From Montreal, Canada to London, England - September, 2015

Air Canada shipping from Montreal (YUL) 8 September 2015

We have chosen Air Canada for shipping our motorbikes back to England for two reasons, price and convenience. Air Canada have been offering a special service for motorbikes that does not require crating and seems very competitive on paper for 2015. We have been quoted CAD$ 1650 for shipping both BMW F700GS motorbikes from Montreal to London Heathrow if we fly with Air Canada, which we do, saving CAD $250 per motorcycle. This is by far the cheapest we have been quoted on what is our fourth airfreight exercise on this RTW trip. Dangerous Goods (DG) cost is a separate CAD$160 for both motorbikes as they are on a single airway bill.

We arrive at Air Canada Cargo at 2200 Avenue Reverchon, which is on the north west side of the airport. We are met by helpful and friendly Air Canada Cargo staff. The bikes are weighed and each comes in at 270kg, balanced packing there!

DG services are provided by Air Ocean Logistiks. http://www.airoceanlogistiks.com. We have removed all flammable marked items to leave behind, tar cleaners, solvents and glues as this is the end of the trip. Other items may need to be checked against some DG register, but we decide as this is the end of the trip, we will leave anything that they are unsure of. We even remove our blue tooth headsets as they have batteries. This was not an issue with other shipping we have done, but maybe the DG rules are interpreted slightly differently from place to place. Air Ocean Logistiks only take Canadian dollars cash, CAD $160 per airways bill. Payment by credit card is accepted by Air Canada.

Security check follows, not conducted by Air Canada I must emphasise, which had us very unhappy at the careless repacking that took place of the first pannier. Because we had soft luggage we were able to remove the panniers and tent bag and have them x-rayed for the security check. Ok, paid the bills and were on our way back to our hotel within an hour, note you will need a taxi.

We not sure if this motorcycle shipping service will be repeated in 2016, but we understand that the number of motorbikes shipped had met, if not exceeded, Air Canada’s expectations. Support this service if you want this to continue. Check with Air Canada Cargo website for further details.

Air Canada Cargo Arrival at London Heathrow (LHR) 11 September 2015

Our motorbikes are due to arrive 3 hours before we do at London Heathrow from Montreal on a direct wide-body flight.We travelled on Air Canada via Halifax, so hopefully the motorbikes will be available to us shortly after we have cleared Immigration and Customs. We shipped same day to avoid potential storage fees as we would have arrived 27 hours after the motorbikes if we shipped the day before. Storage charges can apply after 24 hours.

Go to Air Canada Cargo which is located at Shoreham Road East, situated on the SW side of Heathrow, mid-way between Terminals 4 & 5. Take a taxi, cost us £20 to the door, the public transport alternatives appear slow and cumbersome and likely still involve much walking.

Air Canada Cargo were aware of our motorbikes and had alerted a Customs clearance company who handled the process of clearing Customs, which is required for all goods that come as Cargo, even suitcases! This cost an additional £270, we knew we would have to pay Customs clearance fees as we have done at each airport we have shipped the motorbikes to, just not how much. We presume the cost is by airway bill, but we are still waiting for the receipt. Electronic Customs clearance took half an hour in our case. If you have a carnet de passage (Carnet) and want it stamped back into the UK, the Carnet will need to be taken to Customs for processing which will take couple of hours.

Motorbikes delivered to us in the Air Canada Cargo area, we rode them out and a quick repack on our way. Couple of points to note: 1. Be aware that you only have 24 hours free storage, then you are charged at a rate in UK£ per kilo! This can be expensive so make sure your flights and the cargo shipping are co-ordinated. 2. Air Canada Cargo prices on the website are ex Canada only I was advised in London. Each Air Canada Cargo station outside Canada have their own local pricing, you will need to check with your departure point for the correct cost. (information correct as 11 September 2015)

Very happy with the Service, ride up one end, ride off the other. We shipped two motorbikes, costs are per motorbike and we flew with AIr Canada.. More details on our blog. We had to dispose of some lubricants etc as anything not identified as safe for the Dangerous Goods (DG) for air travel needs to be investigated, time and money. Free storage for 24 hours at destination, then you are charged a daily rate per kilo!