<p>Haven’t flown for awhile - about a year. But last time I flew, I had my toiletries in a baggie in the outside pocket of my carry-on, and forgot to take them out when we went through security. Didn’t realize it until much later. No one said anything. And our airport still had the signs everywhere, and baggies available for travelers. Don’t know if it was just a lax agent, or if they’re just caring less these days.</p>
<p>Just returned, flying on Delta from 2 smaller airports but through Atlanta on MD88 planes. They still are reminding travelers of the 3-1-1 rule and have baggies available at some airports. However on both legs I did have a stray bottle of hand lotion in my purse that they did not make any comment. In the past I have forgotten to remove my baggie from my backpack and they have not said anything. I guess it depends on the airport. Shoes go directly on the carousel, not in a bin. They are also trying to limit the number of carry on bags, asking people to consolidate to 2 bags. One gate agent in Atlanta said that the airline will be fined for too many carry on bags but the passengers seemed to ignore this. Flight attendants seemed helpful in trying to find room in the overhead bins for most bags. If you are traveling on a small regional jet bin storage may be tight. It seems like nothing has changed over the past year.</p>
<p>They are most definitely sensitive to the TWO carry on limit. DD (stupidly) was carrying her dual instrument case, her laptop, and her purse. She got through security, but the flight folks would NOT let her board the plane with three carryons. There was not room in the computer bag or the music case for the purse and contents (overstuffed). SO…she had to make a quick decision…gate check the $14,000 worth of instruments or gate check the $1000 laptop. She checked the laptop. She has NEVER made that mistake again. TWO carry ons only.</p>
<p>Laptops----thats another nightmare…
1200 laptops are lost at LAX (Los Angeles) EVERY WEEK.</p>
<p>Today, D’s woodwind quintet traveled on Delta from Newark to Houston. Delta tried to stop the horn and the bassoon from going on the commuter flight. (They had flown into Newark on the same size Delta plane with no problem.) D kindly let them know that her bassoon was more valuable than their cars and she would not part with it. They told her they would have to get the OK from the pilot and she suggested that they do that. They didn’t, but let her proceed and she took her bassoon on and stowed it in the bin above her seat. The horn player was tired at 5:30am and did not push very hard to bring his horn on, although it was in a Marcus Bonna backpack case - it clearly would have fit. And if not, he could have stuck it under his seat. He grabbed a few shirts to cushion it as much as possible before letting it go under. Needless to say it arrived “crushed” according to D. At first Delta refused to take responsibility for it, but D got them to agree to pay for it to be fixed. We’ll see if they actually follow through.</p>
<p>We flew recently with S’s violin and had no problems (it was a domestic flight, with a transfer). On one flight they asked him to put it in the closet that on that particular model (and MD80 series) up front. I wasn’t thrilled, but I asked the F/A to make sure that only myself or my son took it.</p>
<p>Otherwise, it went in the overhead bins with no problems. This was on AA…</p>
<p>But from what I hear, it depends on the airline and even at times who is at the gate that determines things. One thing that may help is to call the airline before flying and check their policy, and ask them if someone gives them a hard time who they should talk to. With flying, it isn’t just the handling of the instrument in checked baggage, it is the nature of cargo holds, they are not environmentally controlled, and many instruments won’t react well to the changes they experience (even leaving out of it the American Tourister Gorillas [a famous ad from the 70’s, showing luggage being thrown around by a gorilla in a cage]).You basically are allowed one item in the overhead bin, and a ‘personal’ item under the seat.</p>
<p>I also recommend getting there early, and talking to the people at the gate long before boarding, in case they give a problem. </p>
<p>There has been talk of the FAA issuing rules on that, that if it fits into the overhead bin it has to be allowed on board, but I haven’t heard anything since. The other thing to be careful of is the TSA personnel, some of them are notorious for taking instruments out of the case and claiming security, ‘playing’ them, fooling around with them and the like, and there is absolutely no reason for them to do that. They have the right to have the case opened if asked, but with Xraying and such, there is no reason for them to handle it.</p>
<p>team-mom, that stinks!</p>
<p>D has made several domestic flights on Southwest this year with a smallish viola with no problems, but we’ve also paid the $10 early boarding fee to ensure that she was able to get an overhead bin. </p>
<p>Another reason to be happy with her choice of a school close enough to drive to!</p>
<p>Team-mom - that’s the stuff of nightmares. My S would not have boarded if they wouldn’t let him on with his horn. I hung around an Air France (Delta partner) terminal in Munich for several hours once because the ticket person insisted he couldn’t take his horn. She conversed (in French) with a manager, and then said he would have to clear it with attendants at boarding. So H & I hung around, waiting for an emergency call if they wouldn’t let him board with it.</p>
<p>The problem with the airline’s baggage insurance is that they cover only a few hundred dollars. I hope they pay to fix it, and I hope it is fixable.</p>
<p>Oh brother!! I hope my kid doesn’t have trouble with his instruments when he flies home. He is VERY adverse to checking them even though he has a great and durable case.</p>
<p>Is there any way to take transatlantic flights w/ a bass w/o buying a flight case ? Flight cases are so expensive (approx. 4000$), and you have to add 200$ supplement BOTH ways !! Someone told me she did but then she had to pay three places for the bass and one for her…
Right now I’m even considering rebuying my old Chinese bass for approx 1500$. Not a great instrument, but something to practice on during holidays.</p>
<p>I have not heard of many people having luck getting an upright bass into the seating cabin of a plane since 9/11, no matter how many seats they buy for it.</p>
<p>It may be possible to rent a flight case, but then there is the expense of shipping it back. I know that David Gage rents them in the US, but do not know if he would do an international rental for someone that he has not done business with before. Probably worth an email to inquire. Kolstein’s on Long Island may be another place to try.</p>
<p>Have you asked Juilliard about the possibility of borrowing one of their instruments while you are here? That way, you could leave your good bass at home to practice on and also have a very good one here. I know of someone who was able to borrow a very nice instrument for all five years that they studied at Curtis, getting their own bass only shortly before graduation, so it may be possible at Juilliard as well.</p>
<p>Cello - extra seat every flight - no exceptions - no problems except poverty. We’ve explored the possibility of a second instrument for college years to avoid the second seat issue for trips home. </p>
<p>Bass players, you have my sympathy; even with a great flight case, you’re looking at an additional charge for stowing the instrument in cargo, though I will say that when I was with a youth orchestra for a trip to Europe, the airlines did a fantastic job taking care of the checked instruments. (But when there’s a whole orchestra traveling, perhaps they’re a bit more careful loading and unloading all the pieces together.)</p>
<p>For the official policies, check this link ([TSA:</a> Transporting Musical Instruments](<a href=“http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1235.shtm]TSA:”>http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1235.shtm)). I recommend printing it and keeping it in your case so you can present it to a TSA supervisor in the event of a dispute.</p>
<p>At my son’s last flight the good humored TSA employee said, “Well, we can let you take this on the plane but only if you play a sonata for us first.” We’ve never encountered a TSA employee that wanted to touch the instrument at all.</p>
<p>In my next life, my children will learn to play the piccolo and carry their instruments in their purses.</p>
<p>Son’s euphonium is an extra seat, thank god D’s flute/pic get carried on quite easily</p>
<p>I think the only strange thing that has happened to me regarding air travel with my instrument was when I was flying from Frankfurt to Zurich on a family vacation. The TSA officer actually took a sample of the rosin dust that had accumulated on the surface and tested it! Maybe he thought I was smuggling drugs? Truthfully I was just practicing for an upcoming youth orchestra audition 
I was let on the plane with no trouble after that, and they let me carry on the violin even though it was a relatively small plane.</p>
<p>And then there was the time I forgot my traveling stand
was made of metal and sent it through the Xray machine…</p>
<p>My wife and I once got pulled aside by the security officers in Norway when we did not stop to think about how a half dozen pennywhistles and an old-style non-electric krumkake iron might look on an Xray screen. We had to play a couple of tunes for them before they were satisfied we were not carrying pipe bombs. At least there they knew what a krumkake iron was.</p>
<p>My 11-yr old has been invited to play in an orchestra at a music festival in Croatia later this summer. He plays on a custom-made 1/2 size cello since smaller instruments are notorious for their poor sound. Whether he can attend hinges on whether we can get his cello there AFFORDABLY!</p>
<p>Option 1: Buying it a round-trip ticket to Europe. Out of the question for this cello at these prices.</p>
<p>Option 2: Send it under in a rented BAM flight case. Not a good option - It would be too unwieldy for him to lug around Europe - he’s still little</p>
<p>Option 3: Rent a cello there. Possible, although not a great option. I’ve contacted the festival and am awaiting a response. Does anyone know of somewhere in Venice where he could rent a 1/2 cello? The difficulty with this option (besides trying to find a half cello) is that he is younger than the high schoolers he will be playing with and he will be embarrassed to play on a poor-sounding instrument. </p>
<p>Option 4: Bring it on the plane as carry on. I wish…I’ve seen people bring on guitars and as it is almost the same size, only a few inches deeper, so that may be a distant possibility. I tried calling Continental, but they are impossible to reach this week because of the United merger. Has anyone carried a guitar on board lately? I know that those do not fit within the carry-on 42" requirement. How did that go? Where did it get stowed?</p>
<p>Option 5: Has anyone heard about a flight cover that goes over your case with blow-up air cushions inside? Probably too heavy for him, but just curious.</p>
<p>I’d really appreciate any other options!!</p>
<p>With guitars, what the people at AA told me was that they put them in a closet they have at the front of the airplane (on one leg of a recent flight that is where my s’s violin was put). I can’t say that will hold for all airlines, or even every flight AA has, but that is what they told me.</p>
<p>The only other option I can think of (don’t know if it is practical at all) would be to ship it via a carrier as fragile merchandise. Maybe others on here have tried that, and it could be that is as bad as shipping it on cargo on regular plane flight…</p>
<p>The other thing is to keep trying continental, whether e-mail or phone, and try to get through to someone who knows. If you booked the tickets through a travel agent, they may be willing to help get an answer from the airline.</p>
<p>You also might want to e-mail the organizers of the festival and ask them if they have any suggestions, if they routinely get people coming from all over, they might know of some nifty solutions, or recommend someplace your S could rent a good instrument locally. </p>
<p>Hope this helps even a bit, I wish you luck.</p>
<p>D’s youth orchestra travelled with several half and full size cellos a few years ago. One of the kids had one of those flight covers (borrowed; they’re apparently very pricey) and said it was heavy and made it very difficult to move the instrument around - and he was a full size kid at the time! The youngest cellist, who was about 10, had a smaller BAM type case and put his (very nice) cello in with the luggage with no problem. All the cellists found that wheels on cases are not always useful given European cobblestone streets, and many ended up using the backpack straps more often than they might at home. Hope your son has a great time on his Croatian adventure!</p>
<p>My son travelled with a double bass from Boston to LA a few months ago. It was part of the Grammy Jazz Ensembles and the Grammy Foundation paid for everything, including renting one of those giant flight cases ($100 per week) and the fees to transport it back and forth ($175 each way). Everything went well, but I think it helped that the Grammy folks had done this before. They actually went out to the airport days before the flight and arranged everything so that it was all in the airline’s system. He also took an electric bass, which we packed in a soft case and stowed above the seats. He flew on American and they officially address guitars, allowing them on board even though they don’t fit the 42" requirement. Continental doesn’t have that policy, so if your cello is guitar sized, you’d have to gamble if you try to take it onboard. Definitely try calling the airline and get something in writing if you decide to fly with it.</p>
<p>I’ve heard lots of horror stories as far as travelling with basses go and there’s no easy solution. Our son is going to a college within driving distance, but we’re going to keep a spare bass at home so we don’t have to go fetch him and his instrument at Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break, when he can fly home.</p>
<p>My son needs to get his tenor sax with him to college (flying Denver to Boston). Any hints? We have not selected an airline yet. </p>
<p>The case exterior is canvas, but it seems very rigid rugged (P. Mauriet brand.) It is larger than a violin case, but not dramatically so. </p>
<p>It would fit inside a big roller bag with bedding and a pillow, but I fear it will be handled too roughly if checked in this manner. Also not sure if it would cause suspicioun if the bag were scannned/</p>