Air travel with guitar?
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Howdy folks,
Seeking some advice from those of you that have experience traveling with musical instruments. I'm flying JetBlue today and they permit certain instruments to be carried on, including a guitar like i have. The caveat is that there needs to be room in the overhead bins for it, otherwise they will check it in, which is not an attractive option due to potentially careless handling by airline staff.
Any advice or your experiences would be most appreciated!
Cheers,
L
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
I have checked basses in as
I have checked basses in as luggage. Many airlines have special check ins for sporting goods, whereby they handle them more gently. Haven't used the service in a while, but you might want to check to see if they are still doing it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lassen
^ha.. Yeah, United breaks a
^ha.. Yeah, United breaks a lot more than just guitars..
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Board early, when they
Board early, when they announce pre-boarding for passengers with children and special needs. Ask the air stewards if they can put your guitar in the closet. Pick up your guitar on the way out. Easy peasy.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lassen
^ hot damn, thanks a lot man!
^ hot damn, thanks a lot man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lord Kalvert
loosen the strings- in case
loosen the strings- in case you have to check it as baggage
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Yes. Aside from the overhead
Yes. Aside from the overhead bins, there is a closet up front for the crew. I've had my guitar stored there. As a last resort, you can have it hand carried and loaded with the wheel chairs and strollers. They get carried down the stairs from the end of the jetway and are last on and first off. You have to wait until everybody else is off and pick it up right by the cabin door.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
Best advice is try and store
Best advice is try and store the guitar in a gig bag with back pack straps - it's way less visibly noticeable.
The trick is to wear the thing upside down with the headstock pointed toward the floor.
This gives a visual appearance that is less "threatening" to a flight crew's notice.
- The General rule - is always act like you know what you are doing.
One other caveat - not relevant to taking Jet Blue - but be way careful if you travel these days with any guitar that is built with Brazilian Rosewood as a component.
The current CITES regulations could lead to the guitar being confiscated by customs.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lassen
Cool Treb, thanks.
Cool Treb, thanks.
I think i'm ok, my Taylor has Indian Rosewood, not Brazilian
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jay
Hi Treble,
Hi Treble,
I fly weekly and often times take my fullsize Taylor.
Just last week I flew Jet Blue to Puerto Rico and there was sufficient room overhead for my hardcase.
Which row are you seated in? Jet Blue loads the plane from the back rows first and you shouldn't have a problem so long as you're not one of the last to board the plane... the overhead bins do start to get full.
Most companies will make you put it under the plane if there's no room (usually no charge). My Taylor is worth about 1200 bucks so I've politely informed them that it going under the plane isn't the best idea. You can also a flight attendant if there's a closet you could use up front.
Happy Travels
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jay
>> The General rule - is
>> The General rule - is always act like you know what you are doing.
Yes! I just act really cool and don't ask "Is it OK to bring this carry on?" Just go for it like you do it all the time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
Some folks have been known to
Some folks have been known to buy a second seat, for their special axe.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
be super nice and polite.
be super nice and polite.
bring the crew some chocolates.
and yes, get on as soon as you can.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gohKsPgEpHA
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dan
I was on a flight to Denver
I was on a flight to Denver with John Scofield. He carried it onto the flight.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
I bought a Calton Case out of
I bought a Calton Case out of Canada for my Martin HD-28. Heavy as hell as it's a 3 ply fiberglass composite. http://www.calton-cases.com
Before that, I was lucky enough to use the overhead storage on one flight but the next made me put it below upon boarding.
I decided to not take chances and bought the case the pros use in case it goes down below.
Never heard about the Brazilian rosewood thing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
This is literally one of the
This is literally one of the main reasons I took up playing mandolin - way back in 1990.
No hassle on flights.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lassen
The crew at Jetblue were
The crew at Jetblue were great, and safely stored my axe in the plane's closet. Thanks for all your comments and recommendations.
Happy pickin'!
L
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mylar
^ That's where mine usually
^ That's where mine usually goes.
Even some of the best hard shell cases can get busted up. I had a heavy duty SKB case when I toured Europe. All of the planes I used in Europe let me carry on. No problems until I came home through New York on United. They said it had to be checked.
Not sure how they did it but, the case had a big crack in it when I finally made it home. Guitar was OK, though.