Great thread. I have flown with my bike on Southwest many times with an Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro. Never an issue. They weigh the bag every time but never measure the dimensions. TSA will open it up every time so best to minimize what is in the bag so they don’t mess things up. I really think the dimensions on the Southwest website must not be accurate or enforced.
That being said I am considering a new bike with integrated cable routing. I am also considering a new travel bag so I won’t have to remove the handlebars. My friend has the Evoc Road Bike Bag Pro. It is very convenient to pack the bag but it is huge. So large that it is a major issue packing it into a typical car. We barely got it to fit into a Toyota Highlander with all the seats down.
I am also more concerned about protection. Given the cost of bikes these days - who wouldn’t be!! I have heard that the Scicon is particularly vulnerable at the seat stays. I am also thinking about a BikeBoxAlan.