I’m hoping to take my Brompton folding bike on a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Newcastle. I know you’ve got one — do you check it in or take it on board? — Katie Bates
Whether you travel by plane or train, the London-made Brompton remains the best solution for providing local transport at the end of a long-distance trip.
It’s a decent city bike that, in less than a minute, folds down to the size of a suitcase. It is not quite small enough, though, to comply with BA’s cabin-baggage limit: each of the length, breadth and depth dimensions is exceeded by an inch or two. So you’ll have to check it in, paying £10 more than the hand-baggage-only fare.
The bike will need to be in a bag to protect baggage handlers and avoid damaging other people’s luggage. You may have to drop it off/pick it up at the outsize baggage belt. You should let down the tyres to avoid them bursting when the air pressure in the hold drops (bring a pump to inflate them after the trip).
The ride from Newcastle airport into the city involves fast, busy roads, so you might instead keep the bike folded and take the 24-minute Metro journey, fare £3.30.
I imagine that some people will wonder why anyone would fly to a city that is only three hours away by train. You could carry the bike on board at King’s Cross and stow it in the carriage. Well, I have flown the same journey as you because the cheapest East Coast Trains peak-hour train ticket I could find cost twice the air fare.
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