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I dont have it in my budget right now to get a nice flight case. Im going to be flying with them so I want a lot of protection but I'll be doing a lot of walking and carrying them around so I dont really want anything heavy.
I took my guitar always with me in the plane.. I didnt need good protection. The chance to get it in is better the smaller the bag is and the more expensive it looks.. If you have good protection its worthless if the guitar flys maybe in the wrong country... so carry it with you. But since the terrorists attacks...it became a lot harder to convince them...
I never check-in my guitar. Afraid if I do so, I will never get to see it again, at least in one piece.
It became harder and harder to convince the airlines to board with my hard case, adds too much volume. So last time I flew I bought a $25 soft case from Guitar Center, has a minimal amount of padding, adds a minimal volume around your guitar, and is not very bulky looking when I carry it on my back using the back-straps. I had no problems boarding the plane with it, and it had the plus it was much more comfortable to carry around the my heavier hard case.
Maybe you can try Hiscox case for checking in? http://www.hiscoxcases.com/guitar_hiscox.htm It can take up to 500kg of weight on the case. I'm picking one up for my guitar tomorrow. The guy in the store just stepped on one in the shop and bounced on the case's lid to demonstrate the strength to me.
I was made to check a guitar in to go into the hold once. I said if they didnt mind could i carry it to the plane so it didnt go through the baggauge handling system.
Got to the plane where the nice stewardess let me straight on and put the guitar in the over head! There is not too much communication between the staff i guess.
Most of the repairs I have seen or done on guitars that have been through airports have been caused on the ground not in flight. Mainly falling from the bagguage carts only run be run over by the one behind it.
I took mine through in a cream hard case, and got it on the plane (Clickair)..
I just pretended it wasn't there when I checked in and held it low down so the desk hid it. Then at the gate the attendant said I couldn't take it on so I pleaded and they let me! On the way back from Spain there was no problem.
Scary stuff though - I was shaking after each time - probably better for the nerves to do it the honest way..
Well,.... if you are nice to the counter-personal they will let you in. I had this big hiscox case in past...its extremely big... but they let me in.. always. Just be nice and tell them seriously that your guitar is ****ing expensive and you earn your money with that. For me it worked till now.
The best thing you can do is to have instrument insurance.
If you really care, you'll buy coverage from an instrument insurer for the time you travel. you pay a premium like any other insurance and then you get coverage. this way should anything happen, you can be compensated even if the airline screws you
thanks for the tips, everyone. but honestly, if i bought any of the cases recommended here, the case would be close to or worth more than my actual guitar. lol. especially that chanel one.
so it seems there are two methods i can try to get the guitar on board. 1) try to be sneaky about it like jenny did. or 2) be nice and tell them it's ****ing expensive like doit suggested.
there was this story about how they caught a woman that appeared to be pregnant and interrogated her. turns out, she wasn't really pregnant. her stomach was full from swallowing a large amount of balloons filled with cocaine... maybe if i can figure out how to...
Maximum hand luggage here in the UK now seems to be 550 x 400 x 200mm and max weight, 10kg. Imagine taking your guitar in a soft case to minimise bulk and then having to check it in. Yipes!
I was worried about this too the first time I took my guitar on a flight. I've taken it on...let's see...probably 9 flights now, in the last two years, on very big and very small planes, and every time I manage to store it either in the closet in front or in an overhead. The key is to ask the stewardess very politely, and to pack your hard case (which you should have anyway!) with a t-shirt or two and tune the strings down just in case! ;)
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