Here's a link to a post I made here on the HUBB 9 years ago, explaining how the DG documentation process works.

I cannot assure you that the rules that were in force 8 years ago are unchanged today - you will have to look at a CURRENT (2015) copy of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations to determine that - but the general concepts will remain the same.

Here's the link: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...cles-air-21880

I can confirm that it isn't an issue into London-Heathrow (LHR) and I am sure it would not be into any major center that Air Canada flies into, like Frankfurt. In other words anywhere they have their own Air Canada Cargo office and warehouse.

In my case, in three shipments with Air Canada, the first two being handled through Kuhne & Nagel (K&N no longer handle private accounts), I have never paid any fees other than Dangerous Goods (here) and customs duty at the destination. The duties were on the shipping charges.

I've never had any inspection fees or had my motorcycle inspected.

I have a copy of UN 3166 and have always performed my own prep plus they know me well and just sign off the paperwork because of that.

I am flying bike out from Heathrow to Montreal in June. The FAQ stuff I got from air canada said that 24 hours of storage was included at either end and that they would look to try and ensure the freight flight and the pax flights were coordinated so that no additional costs were incurred.

I am planning to use James Cargo for the DG certificate and customs. £45 for the DGC and £10 for customs. So I am hoping I simply ride into the air canada cargo area, hand over the bike get receipt, and let the professionals take over form there. At Montreal I am hoping its as simple as get through customs etc, taxi to the AC cargo area, show the receipt and pick up the bike and ride away. I hope!!

I will see if I can attach the files.

Here's some answers to my questions:
)

By clean I believe they mean it cant be covered in dirt and mud. They are talking more for off-road bikes as the mud you bring in may contain contaminates etc.
We accept bikes that are riden on streets so a simple wash down or wipe down is fine. It doesnt have to be show room clean if you know what i mean.

2) Normally our check-in process in montreal is about 6 hours. Because this is a motorcycle the check-in process will be quicker as we only have to visually see the bike to check it in.
When you land.. the process to go threw customs may take an hour tops to get your bags and leave the airport. We are located about 10-15 mins away but its a simple drive. We have a customs office that is open till 8pm at the end of our building so i believe if you land at 16:30.. you will have enough time to claim your bags, pass threw customs at the airport and make it here in time to custom clear your bike for same day checkin. If you like, send me an email the day prior to departure and ill help get the bike checked in quicker to help you out.

Address for pickup in montreal is CARGO NORTH SECTOR 2200 REVERCHON, DORVAL, H9P 2S7. Air Canada Cargo.

3 + 6) There are storage charges for motorcycles after 24 hours. This is due to them being considered dangerous goods.

Minimum charge per shipment
$85.00
Minimum charge per day
$40.00
Rate per Kg
$0.50

In LHR they charge 11.25 Euro's per kg.

You can see for yourself by visiting www.aircanada.ca/cargo , click shipping on top, and then selected ground handling charges.

4) You may want to contact LHR for the handover process. In montreal we like to have the bike the day before transport to give us time to inspect the paperwork, security check the motorcycle, and prep it for departure. The total drop-off process is about an hour. LHR TEL: 011 44 2087508247. Give them a call, tell them you are sending a motorcycle as part of a promotion and to contact us in montreal if they have any concerns as this email address.

5) Because of our natural 6 hour check in.. if you plan on flying back on the 9th.. it would be best to drop the bike off on the 7th, we fly it the 8th.. and when you arrive the morning of the 10th in LHR, there should still be roughly 5-6 hours left of free storage which gives you plenty of time to get your luggage, pass threw customs, and head over to LHR cargo to pick up the bike.

Let me know if you require any other information.

Attachment 14863

Attachment 14864

^ Wow, considering I have never been charged a penny yet.

I must be likeable or they like BMWs. :biggrin:

Hi Austin:

The above statement reflects the air carrier's (in this case, Air Canada's) concerns about the cleanliness of the motorcycle, so far as general housekeeping of the aircraft and the freight facilities are concerned. That statement makes sense when considered from that point of view. As a retired aircraft pilot (and one who spent many years flying cargo aircraft), I know exactly what they are talking about. From the airline's point of view, as long as it doesn't have gobs of mud falling off it, it's clean enough.

The cautions and warnings I raised in my earlier post about making sure that the motorcycle is immaculately clean and has no evidence at all of bugs, dirt under the fenders, etc. have nothing to do with the airline or the housekeeping of the aircraft and freight facilities. They relate to an entirely different matter, which is a well-founded concern (arising from my experiences shipping my motorcycle back to Canada several times) that Canada Customs may express concerns about accidental importation of insect eggs or larvae, or accidental importation of soil, and as a result, they may ask agricultural inspectors at the destination airport to look at the bike to make sure there is no soil or insects on it. An agricultural inspection will delay release of the bike by at least 24 hours, and cost over $100.

On each of my last two shipments of my bike into Canada, Customs officers have raised concerns about soil and insects. Maybe I was just unlucky, and happened to get over-zealous inspectors each time. In any case, what I am trying to do here in the forum is give other forum members a 'heads-up' in the hope that they will be able to minimize the risk of being subject to an agricultural inspection.

Michael

You may be right Michael, but the answer was to the following question:

Q1. I note that Canadian customs require vehicles being imported into Canada
to be clean. How clean is clean?

A1. By clean I believe they mean it cant be covered in dirt and mud. They are talking more for off-road bikes as the mud you bring in may contain contaminates etc.
We accept bikes that are riden on streets so a simple wash down or wipe down is fine. It doesnt have to be show room clean if you know what i mean.

The "they" in AC's reply is a reference to Canadian Customs. I was going to wash the bike at home to make there was no mud or bugs, then jet wash again at a garage as near as I can find to Heathrow (I am 200+miles away) to remove any bugs and road grime from that journey.

Every other thread and post I have ever read on here or anywhere else about shipping or importing to Canada always says that Canadian customs was a breeze compared to almost anywhere else. I have only ever shipped to USA before now and have to say that was pretty easy so have a high expectations of the Canadian end of things. USA was even easier than some of the Eastern European borders who are in the EU. Anyway, it will be what it is and I am sure that before too long we will be on the road heading West :)

Service Not Offered To/From Beunos Aires
 

Just wanted to pass along some info that I received yesterday after discussing shipment of my motorcycle from Buenos Aires to YYZ. I was informed at the ACC booth in Montreal that this service was available but it appears that they've been having a lot of customs problems with the airport authorities so they can't offer the service anymore:

Thank you for your interest in shipping your motorcycle with Air Canada Cargo.



After further investigation we, unfortunately, will not be able to offer this promotion to or from South America due to customs regulations in South America. They will not accept personal effects shipments from unknown shippers. You would be required to work with a broker or freight forwarder out of Buenos Aires or Santiago.



Maybe we can assist you in the future to another destination.



Thanks

Pat

Hola

We have first-hand experience on this subject just from one week ago. There isn’t exactly as they are telling you.

Is not about Customs, the Airlines in Argentina usually doesn´t work directly with travellers (particular) in motorcycle cargo freights. Or even worst, Air Canada Cargo is managed around for a Logistic Handling Company who handled other airlines cargo too. They have to do it through a Forwarding Agent. This is what is required, not a Broker.

Also the problem is that Air Canada in Buenos Aires don´t manage the flat rate that they offer in Vancouver or Montreal and local charges will apply too (read the small letters on Air Canada flyer).

There isn’t a any problem to air fright a bike to Canada or anywhere from Buenos Aires but off course not at that promotional rate by now…

Saludos

In Australia .. it is not Customs who will see to the bikes cleanness but Quarantine. The want it better than showroom clean. No dirt, seeds, bugs ... none at all. Same for New Zealand.

I'd think any place receiving stuff from another place that has no direct land connection will be concerned over getting things it does not have from the imported goods. The cleaner your bike is the better from all points of view.

Thank you for that info javkap. Do you have any knowledge of local forwarding agents in Buenos Aires that I could potentially contact? I will be in South America from November until late December or early January so would it make sense to have the logistics worked out before hand or is it possible to do on the road?

Javier might not say, but there's no reason for me to hesitate: click the blue Dakar Motos link at the bottom of his post and do what comes naturally. Or rather, make a point of phoning Sandra; don't email Javier unless ready to wait a decade or more for a reply.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Bike being delivered to Air Canada on 5 may in Montreal. Will pick it up in FRA on 8 may. What a difference, last time $2250US each way, now about $600US.

hi to all!

for any british or riders who want to ship their bike from London, here is email from Air Canada, and last for this summer...

Hello Nino,

Just getting back to you on the motorbike qoute. For the summer we charge a flat rate of GBP 650.00 to ship motorbike. This include all charges ex London. To send the bike involves a few steps, so we ideally need it to be with us 1-2 days before its booked date. We commence a dagerous goods check while you are here to make sure everything is in order. The tank has to be 1/4 full of gas. Also we need an invoice/written declaration that states what the value of the bike is. Ir doesn't have to be crated. If you have anymore questions just let me know.

Regards

Andrea





LHR Customer Service Department
Air Canada Cargo LHR
T 0871 2243600 F 0208 750 8220
lhrcustomerservice@aircanada.ca

I just finished shipping my F800 BMW from Paris to Vancouver, CA via Air Canada in May 2015. Here is some info for you to digest. 1) The super low promo prices you have seen are all, and only, for shipping a bike out of Canada to wherever. 2) If you ship into Canada the list price is the same as what Motorcycle Express - Ship Your Bike would charge. 3) The advantage Air Canada has is they ship on their own planes, and can set the priorities. So while brokers cant guarantee you space on the plane on short notice, Air Can priorities are set about as high for your motorcycle as a checked bag. That means the bike will get through. 4) The Air Canada people in Paris really worked to get me and the bike on the plane. 5) Then when we got to Vancouver customs took a couple of days to clear the bike. You pay for storage and hotel for the delay. That delay made using
motorcycle express more economic. 6) The guy who said washing the bike is important was really right. Either you wash the bike, or you will have to pay for some really expensive guy's in white haz mats suits to wash the bike. Dead bugs or mud in the tread or wheels are potential Bio Hazards. Just wash the bike before shipping and you wont have a problem. My bike on Air Can was shipped on a pallet. Moto Express uses a shipping container. What I got worked for me. PM me if you have a question. Dave

I Just Went Paris to Vancouver with my GS
 

I just shipped myself and F800 GS Paris to Montreal and then Vancouver with Air Canada. At their urging I booked a discount air ticket then used the Toronto e-mail address to arrange the Cargo part. They obviously were not practiced on motorcycle shipping and had to check with their boss etc. But the service was very good. I told them I am a well known motorcycle blogger and that helped. A couple of tips. The super cheap shipping promotion will end at some point, and is only out of Canada for now. Their normal rates are the same as Motorcycle Express - Ship Your Bike It helped also that I deliberately booked a ticket on wide body aircraft. Cargo space is less limited. That got the bike tied to a pallet on both planes with me. They did walk me through Paris customs. But in Vancouver just told me where to go. As someone else pointed out WASH THE BIKE really well. Bio hazards can come in dead bugs on in mud on tires. The check for this when the bike arrives and you going to have problems if the bike is dirty. Even so it took a day and some to extract the bike from the Air Canada Warehouse and they docked me a couple of hundred for storage. The major difference between Motorcycle Express and Air Can is ME wants to hear from you a month or two before shipping. ME ships anywhere but the need to arrange things, so they need to hear from you before you by your air ticket. They are very experienced. Air Can got me on the plane a week from my contacting them. They only want a liter of gas in the bike but don't care as long as they don't see fuel washing around the tank. They did not have to disconnect the battery. Supposedly you can only have tools and parts in the bags but they did not check and I had some clothes. They want the key in the ignition and it's OK to have the bags locked. They bill you based on the bikes dimensions and weight. I just used figures from the owners manual and added 30 pounds for stuff in the bags. I don't think they weighed the bike but the might have. Note rates vary a bit by route. It was less to go through Montreal than Toronto. I dropped the bike off 5 hours before the flight. Normally you do it the day before but it was a holiday. Air can gave me a ride to the air terminal from the cargo terminal. Dave