checked guitars airline travel

[alf cockle]

I was traveling on a flight from
Montreal to Orlando yesterday,had a window seat in the back of the plane,and watched the baggage handlers offloading bags…out came an electric guitar case..I presume there was an instrument inside it,with Fragile stickers all over it…Yippee..[baggage handler reaction]..kamakazi flight into the baggage cart..followed by a pile of suitcases on top..WTF.That guitar may need a tuneup..

 

[alf cockle]

I forgot to mention..think twice before checking your guitars into the belly of an airliner..if it had good karma before the flight,it may not have any, after…just sayin*.

 

[DrKev]

[mytwocents]

Fragile stickers mean nothing to most people who handle them (e.g. baggage handlers, UPS, FedEx, etc.). I think of them purely as a reminder to the customer that they should inspect immediately upon reception!

When I worked for the music store here in Paris we shipped all instruments UPS for good reasons - less damage, fewer losses/thefts in transit compared to snail mail. But also, they insisted on correct packaging if any insurance claim was to be made, and they even came and checked I was packing everything properly (I packed pretty much all guitars shipped that year (multiple thousands of 'em).

If you want a safe instrument, pack the instrument as you would for UPS or FedEx. And even then, insurance always a must. Accidents do happen and I doubt the Music Man hard case will protect much falling out the hold onto the tarmac, or being under the 25kg suit case that falls.

[/mytwocents]

 

[NorM]

Soft Case and carry on
or
UPS it separately. The cost may be competitive with the $25 charge the airlines asks.
Never in the belly of the beast.

I heard that Steve Morse had to disassemble the neck from the body of his guitar before the captain would allow him to carry it on.
I also have a lot of peeps tell me that I should call TSA at the airport the day before you fly and talk with them.
It's an option.

I think I once left a Steinberger (My travel guitar at the time) in the overhead bin. I was traveling every week for work at the time. Any way,it's gone now.

 

[onepolar]

i think if you have extra budget, you can buy an extra airplane ticket, then put the guitar on the plane seat. i ever did it once so why not u also try it?
i dont like putting into baggage because they didnt handle with care.

 

[DrKev]

Buying a seat for your instrument is definitely the safest way but may not be cheaper than shipping UPS or FedEx correctly insured. In the US, if your instrument fits in the overhead locker, and if there is free space in the overhead locker at the time you boarding, you're good to go. But those rules don't apply in the rest of the world. In Europe rules vary from airline to airline; some insist you buy an extra seat at the same price as a human would pay, or will charge you a fee even if the instrument can fit in the overhead locker and is within normal allowed dimensions for hand luggage!

 

[Tajue17]

I guess this is related but what is everyone's opinions on Flight cases vs. stock hard cases during travel. I have a couple anvil flight cases and a calzone and wondered if it really made a difference when shipping,, like in a situation where a hard music man case would fail and the anvil wouldn't?

one of the anvils I got it needed foam, so I clearly saw it was thin plywood for the main compartment,,, I knew baggage handlers where tossing the cases around because I know a couple who did that job and that's not my fear its when another case of some kind comes slamming down onto the middle of my bass case with its corner (like the ford aluminum bed commercial) and puts a hole right through the center of the case into my bass.... I wonder if the plastic hard cases are the best bet in a situation where hard luggage is being tossed around,,,, BUT the baggage handlers I personally know said anything made of plastic when it sits outside in a carrier in 0 to 10 degree weather will brake like glass when smashed hard enough or dropped to the concrete,,,, so I drift back to the anvil and would that would be the safest option especially when traveling in winter.

just my thoughts I'm still not fully awake, 8^(