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Systems

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Just got back from LA and was hoping everything would've went fine so I wouldn't need to make a thread, unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Flying out was no problem. I was able to take the guitar (JP12-7) on the plane with me, no issues at all. Got all my parts/leads tracked and left Thursday. I was running late at LAX so by the time I got to the plane there was no room, nothing I said mattered, and while one or two of the attendants were sympathetic/helpful I still had to take it back to the gate to get a gate/check tag for it. I told the woman where I was going, she filled out the slip, I looked at it and asked her if it was right, she said yes. Got to the plane, had the attendants look at it because while I understood "DEN" being my connecting flight in Denver, I didn't know what "ICT" meant. They looked at it twice and confirmed it was right because of the flight number.

...but it wasn't. Sure enough my guitar never showed up and I had to deal with the wonderful and personable baggage claim people who just could not have cared less at all. Keeping in mind that their job probably isn't the most fun, gratifying, or fulfilling because most of the people they deal with are really pissed off about losing luggage and take it out on them, I chose to remain really calm as I knew being pissed/yelling wouldn't help my situation at all, but man they were still just awful to deal with. Condescending and rude the whole time. They figured out my guitar got sent to Wichita and they had someone waiting for it before it arrived. They had to send it back to Denver and then ultimately back to me.

I got it back about 10 hours later.....thankfully undamaged. I had put some t-shirts in the case for extra padding just in case. I also wrapped a belt around the case as someone here suggested (I believe it was here). Anyway so out of the four (round-trip) times I've flown with guitars, they've managed to lose one twice.
 

DrKev

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I was running late at LAX so by the time I got to the plane there was no room, nothing I said mattered

That's the first error. I've said it before and I'll say it again to anyone who cares to listen - If there is no room in the overhead lockers at the time you board the aircraft you'll have to go back to the gate. You must board as early as possible.

Shame it ended up in Witchita. Great story though. Glad you got in back OK!

And congrats on keeping your cool. That went a looooong way to helping.
 

DrKev

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I've had that kinda of thing happen too, 12 years ago. Dublin-London-Paris and half the luggage for the entire flight ended up in Belfast. Was delivered to my door the next day. The guitar (an MIJ strat) arrived perfectly intact but all the pedals and cables I had in my suitcase were stolen. It did lead me to accept that I actually hated the Boss Blues Driver. In fact I was glad it was stolen! The loss of my cables, tuner, and wah pedal was a pain though. The most annoying thing about these particular thieves was...



...wait for it, this is good...



...they ate...



...HALF a pack of McVitie's Jaffa Cakes and left the rest behind!

They didn't have the moral strength not to steal my stuff but they managed to leave a pack of Jaffa Cakes unfinished. Go figure!
 
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dkassenbrock

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FWIW, If you can, talk to the Captain. I go out of my way to help fellow musicians. Many pilots (at least here at SWA) are musicians, and understand the angst that being seperated from your axe can cause. I HATE checking instruments. If i'm forced to though, I'll personally walk the instrument down to the belly of the A/C, then retrieve it at the end of the flight. If I see that the axe is a EBMM, I'll put it in the cockpit. Just the way I, (and many others here at Southwest) roll. -Capt. Don
 

the24thfret

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When I fly with guitars, I never check them. In fact, I never let them out of my sight.
 

Systems

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FWIW, If you can, talk to the Captain. I go out of my way to help fellow musicians. Many pilots (at least here at SWA) are musicians, and understand the angst that being seperated from your axe can cause. I HATE checking instruments. If i'm forced to though, I'll personally walk the instrument down to the belly of the A/C, then retrieve it at the end of the flight. If I see that the axe is a EBMM, I'll put it in the cockpit. Just the way I, (and many others here at Southwest) roll. -Capt. Don


That would've been awesome. I'm just relieved I didn't go with the whole gig-bag idea like I briefly thought about. That wouldn't have ended well. Anyway, if it ends up happening to anyone else I think the most important and hardest thing to do is to keep your cool. You're truly powerless in the situation so your best bet is to just be really nice so they want you to get your stuff back. I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear it's happened before where they've "lost" irate customers luggage/guitars.
 
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