The following information about flying internationally and domestically in Japan has been gathered by Triathlon in Tokyo with the help of its members. If you find anything is no longer correct, or you have new information, please contact us here.

International Flights

American Airlines – charge $30 per bike within the standard weight limit (23 kg).

According to their website, they charge $150 for overweight bags up to 32 kg. <Forum post>

ANA allows 292 cm for L+W+H up to standard weight limit (23 kg). <Forum post>

British Airways – allows bicycles for free up to 190 cm length as part of standard weight limit.

Hawaiian Airlines – charge $150 per flight for bikes. <Forum post>

JAL allows 203 cm for L+W+H up to standard weight limit (23 kg). For larger bike cases, they charge 20,000 yen per flight. <Forum post 1> <Forum post 2>

Jetstar (Australian LCC) charges 24,000 yen for bikes (20,000 yen for extra bag + 4,000 yen for oversized). <Forum post>

KLM charges 100 euros per trip for pre-booked bikes. <Forum post>

Domestic Flights

JAL and ANA allow bike cases on most domestic flights. You have to sign a damage claim waiver, but baggage handlers have a great reputation in Japan, so many triathletes use soft cases, such as the Ostrich OS-500 Travel Bag (see below) - and rinko bags. 

However, for some races, especially to smaller islands, the planes are too small to take bikes. Goto and Tokunoshima races both require you to send your bike by courier. Sagawa will transport bicycles.

Bicycle Cases

Cardboard Box – you can get boxes free from bicycle shops; free and disposable; they can be cut down to 203 cm L+W+H, but for larger frames you may have to remove the forks.

Homemade Bike Case - you can make your own version of a bike case by cutting down a cardboard box (see above) to fit inside a heavy-duty Ostrich Travel Bag, such as the "Ostrich MTB rinko bag" available from Amazon jp. There is detailed information here about making your own case and packing your bike inside.

Post Transfer Case – semi-rigid soft case which folds down to a backpack when not in use. Tim Smith of GS Astuto has these cases on his website with a 10% discount for TiT members (code is on members-only forum).

Ostrich OS-500 Travel Bag - padded soft case; great for domestic flights, and fine for international if you wrap the pike in extra padding. 

Qbicle Porter – a corrugated plastic box which fits in the 203 cm dimensions <Forum post>

Scicon AeroComfort 3.0 TSA Bike Travel Bag – very popular with triathletes, but expensive and bulky <Forum post>; you can avoid oversized charges with JAL by removing the seatpost and squashing down the bag. <Forum post>

CO2 Cartridges & Other Prohibited Items

CO2 Cartridges – everyone has different experiences travelling with CO2 tyre inflator cartridges. The rule is that they cannot be put in checked-in luggage. However, all airlines should allow a CO2 cartridge in a life jacket (PFD) as carry-on baggage, which means that you can take a Restube on the plane with you. You have to tell the security staff before it is scanned. JAL has information <here>. <Forum post>

Flammable Liquids - It is best not to try to sneak prohibited items into the bike case, especially in Japan where baggage checks can very thorough. Apart from C02 canisters, prohibited items include flamable liquids, such as tubeless sealant, and puncture repair glue. In one case, a TnT member checked in his bike bag at Haneda Airport, but it was later put through a scanner which picked up a flammable liquid. The bike was returned to check-in, and the member was called to the airline's desk and then taken back through security to remove the tubeless sealant from his bag. The lesson is that you should put such liquids in a transparent bag and keep them in cabin baggage.

Other

Keep Upright label - label in Japanese asking for a case to be kept upright. May help with soft cases.