USA Cycling was informed by United Airlines that they will be unable to continue their sponsorship support of USA Cycling in 2007. What does this mean for USA Cycling members? It means that USA Cycling members will no longer be entitled to receive two “Bikes Travel Free” vouchers for United Airlines with the purchase of their 2007 license. In the past few years, all my non-business air travel has somehow been related to cycling. In some cases it was for a race and others a chance to train in a warm place while on vacation with my family. By buying a USCF and NORBA license, I was able to fly round trip twice in a year without paying for my bike.

With it costing $160 to fly a bike round trip, it was a big incentive to fly United. Now I’ll have no reason to fly with them. Of course it really bugs me that it costs that it costs that much to fly with a bike. I can maybe see it with a flimsy cardboard box but I have the Trico Ironcase with wheels and a handle. I actually climb on top of it when I pack it to make sure it seats on the other half instead of part of my bike. Most other sporting equipment just counts as a piece of luggage. For a while they had no weight limit on bikes, so I stuffed as much gear as possible into my bike case. Then they had a 70 pound limit and then they dropped it to 50 pounds just like all other luggage.

United said it decided to discontinue its relationships with all other National Governing Bodies and focus their sponsorship efforts on the U.S. Olympic Committee. United cited one of the primary reasons to discontinue the bike vouchers program was its increasing use of the smaller “regional” jets the past few years. The smaller jets provide little room in the baggage compartment for oversize luggage like bike bags.