Taking a guitar on a plane -- Is it a good or bad idea?

I posted the following in response to another thread a few months ago:

Next time you're on a plane watch the luggage handlers.

Watch the luggage go flying through the air as they throw it into the plane, or from the plane to the cart, or from the cart to the ground.

Notice the luggage handlers opening the stuff that breaks open and pocketing what they want.

If you're going to check the luggage, you must have a top end travel case. Not a common ordinary hard-shell, but one designed to protect quality gear from the kind of abuse that it will see on a trip where you check the luggage.

If you're going to go carry-on:

1) put your instrument in a soft-shell, padded plain black case with nothing but the instrument and a bungee cord inside. Both padded and black make it look smaller. You probably won't even get it measured. If you do, make sure you squeeze and adjust the bag so that you come in under the allowed linear inches Smile

2) Do not have anything else to carry on except a small personal item like a book. You want to be as cooperative as possible.

3) Carry a copy of the airlines' instrument policy. Almost all airlines have one. You can find many of them here Continental's reads:
Musical instruments can be carried on board or checked as baggage. If necessary, a seat can also be purchased for an instrument.

Carried on Board

* A musical instrument can be carried on in place of a carry-on bag.
* The maximum combined linear measurement (L + W + H) of the instrument is 51 inches (130 cm).
* The maximum weight of the carry-on bag is 40 pounds (18 kg).

4) If you can't afford a first class seat, or you're not a frequent flier or a member of their premier/elite/super-great-guy club, get a seat at the very rear of the plane. This puts you on board as one of hte first passengers.

5) Be friendly, courteous and kind to the stewards and crew. They will be your friend in all this!

6) Get their early. Security will take a lot longer ....

7) If the crew has a problem, remember that yours is an unusual case and they are just trying to do their job. Be calm and cool. Be prepared to explain that your guitar is valuable and fragile, but safe it it's nice soft case. Be prepared to suggest storing the guitar upright, or in the rear of the plane, or in a galley or crew coat closet. Have a bungee chord in the bag to tie it down with. If that doesn't resolve things ask to deplane and to speak with airline supervisor. You only have a few minutes so you need to be prepared to miss your flight or make alternate arrangements for the instrument.

You don't have the law on your side, but the law isn't against you either. Congress has actually asked the FAA to set stanards for instrument travel allowances. The specific language is:

Quote:

S. 1447 Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, Relating to Public Law 107-71 Page 41, Section 135
SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

It is a sense of the House of Representatives that
(1) the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security should develop security procedures to allow passengers transporting a musical instrument on a flight of an air carrier to transport the instrument in the passenger cabin of the aircraft, notwithstanding any size or other restriction on carry-on baggage but subject to such other reasonable terms and conditions as may be established by the Under Secretary or the air carrier, including imposing additional charges by the air carrier.

So if you have to talk to a supervisor be prepared to pay a reasonable extra charge.

In all honesty, while it's true that flying with an instrument is a crap shoot, if you're personable, friendly, calm and reasonable, you should have no problems. I never have . . .

If that doesn't resolve things ask to deplane and to speak with airline supervisor. You only have a few minutes so you need to be prepared to miss your flight or make alternate arrangements for the instrument.
Forget airline supervisors, they have zero authority on the plane. The man in charge is the pilot (he has ultimate responsibilty for the plane, the crew and the passengers) and what he says goes (and don't some of them like to show it :evil: ).
If you have checked luggage, though, deboarding is the very LAST thing that you should contemplate - it will get you enemies (I'm not joking). If you deboard, your checked luggage will have to be removed from the hold, which will probably mean that the flight is delayed and the delay could be considerable, depending upon the current availability of take-off slots. Delays cost airlines money.
Ring the airline, ahead of time and ask about their policy, in general, and this flight, in particular. An overloaded flight is a no-hoper and many airlines sacrifice passengers for freight, to make the most economic all-up weight. A plane can be "full" even with empty seats.
If you do get an OK, get the person's name, so that you can refer to it, when you get to the check-in.
As KP said, always be polite and friendly - regard it as if you are asking them for a really big favour.

After listening to all of your excellent advice, I decided that taking one of my precious guitars on an airplane might not be such a good idea. Two carry-ons (guitar and laptop computer) is one too many.

I sent an email to my hosts with a "special request" asking if they knew someone that could loan me a guitar. I also let them know that there was a local guitar store that offered guitars starting at $50, so that they wouldn't feel pressured.
They are sending their 1940 Gibson acoustic to the guitar store to get new strings for me!!

WOW!

I feel so honored and blessed!!

I travel a few bit and see alot of people with instruments and there are basically two things that can happen:

1.) Your best option is to bring it on the plane if they will let you. If they do that then there usually is room in the fairly small closets at the front of the planes. But I've seen so many airlines tell people that can't do that, that I would check before you even get to the airport.

2.) The other option is checking it in, which means it'll be thrown around by baggage handlers and even if you have a solid case the chances of it getting damaged are pretty high.

Like other people mentioned I'd leave it home if possible.