A week or so ago, I bought a Hetchins while on the Left Coast, and rode it joyfully while at a conference S. of Monterey, and then over the weekend in the highlands above Oakland/Berkeley. But, pleasure comes to an end, and it had to be shipped home. I decided to put it in a bike-box and carry it with luggage (JetBlue). Problem: Web site says boxes limited to 80" (sum of h + l + w), smaller bike box measures 88". JetBlue agent waived this on phone, no problem. Bike box was no problem, with packing materials and a smile from the co-op in Berkeley (they have a nice Olmo and a high-up-on-the-wall Hetchins at the repair shop). So I carefully packed it, including a spare hub for fork spacer, etc. If I made a mistake, it was padding the main tubes with some foam pipe insulation that had glue; some of the glue got on tubes and decals (but came off ok). For the smaller tubes I used some more rigid foam, and I llike that better. No glue.
No problems with JetBlue, except the check-in agent was apologetic enough about the $50 surcharge that she gave us much nicer seats.
No problems that I have found with anything, even the TSA inspection that happened.
$50 is big enough that it makes taking a standard bike along for a trip a bit forbidding (=$100 round trip), but on the other hand, tickets are getting much cheaper cross-country. Besides, shipping that quickly any other way, or just shipping any other way, would have ranged from just a bit cheaper to much more expensive. A good investment.
harvey sachs
mcLean va