In case of a  loose screw at the bike or at the airport

Since the 17th of February, 2005, all European airlines must act according to EC regulation 261/2004 concerning airline passengers rights. This means every complaint has to be submitted to the airline within seven days after the flight. For baggage claims it's 21 days. Since 2009 the liability is limited to approximately 1413 Euro. So a total loss of a quality travel bike would not be covered by this act. Check your bike carefully during rebuilding the bike components after transportation. Are the wheels buckled? Are the gears and the brake gears alright? Is your frame fine? Any damage anywhere? However, stay relaxed about small things that you can fix yourself easily. Its too much stress to contact the airline about it. It's much faster to help yourself. In all other situations don't hesitate to forward any broken piece to the airline. Sometimes the airlines like to play the damage down. Show them every broken part of the bike. Ask for a note about the perception of the airline staff in the survey of damage. In the next step you'll have to organize the bike repair. If you're able to help yourself, you can do this. The airline will pay for the spare parts, but not for your own work. Take a picture of the receipt from the bike shop and forward it to the airline by email as shown in the damage report. Usually the airline will refund your expenditures to your bank account within four weeks.