<p>binx, that's good news about the camera.</p>
<p>Also, it's always good to have an old cell phone handy. Our "spare" got mailed to D twice at school when her's died. (Both deaths were deemed unnatural by the forensic team (me). We took our time replacing her "all the bells and whistles" version but at least she had a phone while we dragged our tails.)</p>
<p>Her phones don't live long enough to become spares. I think they are burnt out from over texting. ;)</p>
<p>Just found this on aol through Walletpop. Can't seem to post a link, but you may find it via google or another source.</p>
<p>
[quote]
An inconvenient shrink: Continental's carry-on limit gets smaller...just in time for Thanksgiving
Jason Cochran
Oct 23rd 2008 at 8:00AM</p>
<p>Filed under: Budgets, Transportation, Travel</p>
<p>The tale of the scrimping airlines gets curiouser and curiouser. And shiftier and shiftier. Continental has announced that it will reduce the maximum size of its passengers' carry-on bags by a full six inches. (more...)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>S2 plays tenor sax. Travel case exceeds everyone's carry on dimensions by mere inches, but have decided to drive to all auditions rather than risk having to check sax. Nephew who travels frequently on SW says they never stop anyone w/large carryon, but don't want to take a chance.</p>
<p>Have already made 7 hour drive for auditon, have 9 hour drive in Dec. Am hoping the success of the Dec audition eliminates the longer trips in Jan.</p>
<p>Airlines are just making it harder to fly in general, let alone w/ a valuable and somewhat fragile instrument.</p>
<p>I wondered whether anyone has even more current advice? I am traveling with my S and his cello to Ann Arbor for his audition (Detroit airport) from the SF Bay Area and have been looking into flights. It looks like on Northwest we would have to either pay $175 each way, or book a seat for $259. If we go on Southwest, we can check the cello for $50 each way, but have to change planes in Chicago (with the chance of losing the instrument before the audition.) We have a BAM flight cover for checking purposes, but probably can't use it if it needs to fit in a seat! I know there are parents of cellists on this site. What are you guys doing these days?</p>
<p>SpiritManager,<br>
We have always bought a ticket for S2 larger sax (only on Southwest) and have not checked it, but I fly Southwest more frequently than once a month, and they have never lost my luggage. S2s suitcase even made a transfer that he barely made coming home for break. I'm not sure if they do it everywhere, but I believe that they have a computer printout for what bags need to be transferred where so baggage handlers know what to look for. If you watch, they also tend to be gentler with luggage than a lot of other airlines. Also making connection at Midway airport in Chicago is nothing like doing so at O'Hare.</p>
<p>My cellist son also has a BAM flight cover. He's made 4 flights over the last 12 months and has always checked it. Only one of these flights has been non-stop. All others, we've had to change plans and hope (& pray) for the best. We always choose a flight that gets us to our destination either early to mid morning the day before an audition in case the cello is placed on a different flight. </p>
<p>We've had good and bad luck with paying the oversized checked luggage fee. The last 2 times our airline reps had college age children who were musicians and quietly waived the fee. It's a crap shoot.</p>
<p>I know there are some who would never check an instrument but so far we've been lucky. But we worry each time and always have that uneasy feeling that we should have bought the cello a seat. On the other hand, we've heard where a musician bought his cello a seat and the airline refused to put it in the cabin. </p>
<p>The BAM case is wonderful but we still see evidence after we land that everything has been opened and all of the towels, tee-shirts, etc., that we've used for extra padding have been moved. That is very worrisome.</p>
<p>He has one more audition in Feb. that requires a flight and one of us will also fly with with him. But it's very possible that when it's him flying alone, we will pay for a seat for the cello.</p>
<p>There are others on the board who have much more experience with this and hopefully will offer some advice.</p>
<p>We're going to check the cello on our flight to and from Detroit for auditions. Last time we did this was almost a year ago and we were not charged for excess baggage... i suspect things might be tighter this time around. We usually fly Continental, Southwest or Airtran -- $175 each way for the cello in the baggage compartment would make me look for another airline!</p>
<p>Absolutely nothing bad has happened to the cello in the baggage compartment (inside a BAM flight cover) in our meager experience (4 flights over the last year and a half). At what cello-value do you start paying for a seat? My daughter loves this cello, but it did not cost very much...on the other hand, she preferred it to some $20K cellos she tried.</p>
<p>Has anyone had experience with security screenings that happen in the check in area? I know in St. Louis and some other airports, if you check in with luggage, you then have to carry it over to the x-ray machine yourself. I wonder if you could ask for hand screening of an instrument in front of you in order to ensure that it was repacked with sufficient care. It would probably be very much a luck of the draw situation, but I've seen hunters checking gun cases that had to be locked and they were opened and examined in front of the passenger. Then they were locked and sent on their way. </p>
<p>Traveling with an instrument--carry on, own ticket, or checked--seems to be such a crap shoot. S2 will probably be going to Europe this summer. We are contemplating packing it carefully and shipping Fed Ex to family rather than trying to check it with an airline (would be at least 2 transfers). It's own ticket is out of the question cost wise. We might also insist that he take his back-up instrument rather than the good one. What have those of you who have traveled outside the US done?</p>
<p>Daughter plays double bass, and traveling with a bass on a plane these days is sheer torture. She tries to arrange for a loaner or rental from a friend, school or luthier at or near the destination. This often has to be arranged weeks or months in advance but is much easier and often winds up being cheaper than flying with one of her instruments.</p>
<p>The decision to travel with a back-up instrument is complex and you need to take several things into account, including the importance of sounding his best on this trip, the difference in sound between the instruments, the difference in value between the instruments, whether either or both is insured, for how much and under what circumstances, how easily replaced either might be with or without insurance, and how easy it is to damage that particular instrument.</p>
<p>If we are talking about a sax larger than a soprano and up to the size of a bari, and if you have a good flight case for it, and if it is insured, then I think the FedEx idea is probably your best bet. He is almost certainly not going to be able to carry on a large sax and will be lucky to have it hand checked. The baggage allowances are meager and charges for extra baggage are outrageous these days, so shipping it independently may not wind up costing much different than carrying it himself.</p>
<p>memake, when you find an airline that charges less than the standard $150 each way for oversized luggage, be sure to let us know! ;)</p>
<p>/</p>
<p>Well, I've never paid that much. August '07 I paid $85 to check the cello on a flight from Bradley (Hartford) to Florida - so far that's been the high-water mark. Honestly, at $175 it would generally be 30-50% cheaper to buy the cello a seat in our flight-market.</p>
<p>Occasionally, the ole' tip to a skycap thing has worked for us.</p>
<p>bassdad, thanks. It is a bari and is insured for replacement value. He's hoping to do a music internship in Europe this summer. I'm not sure whether he is planning on trying to perform or whether it'd be just for practice. If it's just for practice, the back-up will be fine. We may, in fact, wait until he gets there to decide when/what/how to send it because he would be working at a place where he might be able to borrow an instrument.</p>
<p>The only serious problem he's had was enough to scare us. He has a nice wheeled case, but the bell is on top and it tends to be top heavy. He let go of it to push an elevator button and it fell. He managed to stop it with his foot so that it didn't hit the ground full force, but that evening he couldn't play several notes. We took it (3 hr. drive) to our trusted repairman who took one look and said "The body is bent." S and I were both sick to our stomachs. The repairman sent us to a mall for a couple of hours (I would call the time spent mostly "pacing" the mall). Fortunately, he was able to straighten it by a couple of judicious and appropriately placed "raps" on a rubber mat. I'm glad we didn't have to watch that.</p>
<p>I haven't read this entire thread, so I hope that I'm not repeating something that has already been mentioned, but I was advised by my daughter's cello insurer that THEY DO NOT COVER LOSSES FOR CHECKED INSTRUMENTS. We have never checked her instrument and have no plans to do so. However, for any of you with insurance and considering checking your instrument as baggage, you might want to read your policy first and make sure that there is not an exclusion for damage caused by checking it at an airport . . . .</p>
<p>Another note about cell phones- Check the coverage that your carrier has in the area your youngster is traveling to.My D went to a summer program in the west, and I thought that I was doing the right thing by sending her off with a brand-new phone (we had two more of the same model in the family and loved them). First, she called me when changing planes in Detroit, no problem. Got off the plane at her destination and the mike in the phone was totally dead!! The nearest Verizon office was over 100 miles away!!! It took several hours on the phone with Verizon Customer Service to convince them that the problem really was the phone and then they dispatched a new phone via Fed Ex, but the guards on the campus refused to permit the delivery truck to go to the music building, so they proceeded to send it back!! Eventually she did get her new phone, but it was no thanks to the program she was attending, who wouldn't even let her use the phone in the program office (even to call collect!!). It's amazing how many things can go wrong, no matter how well prepared you think you are.</p>
<p>kbjesq, are you carrying homeowners or instrument specific insurance? Most of the biggies cover damage as checked if it's an instrument policy.</p>
<p>Last year I checked into shipping my D's instrument FedEx. I was told by several peole at Fedex that their regular insurance does not cover things of that value. Fedex has a special insurance carrier that you can use that covers expensive items, and you must take out a policy on your own. After many transferred conversations and significant time on hold, I was about to check into whether my own insurance policy would cover, when it became a mute point and I dropped the whole thing- like a hot potato. Good luck to anyone who ends up going there. Let me know how it finally worked out!</p>
<p>Just back from my DS's audition for UNT's jazz program. We booked Delta (their website says specifically that you can take a guitar as your carry-on and did not list size requirements) but when we got to the gate for the first leg - which turned out to be a Northwest "partner" flight - we were forced to check the guitar through to Dallas. The gate agent was not pleasant or sympathetic in the least. She would not even let us try to find space for it on board. I forked over $15 and we hoped for the best. When we got to Dallas, the guitar was (surprise!) not there. I filed the lost baggage claim and told the gal at the counter that it was critical that we get the guitar that night. </p>
<p>It eventually arrived at our hotel at midnight (which felt like 1 a.m. to our biological clocks). Thankfully it was okay. Needless to say, my son was extremely stressed out and angry and did not get a good night's sleep. He felt that his audition went okay but could have been better. (On a brighter note, the folks at UNT were wonderful and we loved it - I'll post more about that on another board.)</p>
<p>On our flights home, we flew on Delta planes. While they said we could try to take the guitar on board, they said it would probably be taken and gate-checked because it would be unlikely that there would be space in the overhead bins (and God forbid they would find space for it in one of the first-class closets). We were connecting through Atlanta and very nervous about it finding the right flight if we had to do that, so we checked it through. </p>
<p>The guitar made it home with us in one piece, but the hard-sided case did not fare so well (despite the big red "fragile" stickers).</p>
<p>Obviously we'll need to look into a better case and avoid connecting flights. My son, however, says he'll be taking Greyhound in the future!</p>
<p>wow! what a nightmare!! thank goodness the instrument got to you in time and intact. this does not speak well for delta.</p>
<p>As a 20-year employee for a major airline, I feel the urge to chime in here in defense of my industry. (said with a smile; not feeling completely defensive!)</p>
<p>Airlines are in business to make money, of course, and they're subject to all sorts of nebulous rules about all sorts of things you may not imagine. Both of these facts can make travel difficult for musicians.</p>
<p>Naturally, airlines can't just give their seats away to people's instruments; they've got to keep their seats open in hopes of selling them. The airline doesn't care if it's a person or an instrument in the seat, but I do understand why one wouldn't want to double their cost of travel. Still, it's unrealistic to think that this is the airline's problem.</p>
<p>I don't know if you've read much about the airline industry since 9/11, but all major airlines have been in deep do-do for some time now (with the exception of Southwest, but mainly because they lucked out with longer fuel hedges than the rest of the airlines -- their hedges have all but expired now, so they're starting to feel the pinch as well). For a few years, all of the majors except American and Continental were in bankruptcy. Huge numbers of employees at all major airlines have been laid off, and most of those who have kept their jobs have taken massive pay cuts, longer hours, and worse work rules. Airlines have been losing hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter. When I hear people complain about the prices or the service, I just scratch my head. Ticket prices have gone down in the twenty years I've been with my company, not up. It has often been cheaper to fly than it has been to drive because of the price of gas. Cheaper for the customer, that is. The airlines have been losing money because of high fuel prices and the inability to sell their product at higher prices, even though those higher prices are justified by significantly higher costs. Empty planes are too expensive to fly -- raise the ticket prices significantly, and people won't buy them -- keep the prices down, and people will buy them but even a full plane at those lower prices will fly at a loss! It's a quandary that the airlines have been dealing with for years now. Like any other money-losing company, they're working very hard to find just the right price strategy.</p>
<p>It would be very nice if passengers could count on the first class coat closets for instrument storage, but that's often problematic too. Most of the rules about storage, whether it's in the overhead bins, the coat closets, or at the seats, are directed by the Federal Aviation Administration, not the poor gate agents and flight attendants who are left to enforce them. One of the FAA rules for the coat closet is "no stacking." Another rule defines where crew luggage is to be placed. On nearly all airplanes, it goes in the coat closets. If crew luggage is in the coat closets, there's no room for a passenger's instrument -- because you're not allowed to stack things on top of each other.</p>
<p>When airlines began charging for checked baggage (I know it's controversial -- but they found that people won't pay for increased fares associated with the higher costs of operating and they're gushing money so fast that they can't stay in business -- so things like snacks, headphones, baggage, etc. now have price tags), more people began carrying-on baggage. More carry-on baggage means more rule enforcement and less flexibility about storage space. (Have you noticed how long it takes to deplane these days due to all that extra carry-on baggage?)</p>
<p>If one is flying out of a city without major carrier service (i.e. smaller airplanes to their destination or to a connecting city on the way to their destination), in most cases one can expect to relinquish control of their instrument at the gate -- unless one buys a seat for the instrument. The overhead bins on those planes simply aren't large enough for even a standard carry-on bag, so even those carry-on bags have to be put in the cargo hold. The coat closets are tiny and usually otherwise occupied.</p>
<p>A heads-up regarding checking your instrument -- those cargo bins are cold! (Even in the summer once the airplane reaches cruising altitude.) There is usually a small amount of heat ducted into the cargo area -- sometimes it's the "used" air from the passenger cabin that is circulated around the cargo bins before being ducted overboard. Cargo holds may run somewhere around 47 to 65 degrees. We all know what the cold can do to instruments. Also, if it's winter time, you can bet that your instrument will likely be sitting in the cold for some time before being loaded into the airplane. So good, sturdy, well-packed cases are a must.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that airline employees aren't rude or unaccommodating at times. I've seen it myself. But after reading some of the complaints on this thread, I’m thinking the airlines are getting a bad rap about some things that are not under their control. It is unfortunate that some of the rules are sometimes arbitrarily enforced, leaving the customer to blame the employee who tries to enforce them. Airlines are fined every day for various infractions... infractions that might seem totally silly to us.</p>
<p>Lost luggage, especially when it's a beloved instrument, and especially when it's needed for an audition or performance, is always a bummer and, yes, often the airline's fault. But another word of warning -- if you try to carry your instrument to the gate in an attempt to carry it on, only to find that the agent or flight attendant working that flight does not have space for it, you will increase your chances of "lost" luggage. Especially if you show up at the gate shortly before departure, and especially if you're getting on a small airplane with a large instrument. You see, if you "gatecheck" your instrument, especially at the last minute, you open yourself up to two problems. One, you must count on the people loading your airplane to see the instrument that was sent down separately for loading. There are procedures that should be followed, but by gatechecking, you increase the room for human error. Two, if you're getting on a smaller airplane to connect to a larger city, you run the risk of not having room in the small cargo hold at the last minute -- especially in the case of a large instrument. When the people loading the airplane see that there's no room, they follow their procedures to get the instrument to you on the next flight to your destination. But, at least at my airline, and probably at the others, there is no procedure for notifying you of this fact prior to departure. It would be too cumbersome and time consuming ... and on-time departures and arrivals are number one in customer priorities (behind safety, that is).</p>
<p>All that being said, another hint that might help ... If you can, try to find out ahead of time how full your flight is (maybe up to a half-day or a day before your flight, as seats continue to fill up right up to the last minute). If you find that your flight is quite full, you might assume that you’ll have more trouble taking your instrument on board. On the other hand, if you find that it’s relatively empty, you will also likely find that gate agents and flight attendants are far more accommodating – because they can be, considering all the extra room on board!</p>
<p>So, bottom line -- the best bet would be to buy a seat for large instruments. Barring that, show up early. Find out if your flight is pretty open. That might put your mind at ease. And, as others have said, plan to arrive at auditions several flights ahead of your scheduled audition time so that there is time to recover from instrument or passenger misconnects – or even bad weather that throws your flight off schedule.</p>
<p>Okay. Glad I got that off my chest. Remember ... airline folks are people too! ;-)</p>
<p>We were able to get a special instrument insurance policy for all S2s instruments. The rate was different for professional/non-professional use. As it was explained to me, if he earns less than $6000 / year from music, it is considered non-professional. Even so, the rate was not hugely different. We insured everything for replacement cost and had to have the two vintage instruments professionally appraised. </p>
<p>I will ask about their insurance for Fed Ex shipping if we decide to go that route. We've also wondered about shipping in the event of needed repairs, since our trusted repairman is now halfway across the country. We're hoping we can reserve time for cleaning, etc. over summer break.</p>