British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I'm flying to Madeira from London to spend a few days with my parents. Thought I'd take my guitar and flute so we can play some tunes, sing a few songs. But I've phoned BA - and they're going to charge me £60 for the guitar! No argument. Unless I can fit it in a suitcase. So who's going to be the first to create a new line of suitcase/guitar case crosses that qualify as a single piece of luggage? Yet another nail in the coffin of live music. Aarrgggh
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Last year I asked them if I could take my guitar in the cabin, and they said no, so I took it anyway, and they kindly stowed it in Business Class for me, in a coat locker or something. If you have a hard case for it, there's no reason why it can't go in the hold with your other luggage.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Bummer. What's the situation with other airlines? I'm flying over to Ireland with Ryanair and hoping to take my pipes but I can't seem to get any sense out of Ryanair customer service. They don't seem to know if I can take it onboard although I used to before the restrictions.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Actually Stan, there is a reason - this is the new baggage restrictions BA have imposed - only one item for 'World Traveller' or whatever the orwellian doublespeak for cattle-class is now. So I can take my guitar in it's hard case in the hold, as long as I don't have any other bag to check in. At least my flute fits in my hand luggage. Until they realise the potential for an unkeyed blackwood flute to be used as a weapon, then that'll be out too.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
The only question is: is the total cost of the flight , including the extra £60 - actually £42 if you pay online - worth it to you?
This is not aimed solely at musicians, in economy you're limited to one checked bag free and they charge for the others. That way the cost of handling extra bags is borne by those with more baggage rather than spread over all passengers. You may think it Orwellian or neo-con or whatever, and by all means let the airline know how you feel, but that's the way it is for now. Airfares now are a fraction of what they used to be, in real terms, 20 years ago and you would not have been jetting off to Madeira for a few days back then unless you were loaded.
Since the kerfuffle last August, and subsequent protests from musicians, they've actually become much more tolerant of hand-carried instruments - you're allowed one small laptop bag or similar, plus one small instrument as carry-on. I've travelled many times with mandolin and laptop since then with no hassle. I've seen guitars going in the cabin - in a soft case.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
There are good reasons for not placing guitars or other instruments into the hold, even if you have a hard case. A friend of mine had a narrow escape with his rather expensive guitar on the way to New York the year before last: the hard case was returned with two large holes punctured right through it. It must have taken considerable force to break right through, and the fact that there were two holes does not suggest a sensitive baggage-handling system.
I find that it is somewhat difficult to get any sense out of airport or air-carrier employees over the phone, but an assertive attitude that falls short of obnoxiousness works wonders. Explain that you were told by so-and-so over the phone that it would be no problem. If that doesn't work, try exaggerating the value of an instrument, implying its sentimental value over several generations, and then asking at the desk how they would feel, in your position. It tends to bring people out of their professional shell, and reminds them of their humanity. Once you've got through the check-in, you can blame the staff there, and so on, until you get onto the plane. It's a gamble that is definitely worth trying of you have a relatively small instrument, and a bit of self-confidence. If you play cello, you're probably f**ked.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
My point is really about the attempt to 'simplify' the rules by making it only one bag. I'm only checking in a fairly small bag, there's no way I can combine my guitar + small bag into one bag, despite the fact that if I did it would be within size and weight restrictions. I don't want to risk turning up and being turned away so I phoned ahead. No luck. As for the price, I'm paying well over £200 to fly out on a Friday morning and back on a Monday lunchtime, not what I wold have thought of as peak times. Anyway I've had my rant, time for a few hours sleep before the 4.30am taxi!
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
A friend of mine was travelling to an important function and took both a suitcase and a so-called "pilot case" as hand luggage. This contained irreplaceable and valuable Jugendstil jewelery inherited from her mother. A bolshie check-in clerk said the case was too big, and instead of arguing she let it go in the hold. Yes, you guessed, it never came out of the system at the other end.
Since then I would urge anyone to follow the same rule as me: never ever ever ever let anthing irreplaceable go in the hold; never ever ever ever let anthing valuable go in the hold unless it is insured to the hilt.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I did a return trip on BA from Heathrow to Denver in December and had both the pipes and a laptop as carry-ons. When I checked in, the check-in lady said, "You can only have one carry-on," and when I said the pipes were an instrument, she was like, "Oh, okay, that's fine then." Have things changed since January?
Don't get me started on Singapore Airlines. What a bunch of tossers.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
The quick answer is; the days of carefree air travel are over. If you're feeling sufficiently Green you might want to say "just as well".
I do know one or two international musicians who just keep instruments in each of the countries they regularly play in, to avoid any hassles about damage or transport costs.
PS try typing s*w*a*n*k in without the asterisks - it's like the school website where they couldn't find out anything about Sussex, Essex, Middlesex, or Wessex.......
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Some might view this as discriminatory, so keep in mind I mean no offense - but since I personally weigh only ~45kg, how come I can only have a 20kg bag, when someone who weighs 145kg is also allowed a 20kg bag? I know people would be up in arms about the inequality of light people being allowed more luggage weight, but seriously. I'm contributing less to the weight of the plane, yet my baggage is still restricted in the same way. What would happen if my complete chance, everyone on a particular flight weighed upwards of 100kg and brought on a 20kg bag? Would the plane be safe? If it wasn't, how would the airline react, what would they do?
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
bloody skinny people... That's why i play the flute - I'm trying to balance out the plane. I've eaten WAAAAAaaay too many tim-tams to be eligible to play something as heavy as the box...
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I'm with you kjay. Some people are so large they could stow a guitar in their underclothing if it weren't for the x-ray scanner things. What Neil could do is wear all the clothing that is in his check-in bag on the flight. That way he could check in his guitar without having to pay sixty quid. Might get a bit warm on the plane, though, especially if he were sat next to a large person.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
The MU negotiated an agreement with the Department of Transport. If you can prove you are a bona-fide pro-musician (mu card etc.), you are allowed to take your instrument on as an extra piece of hand luggage, if it will not fit in your hand luggage, with the proviso, you may need to buy a seat if it is a bulky instrument.
So if you play flute or box, you can kn@ckers as they will fit in your hand luggage. I suspect the wifes handbag is that big, I could get an anglo in it!
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
That's my goal when I am better at guitar building and can start to improvise things, a guitar with a true bolt on neck that can be removed for travel, put in a little case, and reassembled in under a half hour...that includes re-stringing.
Leech has the best idea, but they are really pricey.
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
From some of the horror stories I've heard, including the hole-punch one above, checking a guitar on a flight needs to involve both forethought and paranoia.
Here's a good description of how to protect a guitar for airline travel: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Packing/packing1.html
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
That's a good link tintin - the "whiplash" on the guitar neck can be even worse in a proper hardshell case since it doesn't absorb any vibration or bump but transmits it straight on. Instead of packing round the neck with newspaper as the bloke in the link recommends,
I recommend underwear, socks and T-shirts, thereby killing two birds with one stone. You may be able to pack the rest of your clothes in s single carry-on bag.
Despite all the horror stories, damage to your instrument in transit is a rare occurrence - it's never happened to me or any of my present or erstwhile travelling band-mates in 30-odd years of air travel, but there was a blues guitarist I met who travelled London - Aberdeen a few years ago with hardshell case where the neck snapped in transit.
It's important to get it into perspective because I'd hate to see musicians not taking their instruments abroad through unrealistic fears. The consequences of that IMO are worse than the very rare instances of irreparable damage
British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I'm flying to Madeira from London to spend a few days with my parents. Thought I'd take my guitar and flute so we can play some tunes, sing a few songs. But I've phoned BA - and they're going to charge me £60 for the guitar! No argument. Unless I can fit it in a suitcase. So who's going to be the first to create a new line of suitcase/guitar case crosses that qualify as a single piece of luggage? Yet another nail in the coffin of live music. Aarrgggh
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by NeilC
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
http://www.voyageairguitar.com/
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by kkrell
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Harvey Leach guitars, but he's split off the Voyage-Air into a different business. Here's some review material: http://www.acousticplayermagazine.com/apm002/reviews002/voyage-air002/voyage-air_1_002.html
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by kkrell
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Last year I asked them if I could take my guitar in the cabin, and they said no, so I took it anyway, and they kindly stowed it in Business Class for me, in a coat locker or something. If you have a hard case for it, there's no reason why it can't go in the hold with your other luggage.
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by E
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Bummer. What's the situation with other airlines? I'm flying over to Ireland with Ryanair and hoping to take my pipes but I can't seem to get any sense out of Ryanair customer service. They don't seem to know if I can take it onboard although I used to before the restrictions.
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by willF
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Actually Stan, there is a reason - this is the new baggage restrictions BA have imposed - only one item for 'World Traveller' or whatever the orwellian doublespeak for cattle-class is now. So I can take my guitar in it's hard case in the hold, as long as I don't have any other bag to check in. At least my flute fits in my hand luggage. Until they realise the potential for an unkeyed blackwood flute to be used as a weapon, then that'll be out too.
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by NeilC
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Love the voyage air-guitar though
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by NeilC
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
The only question is: is the total cost of the flight , including the extra £60 - actually £42 if you pay online - worth it to you?
This is not aimed solely at musicians, in economy you're limited to one checked bag free and they charge for the others. That way the cost of handling extra bags is borne by those with more baggage rather than spread over all passengers. You may think it Orwellian or neo-con or whatever, and by all means let the airline know how you feel, but that's the way it is for now. Airfares now are a fraction of what they used to be, in real terms, 20 years ago and you would not have been jetting off to Madeira for a few days back then unless you were loaded.
Since the kerfuffle last August, and subsequent protests from musicians, they've actually become much more tolerant of hand-carried instruments - you're allowed one small laptop bag or similar, plus one small instrument as carry-on. I've travelled many times with mandolin and laptop since then with no hassle. I've seen guitars going in the cabin - in a soft case.
# Posted on March 1st 2007 by Bren
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
There are good reasons for not placing guitars or other instruments into the hold, even if you have a hard case. A friend of mine had a narrow escape with his rather expensive guitar on the way to New York the year before last: the hard case was returned with two large holes punctured right through it. It must have taken considerable force to break right through, and the fact that there were two holes does not suggest a sensitive baggage-handling system.
I find that it is somewhat difficult to get any sense out of airport or air-carrier employees over the phone, but an assertive attitude that falls short of obnoxiousness works wonders. Explain that you were told by so-and-so over the phone that it would be no problem. If that doesn't work, try exaggerating the value of an instrument, implying its sentimental value over several generations, and then asking at the desk how they would feel, in your position. It tends to bring people out of their professional shell, and reminds them of their humanity. Once you've got through the check-in, you can blame the staff there, and so on, until you get onto the plane. It's a gamble that is definitely worth trying of you have a relatively small instrument, and a bit of self-confidence. If you play cello, you're probably f**ked.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by Robert Ryan
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
But then, if you play ITM cello, you're probably used to being told that.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by Robert Ryan
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
My point is really about the attempt to 'simplify' the rules by making it only one bag. I'm only checking in a fairly small bag, there's no way I can combine my guitar + small bag into one bag, despite the fact that if I did it would be within size and weight restrictions. I don't want to risk turning up and being turned away so I phoned ahead. No luck. As for the price, I'm paying well over £200 to fly out on a Friday morning and back on a Monday lunchtime, not what I wold have thought of as peak times. Anyway I've had my rant, time for a few hours sleep before the 4.30am taxi!
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by NeilC
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
A friend of mine was travelling to an important function and took both a suitcase and a so-called "pilot case" as hand luggage. This contained irreplaceable and valuable Jugendstil jewelery inherited from her mother. A bolshie check-in clerk said the case was too big, and instead of arguing she let it go in the hold. Yes, you guessed, it never came out of the system at the other end.
Since then I would urge anyone to follow the same rule as me: never ever ever ever let anthing irreplaceable go in the hold; never ever ever ever let anthing valuable go in the hold unless it is insured to the hilt.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by Lingpupa
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I did a return trip on BA from Heathrow to Denver in December and had both the pipes and a laptop as carry-ons. When I checked in, the check-in lady said, "You can only have one carry-on," and when I said the pipes were an instrument, she was like, "Oh, okay, that's fine then." Have things changed since January?
Don't get me started on Singapore Airlines. What a bunch of tossers.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by TheSilverSpear
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
By the way, I did not mean to use the word "tosser." The editing software on the site changed the word I typed, which was "w*nker."
This is obviously a British website.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by TheSilverSpear
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
The quick answer is; the days of carefree air travel are over. If you're feeling sufficiently Green you might want to say "just as well".
I do know one or two international musicians who just keep instruments in each of the countries they regularly play in, to avoid any hassles about damage or transport costs.
PS try typing s*w*a*n*k in without the asterisks - it's like the school website where they couldn't find out anything about Sussex, Essex, Middlesex, or Wessex.......
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
Some might view this as discriminatory, so keep in mind I mean no offense - but since I personally weigh only ~45kg, how come I can only have a 20kg bag, when someone who weighs 145kg is also allowed a 20kg bag? I know people would be up in arms about the inequality of light people being allowed more luggage weight, but seriously. I'm contributing less to the weight of the plane, yet my baggage is still restricted in the same way. What would happen if my complete chance, everyone on a particular flight weighed upwards of 100kg and brought on a 20kg bag? Would the plane be safe? If it wasn't, how would the airline react, what would they do?
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by kjay_bc_box
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
bloody skinny people... That's why i play the flute - I'm trying to balance out the plane. I've eaten WAAAAAaaay too many tim-tams to be eligible to play something as heavy as the box...
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by SirNose
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I'm with you kjay. Some people are so large they could stow a guitar in their underclothing if it weren't for the x-ray scanner things. What Neil could do is wear all the clothing that is in his check-in bag on the flight. That way he could check in his guitar without having to pay sixty quid. Might get a bit warm on the plane, though, especially if he were sat next to a large person.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by DonaldK
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
The MU negotiated an agreement with the Department of Transport. If you can prove you are a bona-fide pro-musician (mu card etc.), you are allowed to take your instrument on as an extra piece of hand luggage, if it will not fit in your hand luggage, with the proviso, you may need to buy a seat if it is a bulky instrument.
So if you play flute or box, you can kn@ckers as they will fit in your hand luggage. I suspect the wifes handbag is that big, I could get an anglo in it!
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by geoffwright
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
That's my goal when I am better at guitar building and can start to improvise things, a guitar with a true bolt on neck that can be removed for travel, put in a little case, and reassembled in under a half hour...that includes re-stringing.
Leech has the best idea, but they are really pricey.
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by irisnevins
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
From some of the horror stories I've heard, including the hole-punch one above, checking a guitar on a flight needs to involve both forethought and paranoia.
Here's a good description of how to protect a guitar for airline travel:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Packing/packing1.html
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by Tintin
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
That's a good link tintin - the "whiplash" on the guitar neck can be even worse in a proper hardshell case since it doesn't absorb any vibration or bump but transmits it straight on. Instead of packing round the neck with newspaper as the bloke in the link recommends,
I recommend underwear, socks and T-shirts, thereby killing two birds with one stone. You may be able to pack the rest of your clothes in s single carry-on bag.
Despite all the horror stories, damage to your instrument in transit is a rare occurrence - it's never happened to me or any of my present or erstwhile travelling band-mates in 30-odd years of air travel, but there was a blues guitarist I met who travelled London - Aberdeen a few years ago with hardshell case where the neck snapped in transit.
It's important to get it into perspective because I'd hate to see musicians not taking their instruments abroad through unrealistic fears. The consequences of that IMO are worse than the very rare instances of irreparable damage
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by Bren
Re: British Airways new anti-musician baggage restrictions
I put my box in one of those itsey bitsey Billy McComiskey student cases. It was tight, but it fit under the seat and got me in/out of Ireland
# Posted on March 2nd 2007 by zippydw