Transporting the bike

Dear all,

 

Well, all of this has started one week ago when, after packing the bike, I realysed that the cardbox would not fit my car. The dimensions of the box were roughly 180 x 110 x 30 (cm! I have no idea how much is that in feet and inches)

To bring the bike home I had to ask for my father's help (cheers dad!!)

Here is one picture of that help (sorry for the quality but I was still testing the camera):

 

The following week I have called TAP to know if it would be any problem to carry such a box and after checking the system I got the confirmation that would not be any problem, just that I should arrive to the airport around 2 hours from departure time!

I was a bit late, but not a big deal and after using Skybag service (in order to make just one volume out of the 3 panniers - TAP only carryies one piece of luggage for free), i proceed to the check-in counters.

Everything went smoothly ( although Lisbon airport was fully packed with tourists and travellers), and there were only 2 more steps to go:

1. Paying the 35 euro fee to transport the bike;
2. Drop it at the oversized lugguage.

Picture of me with boarding pass, before droping the bike at the oversized luggage:

Paying the 35 euro fee was not a problem at all, but then lets face the following step...

The only problem is that the x-ray scanner is able to scan luggage of 1 x 1 meter, the card box is 1,10... So what can I do? I have contacted TAP before, asking if I could transport it, and I have been told that yes (on their planes, they do not check if the airport infrastructure will have or not any trouble...)

The security guy asks me to go to TAP to find a solution, TAP says that will transport the bike but the security has to find a solution...

Well, I had no other option but open the cardbox and take out the bike to pass it through the scanner...

Everyone is happy? NO!!! The cardbox has to pass also through the scanner? An empty cardbox? Why?? Procedures....

F word for the procedures, but no much time left for the disussion. We had to bend the cardbox and pass it through the scanner.

After all clear, time for farewells and see you in September!!!

Security checks without much trouble, although the scanner always beeps with me :)

Just little time for some free-shop purchase, I thought that my friendly host Marta would love to have a taste of Duas Quintas red wine for dinner :) If any of you guys did not taste such a Douro red wine, have a try and let me know what you think of it.

 

And that was the start of the trip!!

 

Best,

Peter

 

Postado com o Blogsy