Intercontinental flying with a DV-52

[leinad]

Just bought a '96 Westerly DV-52 here in the Bay Area which I'm bringing back home (Sweden).

Any thoughts on the best way to do this to avoid damage, finish cracks due to temperature changes, etc?

I assume they will not let me carry it on board, so any thought on packaging? I have the original hard case, but is that enough?

(Flying with United)

Thanks,
Leinad

 

[krysh]

welcome leinad,
I have seen a few guys taking their acousic guitar in case as hand-baggage into the plane. It depends on personal and personality I guess (better chances when 1st class ticket, too). Usually there is always some space for a guitarcase in the passanger area in a plane, but it can happen that they won't allow you to take the guitar into the plane when the plane is completely full. I usually take my bass in a gigbag as hand luggage and had no problems until now (knock on wood)

ps: being very early at the checkin will help, too.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi leinad: You might want to call the airline and ask if you can pay an 'Additional Baggage' fee to carry it on the plane, and while you're at it, ask them if the cargo compartment is heated. If not, ask them for their suggestions on how to best protect it. Lots of unhappy stories here about instruments that were exposed to extreme temperatures. SF to Stockholm is a very long, long way. cj

 

[leinad]

Thanks, I'll give them a call.

According to their website, anything that doesn't meet the carry-on dimensions must be checked in.

Or would it maybe be better to package it and surface-ship it using FedEx or UPS? Any thoughts?

 

[Guildmark]

Howdy, Leinad!

My experience has been as Krysh described. If you do happen to be in first class, they will find a closet for the guitar and probably even ask it's luncheon preference. But even in coach, as long as there is space in the overhead bins, I haven't had an airline cause me a problem. In the past year, I have carried small travel guitars, a classical, and even my Guild 12 string in its full-size case and not been rejected. I do make sure I get on early, though, just to make sure I have a bin or two to choose from. This means ticketing as early as possible, and/or checking in early online to be sure I get into an early boarding group. If you have airline privileges (Platinum, Premier, or something like that) that allow you to board early, this is not an issue, of course. But even if you have to sit way in the back, it's worth it, I believe. To be honest, the only airlines I have flown in the last two years are United and American. Check with california (David), though, too. He flies with his guitars a lot and and on various airlinies, so he may have additional insight.

And the cap'n's advice to call the airline is a very good idea, also! Try to get their policy in writing.

Good luck! Happy landings!

 

[leinad]

Thanks! Sounds good.

The hard case adds quite a lot to the size, does it even fit in the overhead compartments?

 

[dreadnut]

When are you going. Is it a direct flight?

Best of all worlds is to carry it on board with you.

From the TSA website:

Transporting Musical Instruments

You may bring musical instruments as carry-on or as checked baggage. To help passengers who are traveling with instruments, we partnered with musical organizations around the country to understand the challenges of transporting musical instruments, and we recommend the following.

Check with your airline prior to your flight to ensure your instrument meets the size requirements for their aircraft.

Pack brass instruments in your checked baggage.

Bring your stringed instruments, within carrier size limitations, as carry-on items.

If you have an instrument in your checked baggage, include short written instructions, where a security officer will notice them, for handling and repacking your instrument. Make sure these instructions are very clear and understandable to someone with no musical background.
Carrying Instruments Through Screening Checkpoints

You may carry one (1) musical instrument in addition to 1 carry-on and 1 personal item through the screening checkpoint. This is a TSA Screening Policy. Airlines may or may not allow the additional carry-on item on their aircraft. Please check with your airline before you arrive at the airport.

Security officers must x-ray or physically screen your instrument before it can be transported on an aircraft.

Security officers will handle musical instruments very carefully and will allow you to be as involved as possible in any physical screening.

If security officers cannot clear the instrument through the security checkpoint as a carry-on item, you should transport the instrument and checked baggage instead.
Instruments as Checked Baggage

You may bring musical instruments as checked baggage as long as they fit within the size and weight limitations of the airline you are taking.

We encourage you to stay with your instrument while security officers screen it to make sure it is repacked properly.

Owners should be present when an instrument is removed from its case for screening. For this reason, musicians are advised to add at least 30 minutes to the airline's recommended arrival window when checking their instrument.

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Transportation Security Administration | U.S. Department of Homeland Security

 

[Guildmark]

Will they fit? Good question! Some overhead bins are smaller than others. It certainly fits in the regular bins. Sometimes there are smaller ones it will not fit. Also, I'm assuming you're flying a full-size jetliner, which could be my mistake. I know the full-size cases will fit in 737, 757, 767 and probably most other Boeing aircraft. I cannot say from experience they will fit into an MD-80 or other McDonald-Douglas planes which Boeing adopted, but they probably will. I also know they will fit Airbus A319 and A320. But, if there is a commuter flight in your itinerary like in a Canadair, Embraer, or Bombardier aircraft, you're full-size case won't stand a chance of fitting their overhead bins.

 

[leinad]

There's no commuter craft along the way, but two stops -- one of which is Chicago, which usually in my experience means problems :roll:

A gig bag would definitely make the whole operation more smooth, but then again, if they don't accept it as carry-on I'm fried (and there will be three chances of that happening along the way).

 

[Guildmark]

There's no commuter craft along the way, but two stops -- one of which is Chicago, which usually in my experience means problems :roll:

A gig bag would definitely make the whole operation more smooth, but then again, if they don't accept it as carry-on I'm fried (and there will be three chances of that happening along the way).

Yeah, that means you've got three chances of meeting a bin-nazi at the gates! And if they force you to gate check it, it could be subjected to sudden temperature change as they haul it to the cargo bay. Tough choice! I do still believe that if you can nail down an early seating group on each flight, you'll be okay.

Good luck!

 

[droach274]

Just bought a '96 Westerly DV-52 here in the Bay Area which I'm bringing back home (Sweden).

Any thoughts on the best way to do this to avoid damage, finish cracks due to temperature changes, etc?

I assume they will not let me carry it on board, so any thought on packaging? I have the original hard case, but is that enough?

(Flying with United)

Thanks,
Leinad

There are some good advice on the web about things to do when shipping acoustics. I think this page summarises it pretty well :

http://www.bryankimsey.com/shipping/

Caution: it might be best not to look at the pictures at the bottom of the page

Congratulations on the DV-52, I hope it gets home safe.

 

[fungusyoung]

I've carried guitars on board internationally several times, and even more domestically within the US. Here's my best advice (some is repetitive, but bears repeating!):

- Call United before your flight (the plane should be plenty big enough to handle it)
- From SFO to Sweden, I'm sure you'll have at least 1 connection... see about that 2nd plane (or the first one if you're transiting out of another US city back to Sweden
- If United gives you a big thumbs up, get a name and number for somebody at the airport to call their customer service people at in case you have problems upon arrival at the airport
- If you get the general OK over the phone, get to the airport early & be courteous to everyone, especially to the gate agent
- Check ALL of your other bags
- Be firm about them not checking the guitar... IMO, the worst possible place for a guitar is in the cargo or baggage holds... temperature variations on even the best planes run the gamut

Good luck!

I'm glad I got a Little Martin for travel purposes. Brought it with me to the UK this week, and have loved my ability to bang away on it each morning & evening for at least 15- 20 minutes.

 

[Jeff]

I'm glad I got a Little Martin for travel purposes. Brought it with me to the UK this week, and have loved my ability to bang away on it each morning & evening for at least 15- 20 minutes.

F20's are real slick for air travel. Little buggers slide in the overhead & disappear.

So far the only time I've had to gate check a guitar was bringing the GF 60 back from Santa Barbara in a Bombardier regional Jet. Like Mark said; Wasn't room inside for a sandwich let alone a cased guitar. They let me carry the git to the plane, I asked the baggage kid to take care of it for me when I handed him the guitar & he handed it back to me upon arrival.

Alaska Air allowed me to carry on 3 guitars to & from Arlington, turned out it was kind of rude on my part, folks boarding after me had some trouble gettng their stuff in the overheads with my gits. Felt kind of sheepish watching them struggle,........ I got over it.

Only makes good sense for the Airlines to be reasonably accomodating, shifts the liability for damage to the fella doing the packing.

 

[Andy Hiwatt]

Last summer I flew back home to Rome, Italy, from San Diego, California with the United Airlines ,carrying my Guild D-50 in a non original Guild Jumbo Hardcase quite big. I bought the guitar on e-bay months before and knowing that I would have spent the holidays over there I decided to pick it up and so had time to search the U.A. site for infos about what's allowed on board. I printed their rules with the exact allowed guitar or instruments size,and discovered you're allowed to bring the guitar and place it in the overhead bins. So I did, and I had to commute plane in Philadelphia as well. Departing from San Diego at the check in they told me it was ok to enbark the guitar with me,but once on board the steward was a bit dubious about the big size of the case, then saw that fitted the bin and was happy to help me. In Philadelphia they really wanted to stop me boarding with the guitar, but I produced my printed document with the size allowed and they got angry that I was showing them it was permitted,one of the stewards was quite hostile,but I insisted that the case dimensions were allowed and he personally escorted me to my seat , I showed him that many of the big suitcases in the overhead bins were actually bigger than my case and he could't refuse my Guild a safe place over my head....
My advice is to investigate on the United site and print whatever official infos you can find on the allowed musical instruments on board, check the actual size of your DV-52 hardcase and be prepared to stand for your Guild.

 

[marcellis]

I've been lucky. I flew my Guild F-65ce to Vietnam in November, checked baggage. It's in original case. No damage. I've shipped hand-made Vietnamese guitars to the States via Fed-Ex and DHL. No damage & on-time arrival, but it is expensive. I've also traveled with hand-made VN guitars as checked-baggage from Vietnam to Houston. No damage. No problem.

Loosen the strings. Make sure there is no loose space at all in the case. Guitar must be absolutely motionless during flight.

If you're lucky enough to carry it on - fine. If the flight is full though, it gets checked. So pack it that way.

Good luck.

 

[leinad]

Thanks everyone! I'm leaning towards FedEx after all.

 

[leinad]

My DV-52 survived the trip to the old country!

*phew* :roll:

I ended up checking it in after all, packaged like crazy in a guitar box I got for free at a Guitar Center in San J 8)

I'll post some pics later.

 

[Graham]

Nervous trip I'm sure. Glad it's ok, now take her out and treat her nice. :wink:

 

[GardMan]

If you think you will be checking your guitar as bagagge, here is another link with tips (see especially page 2):
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Packing/packing1.html
good luck, Dave

 

[markus]

Why didn't you take it with you into the cabin finally?
(I luckily found a DV52 on ebay here in Austria and hope to get the guitar tomorrow (delivered personally); on the other hand there are plans to go to the US next year - maybe I can make use of your experience …)

Looking forward to your photos!
Markus