How to safely transport a Brompton by air? I now own a Brompton folding bike.  (Fortunately, I bought my plane tickets first, as I am also now broke!)

Anyone here ever checked one into baggage in a B-bag, and suffer damage?  If so, what parts were damaged?  I want to protect those parts, and I don't want to disassemble/reassemble.  I suspect the bag itself is more likely to be damaged than the bike, but would like to learn from the experience of others.

Anyone here ever carried one on?  I've read that this can be done, but after seeing it in the bag, I don't believe it.  In fact, I think they're going to charge me extra for the size.  (See update below.)  Which reminds me of another related question:

Has anyone ever been charged extra on the grounds that the picture of a bike on each side of the bag makes it "sports equipment"?

UPDATE: Checked from IQT to LIM on Star-Peru.  Completely unusable on arrival.  Repairs very expensive.  Also, it does NOT fit in most airline overheads and is significantly larger than the explicit limits for carry-ons at many airlines.  Perhaps (as I've been told) it can be done on Southwest, but Southwest doesn't go anywhere that requires an airline.

UPDATE TWO: Every trip with the B-bag, there has been minor damage, but not nearly the disaster of Star-Peru.  I finally went and got a Chubby which protects it much better and carries all my other stuff between flights.  At the airport, fold the Brompton, empty the Chubby, put the Brompton in it, pack some of my things around it, and carry on the rest.  Have to pay an oversize fee, or a bike fee, depending on the airline.  Sometimes it's hard to predict which.  Some airlines will treat it more gently if they know it's a bike; some the opposite.  Also hard to predict.
Flying with a Brompton [as a carryon] is typically dependent on the airport staff and flight crew, rather than airline policies and procedures. I've had success getting the bike on larger planes no problem, mostly because overhead compartments were very large, or because there was sufficient space to store the folded bike (with seat and pedals removed) with strollers and folded wheelchairs. I'll even refer to it as a "mobility device", which will sometimes spook TSA into thinking that they're denying me accessibility or civil rights.

Again, this is mostly dependent on the gate/flight crew's level of tolerance/patience. The easier you make the process for them, the more likely they are to let you take the bike on the plane. 

Here is a good blog post about the process itself.

A second, great blog post with tips as well.

Technically speaking, here are a few tips:


I use "Superior" MKS pedals that are completely removable. Nothing sticking out of the bike; they go into a separate bag in luggage.
I'll typically put a small bungee cord around the bike (inside the bag) to keep the bike from rattling/moving too much. It's also much more stable when being handled by flight crew/TSA.
Remove the seat; put it in your luggage/carry-on.
I also deflate the tires a little. This helps when the luggage compartment is a tight fit, and let's the tire sticking out give a little when the latch is shut.


Generally, the bike has suffered no real damage when I've carried it on or gate-checked it.