is in the left hand corner. Comes out of a lift and they often need a nudge to go and fetch it/check for it. On departure, they wanted to have a good rummage around inside and ask you to wait whilst they x-ray it. Funny about CO2.
GLA
No issues.
BRU
Major issues checking in - they insisted the weight allowance for SCH was 23kg, even after showing them the BA website they argued it, eventually they just said my 30kg bag was 23kg as the chap accepted they were wrong but he said the system wouldn’t let him override it. Arriving was very slow - oversized is staffed by, as far as I could make out, two rather slovenly chaps who drag your stuff over as slowly as possible. It took an hour from landing to collect the bikes.
LIN
Bike comes out of a small door between the baggage reclaim belts. No signage to indicate this so we wandered about for a bit until we noticed it. Airport is a maze and a mess, it was like stepping back into the 80s.
PRG
Arrival very easy, bikes came out in oversize area. On returning, they let us check in early as SCH. Bikes went to oversize where we had to remove all CO2 cartridges and throw away - none allowed apparently (which is incorrect but they were insistent). We had a moment of panic when the chap doing the scan flatly said “you have bombs in luggage”. Turns out “bombs” are what they call CO2 cartridges in Czech.