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Flying w guitar
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rombsix
Posts: 7813
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon
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 RE: Flying w guitar (in reply to Ricardo)
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quote:
Point is congress is taking note that first come first serve we deserve fair treatement. So it's not that hard to get it on board if you do as suggersted, early checkins, pick seat based on boarding policy etc.
Thankfully, I'm not a pro and I don't need to take my guitar with me often when I'm flying. I've done a LOT of domestic flying in the USA in the past year when I was doing residency interviews in more than 10 states, and I have to say that frankly, I never came across a single flight where the bins did not get super-filled. So, what I'm saying is that even if you DO board early and fit the guitar, I wouldn't feel safe doing that because someone else is going to come and notice that the neck of the guitar doesn't fill the entire depth of the overhead bins, and this person is going to try stuffing their carry-on on top / in front of the neck, and I'm going to be very scared of it getting damaged. Unless you have one of those super duper heavy duty flight cases that can withstand a bulldozer...
Just my two cents, but I'm sure the pros that have to do more traveling know better.
International flights - different issue. Those planes are much bigger and much less crowded so no matter how much crap people get onto the plane, you'll still have room to stow the guitar somewhat safely overhead.
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Date Aug. 25 2012 19:46:05
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Miguel de Maria
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
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RE: Flying w guitar (in reply to timoteo)
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I've flown Alaska Air several times between Phoenix and Seatac in the last few years, most recently in August. I think that each time, I was permitted to bring the guitar with me, but there are always multiple layers of people trying to take it from you. You have to be persistent and keep telling the various checkers and ticket-takers that you will ask the crew when you get there. When you get there, tell them it's very expensive and fragile (at least, that's what I say [and obviously true]).
On the other hand, I am not 100% sure it was Alaska Air, but about 4 years ago, my amp, a Crate Limo at the time, was confiscated--with no published rule or guideline to account for it. I will tell the story of the two lawyers and the call to the police station that were required to get that Limo back, while I was on a plane to Seattle--later!
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Date Dec. 1 2012 0:07:32
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Pimientito
Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella
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RE: Flying w guitar (in reply to Munin)
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Well the trip went well with easy jet and they are much better than Ryan air for taking an instrument. Easyjet are now including taxes in their prices and this immediately makes them a much more attractive airline than ryan air for booking a flight.
The easy jet rules updated on 06/12/12 state
"Anything too large to be carried on the cabin as hand luggage has to be checked in as hold baggage."
The easyjet terms of travel for musical instruments are now as follows.
"Musical instruments are permitted for carriage as Hand Baggage provided that the instrument, including its case, does not exceed 30cm x 120cm x 38cm. Violins, violas, piccolos, flutes, clarinets, bugles and trumpets all fall within these dimensions. Carriage as Hand Baggage is subject to available space in the overhead lockers and strictly at the Captain's discretion. Please note the instrument will be classed as Your one allowed piece of Hand Baggage.
Larger instruments (with the exception of cellos) must be checked in as Hold Baggage, subject to payment of the baggage fee, and cannot weigh more than 32kg.
When it is not practical to combine the instrument with another item of Hand Baggage into a single piece in accordance with Our hand baggage policy, You can carry one small additional piece (e.g. ladies handbag or laptop) if it is not practical to check this item as Hold Baggage.
Cellos may be taken into the cabin provided an additional seat is purchased for the item. Due to the size of the cello, it fits well into the seat and the seat belt can fit around it, making it secure. A smaller instrument (e.g. violin, guitar etc) could slip out of the seat belt restraint and fall onto the floor of the cabin, which could be hazardous in the event of an emergency. For instruments larger than a cello (e.g. double bass, harp, etc) there is no option to purchase a seat as these instruments are too large and heavy."
The way that I did it is as follows. Go to the Easyjet site and find your flight dates. The fares shown will be standard fares. If you add 2 pieces of luggage (your guitar and suitcase)- 40 euros, seat allocation - 4 euros, then boarding, credit card fee - 2.50 etc. the final bill for the flight gets quite large.
The way round it is to get a flexi fare. This allows you to take your guitar and a suitcase together as long as the total weight does not exceed your limit. The final price is all included, there are no extra fees or taxes at the end.
I put a big label on the guitar case ( see below) The guitar and hiscox case( with some score, nail files, capos, glue, strings etc.) in the case came to just under 5.5KG. my luggage was just under 15 KG so it worked out well. The guitar is checked as a fragile piece of luggage. Make sure you put fragile stickers on your case!!
I checked in the suitcase and insisted that the guitar be taken to the door of the plane to be put on with the baby carraiges and wheelchairs. This means the guitar is with you all the way to the airplane door. Make sure you have no nail scissors or bottles of liquid in the case at security or they will remove them. The guitar case fits through the xray machine with no problem. I carried the guitar to the airplane door. A loader put the guitar in the hold by hand. When I arrived in England, the guitar came through the luggage carousel but when i did the same proceedure coming back to Spain again, they gave me the guitar at the plane door avoiding the baggage handlers.
British airways charge an extra 40 pounds to take a guitar with you but sometimes the flights are cheap and its worthwhile as they are a hassle free airline. Food and drinks are included in the ticket price.
Ryan air seem to be the worst budget airline for travelling with an instrument...or luggage for that matter. A malaga to london flight starts at 54.99 then you add luggage and boarding - 20 euros plus another 50 for the guitar, plus credit card fee 127.49. Its actually cheaper to fly British Airways with a guitar than Ryan air!!
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Date Dec. 11 2012 10:50:22
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timoteo
Posts: 219
Joined: Jun. 22 2012
From: Seattle, USA
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RE: Flying w guitar (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
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I figure I should follow-up on my experience flying with my guitar last month. The most helpful and relevant advice came from Miguel de Maria:
quote:
I've flown Alaska Air several times between Phoenix and Seatac in the last few years, most recently in August. I think that each time, I was permitted to bring the guitar with me, but there are always multiple layers of people trying to take it from you. You have to be persistent and keep telling the various checkers and ticket-takers that you will ask the crew when you get there. When you get there, tell them it's very expensive and fragile (at least, that's what I say [and obviously true]).
I think mostly what I was worried about was the uncertainty and indeterminism of the entire process. It seems you can't know what will happen until you actually do it. That's not very comforting when you have a significant investment in your instrument!
In my case, on both the outbound and return trips, I showed up early at the gate and was able to board early because of my frequent flyer status. I showed the guitar to the attendants and they were very agreeable - no problem bringing it into the cabin AS LONG AS THERE WAS ROOM TO STOW IT. Storage room in the cabin is first come first served. Since I boarded early, there was plenty of room in the overhead bins, so I was able to stow my guitar up top.
I expect if you board late and there's no room left overhead, that's your tough luck - they're not going to move luggage just to accommodate you. As that's the busiest time for the flight attendants, they don't have time to try to make room for your guitar, you're just a nuisance and the easiest thing to do is force you to gate check your guitar at that point. So I'm guessing your best bet is to show up early and occupy that overhead bin and make the late arrivals check *their* bags. At least, that's what seemed to work for me.
I did accost several other people who were carrying guitars in the airport, and asked them if they ever had any problems getting their guitar on board. Both said no, as long as you cooperate with rather than confront the flight attendants.
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Date Jan. 12 2013 5:53:49
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just kidding. 
so I fly Ryanair or EasyJet and when I need to bring my guitar, I've sometimes gotten to carry it on no questions asked, but sometimes I've been made to gate check it. So what do you do? Pay the fee (you have no choice), say you'll check it at the gate (with the people loading the baggage carry), and then just bring it on the plane - if anyone asks a question, tell them the people at the gate said it was fine! This has worked for me every time