wileypickett
Enlightened Member
I read an article in the NY Times a few years ago about the difficulties musicians had taking their instruments on airplanes. The article ended by saying that airline regulations for transporting musical instruments were slated to change (for the better, it implied) like at the beginning of 2007. I can't say I've seen any improvement.
If you carry your guitar in a hardshell case, which gives it the best protection, you will almost certainly have to check it. In which case, yes, do everything this article recommends (courtesy of littlesongs) :
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musicia ... king1.html
Especially the part about packing around the headstock to prevent whiplash.
In 2002, I played a concert with Peter Lang (of Fahey / Kottke / Lang fame) in NYC. He was flying in from Minneapolis, and while he was waiting to take off, he sat watching out the window as the bags were tossed onto the conveyer belt.
You can imagine what he felt as he saw his guitar get nearly to the top of the belt and then fall off onto the tarmac! Sure enough, when he got his guitar at the baggage carousel and opened the case, the headstock had snapped clean off.
He'd at least had the foresight to insure the guitar, but guess what? Because there was no damage to the CASE beyond a few scuffs, he couldn't collect -- the airline's argument was that he could have put the guitar in the case already broken, and insured it just to make money off the airline.
I've seen a guitar case (not mine, fortunately) come down the carousel with broken and missing latches, I assume because the case had been locked and had been forced open with a crowbar or something. (Don't lock your case.)
I've had a guitar that I'd carefully packed with bubble wrap arrive with the case completely open, because security couldn't fit the wrap back into the case after pulling everything apart. They just swathed everything in plastic, and sent it through. (It was OK.)
I missed a connecting flight in Philly a couple years ago and arrived on another plane, four hours later, in Boston. It was so late the little airline baggage room was locked and dark and I couldn't find anyone to ask where my luggage -- including my guitar -- was. Wondering from carousel to carousel, I eventually found my stuff in a heap next to a back wall. Luckily, everything was there -- but I had some nervous hours.
On the other hand, if there's too much time between connecting flights, your guitar may sit on the tarmac in the cold or heat (and possibly in the rain or snow, depending on how carefully they close the tent flaps on those baggage dollies).
So, even if you protect your guitar against damage, what do you do to protect it against loss, theft, exposure to the elements, or to the manhandling of the overworked airline security folks?
You can always buy a seat for your guitar. (Ha! Ha! Just kidding -- we know the kind of discretionary funds musicians have lying around!)
Something that's worked for me: if you carry your guitar in a gig bag, the airline will practically insist that you take it on board with you, since they know gig bags offer so little protection. (That's the disadvantage. But the advantage is you never let your guitar out of your sight.)
I use a Gator foam core jumbo guitar case, which is light and sturdy. (Technically I guess it's not a gig bag, but the cloth cover helps give that impression.)
I've used it on three tours and it's still going strong (though I did have to reglue the cloth cover in spots after the second tour). It has backpack straps, so I wear it like a backpack while I'm checking in. If airport personnel doesn't say anything about it, I don't bring it up.
If they do ask me about the guitar, I say the case is a gig bag, and that's been good enough.
Anyone out there got some good flying-with-guitars recommendations?
Or good horror stories?
Glenn//.
If you carry your guitar in a hardshell case, which gives it the best protection, you will almost certainly have to check it. In which case, yes, do everything this article recommends (courtesy of littlesongs) :
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musicia ... king1.html
Especially the part about packing around the headstock to prevent whiplash.
In 2002, I played a concert with Peter Lang (of Fahey / Kottke / Lang fame) in NYC. He was flying in from Minneapolis, and while he was waiting to take off, he sat watching out the window as the bags were tossed onto the conveyer belt.
You can imagine what he felt as he saw his guitar get nearly to the top of the belt and then fall off onto the tarmac! Sure enough, when he got his guitar at the baggage carousel and opened the case, the headstock had snapped clean off.
He'd at least had the foresight to insure the guitar, but guess what? Because there was no damage to the CASE beyond a few scuffs, he couldn't collect -- the airline's argument was that he could have put the guitar in the case already broken, and insured it just to make money off the airline.
I've seen a guitar case (not mine, fortunately) come down the carousel with broken and missing latches, I assume because the case had been locked and had been forced open with a crowbar or something. (Don't lock your case.)
I've had a guitar that I'd carefully packed with bubble wrap arrive with the case completely open, because security couldn't fit the wrap back into the case after pulling everything apart. They just swathed everything in plastic, and sent it through. (It was OK.)
I missed a connecting flight in Philly a couple years ago and arrived on another plane, four hours later, in Boston. It was so late the little airline baggage room was locked and dark and I couldn't find anyone to ask where my luggage -- including my guitar -- was. Wondering from carousel to carousel, I eventually found my stuff in a heap next to a back wall. Luckily, everything was there -- but I had some nervous hours.
On the other hand, if there's too much time between connecting flights, your guitar may sit on the tarmac in the cold or heat (and possibly in the rain or snow, depending on how carefully they close the tent flaps on those baggage dollies).
So, even if you protect your guitar against damage, what do you do to protect it against loss, theft, exposure to the elements, or to the manhandling of the overworked airline security folks?
You can always buy a seat for your guitar. (Ha! Ha! Just kidding -- we know the kind of discretionary funds musicians have lying around!)
Something that's worked for me: if you carry your guitar in a gig bag, the airline will practically insist that you take it on board with you, since they know gig bags offer so little protection. (That's the disadvantage. But the advantage is you never let your guitar out of your sight.)
I use a Gator foam core jumbo guitar case, which is light and sturdy. (Technically I guess it's not a gig bag, but the cloth cover helps give that impression.)
I've used it on three tours and it's still going strong (though I did have to reglue the cloth cover in spots after the second tour). It has backpack straps, so I wear it like a backpack while I'm checking in. If airport personnel doesn't say anything about it, I don't bring it up.
If they do ask me about the guitar, I say the case is a gig bag, and that's been good enough.
Anyone out there got some good flying-with-guitars recommendations?
Or good horror stories?
Glenn//.
