Thank you offroad Ford fan!!!
I have not bought my plane tickets yet, I am waiting for the 90 days prior to flight fare drops that most airlines do. However I probably will be flying Delta Air. I contacted them regarding international travel with my bike; Their response was as I expected:
..."the charge to check your bike is $150." that means each way for a grand total of $600 for the wife and I to ride our own bikes in Europe. Ouch... and I did not ask if I also had to pay that fee for each plane switch, running the price up to $1200. That is equivalent to 1 round trip ticket from California! I asked about box size and weight limitations: ..." box can be up to 126 inches (Length + width + height) and up to 70 pounds in weight. However they did not say that the bikes needed to be boxed. The only requirements were that the pedals be removed, and the handlebars turned sideways and wrapped and tapped to the bike. I would still like to find out a lot more before purchasing tickets. Maybe their is a better deal with another airline?
buen camino,
James.