Kulula Bicycle Transport Rules

Get on your bikes & fly! So, attention all pedal power fans - you don't want to rock up at the airport with your bicycle and find that you have to cough up more "green" from your wallet to get it into the hold of a big green plane. You're probably used to Kulula baggage rules for standard luggage, but there are specific requirements for bicycle transport.

When it's not the Cape Town Cycle Tour then normal rules apply, which is that you must pack the bike according to the plane's requirements, and check-in at the Kulula counters at least an hour and a half before your flight is scheduled to depart.

Your challenge is to pack your bike, your clothes and everything else you want to take on your trip in a container which is no bigger than 190cm in length, 75cm in height and 65cm in width; and weighs less than 20kg. In the highly likely event that it is not possible to do so, you will have to pay for an extra bag and /or a heavy bag fee (note that in no circumstances is a bag weighing more than 32kg allowed to be taken with).

Kulula Bicycle Transport for Cape Town Cycle Tour 2020

Want to give 2019's winner Sam Gaze a go? Then make sure you get your bicycle on a flight down to Cape Town by following these guidelines. It's a huge logistical effort to get the thousands of bikes to Cape Town on the 8th of March 2020, and so Kulula set up dedicated drop-off and pick up zones at Lanseria, OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town International Airport (they only operate flights to Cape Town from OR Tambo, Lanseria and Durban).

In some cases it may not be possible to transport bicycles to Cape Town before or on cyclists' flights.

The process :

First book your flight with Kulula, then phone 0861 585 852 (7am and 7pm Monday-Sunday) to book your bicycles. You have to pay the R740 handling fees (or R370 one-way) before you drop off your bicycle. You will receive a bike handling confirmation via email as soon as it is paid. They only allow 20 bicycles on each flight, so book yours sooner rather than later.
You should pay careful attention to how to pack your bicycle. Kulula applies very strict rules (which you can read here), of which the most important is to take note of is that your bicycle should be boxed (boxes available from bicycle shops) and the only part of your bicycle allowed in your hand luggage is any speedometer or electronic equipment (wheels and pumps containing carbon dioxide need to be packed in your check-in luggage.
You need to make sure that you always have the following documents on you when dropping off or collecting your bicycle: flight reference number/booking confirmation, bike handling fee receipt (printed e-mail), valid proof of identity and the Waybill or limited release tag received when you dropped the bike off.
You should aim to drop your bicycle off between 90 -45 minutes before your departure between 2 - 7 March 2020 at the check-in desk.
At the time of check-in you will be directed to a demarcated area in your airport. You should collect your bicycle at the "Out of Gauge" collection point next to carousel 6 at Cape Town International Airport. Kulula will not store bicycles, so be sure not to leave the airport without yours. If you haven't made arrangements beforehand, kulula will refer you to BidAir Cargo.
If you are connecting to or from an international flight, you can check in your bicycle at the airport terminal, but your bicycle won't necessarily be accommodated on the same flight.
Drop off you bicycle at one of the following designated spots on the following dates:

OR Tambo: Head to the Airport check-in desk, then the Oversized Baggage / “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) drop-off point between the 2nd and 7th of March 2020 when you check-in for your flight. Get more details here.

Lanseria: Head to the Airport check-in desk, then the Oversized Baggage / “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) drop-off point between the 2nd and 7th of March 2020 when you check-in for your flight. Get more details here.

Durban: Head to the Airport check-in desk, then the Oversized Baggage / “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) drop-off point between the 2nd and 7th of March 2020 when you check-in for your flight. Get more details here.

After leaving your bicycle there, receive a limited-release tag. Keep this safe as you need it to collect your bicycle.
Collect you bicycle in Cape Town:

Personally collect your bike at Cape Town International Airport (sorry, no matter how much they love you, your buddies and friends can't do this for you), taking along with you your ID/Driver's Licence/Passport, flight reference number, bike handling fee receipt & the limited release tag or waybill:

Between 2 and 7 March 2020, you can collect your bike from the “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) collection point clearly marked with banners and Kulula staff.
After the race drop your bicycle off at Cape Town International Airport - you'll need your ID/Driver's Licence/Passport, handling fee receipt & flight booking confirmation :

8 until 14 March 2020: Head to the Airport check-in desk, then the OOG (Out-of-Gauge) drop-off point when you check-in for your return flight. Make sure you collect a limited release tag.

Collection at local airport: Allow up to 45 minutes for staff to get your bicycle to the collection point after your arrival.

OR Tambo: Collect your bicycle in the arrivals hall at the Oversized Baggage/ “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) collection point between the 8th and the 14th of March 2020.

Lanseria: Collect your bicycle in the arrivals hall at the Oversized Baggage/ “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) collection point between the 8th and the 14th of March 2020.

Durban: Collect your bicycle in the arrivals hall at the Oversized Baggage/ “Out-of-Gauge” (OOG) collection point between the 8th and the 14th of March 2020.

To avoid having to get the kleenex out should bikey get hurt, it's recommended that you take out private insurance for your bicycle.

If you've read this far down the page, you deserve a treat. Here's Freddy Mercury on the topic of bicycles:

And whilst we're making random connections, here's what Comair CE, Erik Venter has to say about Freddy Mercury: "Before I get too critical of the instant-gratification generation, I should mention that the sausage smugglers worn by the likes of Jimmy Page, the Bee Gees & Freddy Mercury were equally hideous." :)

Other Airline requirements

Click here to see Mango Airlines rules for transporting bikes to the Cape Town Cycle Tour (previously known as the Cape Argus Cycle Tour).
Click here to see South African Airways rules for transporting bikes to the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Category : Kulula Airlines ; Author : Rob Baker ; Date Published 2020-02-20