Flying with the original case?

[trkkazulu]

Hi,

I have a Newark Street Starfire 2. Has anyone here any experience of flying with it in the original hardshell case? If so, did you take it into the cabin or check it in as luggage?

Thanks,

Jair-Rohm

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome.

No experience.

My NS SF I case is as rugged and robust as any of the hard cases in the house so I wouldn't expect any specifics of the case to influence the answer.

The generic answer seems to be that if you pack the case carefully you can check the bass as baggage and expect it to survive the flight.

There are stories about bass cases being big, compared to guitar cases, and not fitting anywhere inside the cabin. One suggestion was to get a soft case with straps, wear it as a backpack but with the neck pointing towards your feet and by the time the cabin crew notices you have a bass, as long as you are nice, they will find some way to stow it inside.

I'm an avocational player so I have never had to fly anywhere with a bass. I do like one of Jack Casady's solutions. He was travelling, had to fly and just did not want to be bothered by worrying about an instrument, so he bought an Epiphone EB-0 and just checked it as baggage. If it was lost or damaged it was easy to replace. Must be nice to have that kind of money and talent

 

[Happy Face]

The best quality flight cases are heavy enough to pull your arm out of its socket. I have a couple of lighter weight IATA-okay Gator cases which are more substantial than stock cases. But I saw them actually get warped from the chill in a airplane baggage hold. Those lighter weight golf bag cases get good props. I bought one but have not tried it yet.

 

[Boneman]

I would think these days you’d be lucky to be able to bring a guitar in its case onto the plane as carry on, and a bass guitar even luckier still. Last time I flew was in May, and a young lady with her acoustic had it taken by crew on the jetway just before boarding. If you have to check it, the case better hold up, so definitely don’t want to be cheap on cases if you travel.

 

[mavuser]

u would need to gate-check a hard case. on a good day u can maybe get a BASS in a gig bag on the plane as a carry-on.
the other option would be to purchase a seat on the flight for your instrument in its hard case (I have done that once, on Jet Blue...but I no longer fly on commercial airliners)

 

[trkkazulu]

u would need to gate-check a hard case. on a good day u can maybe get a BASS in a gig bag on the plane as a carry-on.
the other option would be to purchase a seat on the flight for your instrument in its hard case (I have done that once, on Jet Blue...but I no longer fly on commercial airliners)

Thanks for your response. Do you know what exactly “gate-check” entails? Does the bass end up in the luggage bay if the plane or somewhere else?

 

[mellowgerman]

I did the guitar-on-a-plane thing once. I was flying from Buffalo to Albuquerque with a layover in Dallas, to visit a friend for a week. I wasn't going to attempt to bring anything valuable, but my old Yamaha classical guitar is a great player and sounds decent. I padded the inside of the chipboard case as well as I could and threw an extra strap around the outside, just in case they were going to make me check it. Luckily they were nice enough to let me bring it into the cabin on all 4 flights and one of the stewardesses was actually nice enough to stash it in the crew closet for me. Of course, a Starfire bass in a hardshell case takes up quite a bit more real estate, so I'm not sure they would have been as understanding if it was any bigger. It's always going to be a risk, at the discretion of the crew, unless you call the airline ahead of time and arrange to buy an extra seat ticket for your instrument. If you're flying with a bargain airline, that route might be worth it just for the peace of mind, but otherwise would likely be too expensive.

*I started writing this a couple of hours ago, but got interrupted by breakfast... apologies for the redundant seat ticket suggestion; Mav beat me to it!

 

[mavuser]

Thanks for your response. Do you know what exactly “gate-check” entails? Does the bass end up in the luggage bay if the plane or somewhere else?

gate check in my experience involves you hand off the item as you board the aircraft, and when you land, right when you walk off the plane into the terminal, you wait there and they bring you your item. typically intended for wheelchairs, strollers, guitars/etc, that sort of thing. also people wind up either volunteering or being forced to gate check carry-on items like backpacks on really full flights, where the airline knows there is not going to be enough overhead space.

of course if stars align and the plane is half empty, youre a good talker, have a $20 bill or two you are willing to part with, and airline staff/flight attendant(s) are cool...walking on the plane with a big bass in a hard case, in the overhead storage bin or a closet in the cabin is not out of the question (although all those things and a gig bag may be more realistic for a bass...hard to say...all airlines and airplanes are different).

 

[mavuser]

jinx again on the closet in first class @mellowgerman haa!
dodge the second 'cane???

 

[fronobulax]

My limited experience with gate checking is that the item is surrendered before boarding and it is loaded on to the plane somewhere (I assume a cargo hold of some kind so the concerns about temperature and pressure would still apply) by crew who may treat things differently than regular baggage handlers. Similarly it is unloaded and given to you at the gate.

But on a practical basis there are only a couple of advantages to gate checking. One is that if the item is subjected to additional inspection it is done in a place where you are in close proximity. The other is that it doesn't go though the usual baggage process so you will probably get it sooner.

 

[mgod]

In the 70s I used to travel with my Alembic in a road case through airports. People thought it was a Rhodes. Almost as huge and heavy.