I've not long returned from Washington after two good weeks of music. Sadly on arrival I noticed the neanderthals in Airport Security had almost wrecked my banjo, a 1928 Weymann. (Granted there are a few who will say that this is a good thing after having heard me play but that isn't the point)! Added to this they put a little leaflet in with the damaged instrument to say, tough luck oul' han' we've checked it and wrecked it and there's not a big lot you do about it!!
What can we as musicians do, if anything, to combat the blatant violence toward instruments on the airlines? If any of you have similar tales of vandalism please post them up...Perhaps we can get these idiots to take more care of the tools of our trade.
People always give out about airines and instruments...but about 3 years ago i brought a mandolin back from portugal on plane and last week i brought a baglama (Like a bouzouki) back from turkey .....all you have to do is bring it in your hand on the plane
"all you have to do is bring it in your hand on the plane"
Wow, that was easy. Problem solved then.
Except most of us don't have 'planes of our own. I don't know if there is a solution to this, although instruments are shipped by air all the time by retailers and dealers, and seem to fare ok. So I think it's back to assuming that you won't be allowed to carry on your instrument, unless you actually book a seat for it........( this is the satest scam, I'm told), or pack it in a bomb proof case, and pay the bas***ds for the excess weight. Either way you lose.
If only 'twere so Mandolin. We were restricted with the hand luggage and were only allowed one item on board, which in my case was a small hold all. Anyway they said no to the banjo being onboard the cabin.
Maybe we could raise the Spruce Goose for guitar/banjo/mando players..no... wait...bloody fiddlers would shoot us down!!
These links are for USA.
You can try showing them this and carrying a copy of the .pdf letter linked to in the second. They show that TSA allows a musical instrument *in addition* to the one allowed bag
Note it says "Bring your stringed instruments, within carrier size limitations, as carry-on items."
I'd have to assume that the banjo was rejected because it was outside carrier size limitations, since you are definitely allowed to carry an instrument as well as the one bag unless the individual airline doesn't allow (and only Ryanair do this AFAIK) .
If the damage was done by Airport Security then it could also have happened to a carry-on, except as the link points out, you have the right to be present at the inspection.
I would be interested to hear what the damage was and what Airport Security were trying to achieve when they "almost" wrecked it. Presumably, to look inside the banjo?
I have carried both mandolins and banjos since the new rules, but carry my banjo in a soft backpack rather than case. Although it is still longer than the carrier limits, it is clearly not going to take up too much space and no one has objected so far.
(I also had the resonator unscrewed, just in case, since obviously you can't carry on tools and I wouldn't be depending on the inspectors to have the right tools)
I always carry my fiddle on planes. Never had problems. I take it as carry on. But if you got your instrument damaged, fill up a claim. They broke my wireless card and I got a form to fill up and then they reimbursed the new one. Don't just complain on this website. Go to your favorite music store, get it fixed and send the bill to the company.
I recently made up a letter on my letterhead that was made on the spot for this circumstance (as a beginning luthier! They don't know how long and it didn't matter) saying that the Taylor guitar in question would cost more to fix than to replace. that really was true. They mangled it, rebuilding all new parts would take longer than making a new guitar from scratch it was so bad. Anyway, six weeks later a check for $2700 replacement cost was issued. They didn't even ask for the damaged instrument back. I believe it was Continental Airlines. No insurance, no questions asked.
I just flew back from Canada. I brought my tenor banjo as hand luggage. No problem. In fact, going through departure security in the airport (i wont say which in case they get into sh*te), i was called back by one of the personnel who wanted to know who owned the banjo. When i said that i owned it, she said that i had to play a tune. All the security folk were dancing around the airport. Great fun. No hassle.
So it would seem there is reason for hope...I have received the first few forms back from tsa so we'll see how it goes.
i appreciate your advice but why should we just expect instruments that go in the hold to be damaged. Should the airlines not have a stricter handling policy? Surely its not that hard to carefully lift instruments...
It's amusing, that TSA document, implying that they allow the musician to be present while they inspect your instrument. When I flew to Japan a couple years ago I had my uilleann pipes in an aluminum case. The surly security guy at LAX took one look at the case, grabbed it from me, told me "don't move", and took it off to a side room. Ten minutes later he brought it back. The pipes were fine but he had broken one of the latches on the case, which were not locked. He just didn't understand how they worked.
The worst nightmare was, I think, last August when around the time of the Edinburgh festival and the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow there was a terrorism threat. Thousands of musicians from all over the world were unable to take their instruments with them on the flight home.
It might not be that your guitar was damaged by an inspection, but by cargo shifting in flight. I think that's why they pay special attention to traveling animal crates.
A friend once packed & checked her bayan (Russian full button accordion) in a computer monitor box, back in the days (4 years ago) when new computer monitors were still very large.
If you have somebody to receive it at your destination, it might work out to ship a large instrument in advance.
--
I had another friend whom the guards made play her balalaika at a remote mountainous border crossing in the Alps. She had fun with that too.
To the smug little whistle players: nya nya ni nya nya -- My son has an even lighter instrument than yours! He's touring right now with his boys chorus to S. Korea & Hong Kong, playing to huge audiences
"Should the airlines not have a stricter handling policy? Surely its not that hard to carefully lift instruments..."
Well, the baggage handlers are seldom employed by the airlines except at big airports dominated by one carrier.
Unless something is labelled "fragile", and perhaps stuck in one of those plastic baths, then it won't get any special treatment.
The over riding handling concern is speed. Some of the worst damage can occur without manual handling, as pieces career down chutes and slam into other pieces
#1 BE ON TIME for boarding your flight. Do not expect to come rushing on at the last second hoping to find space for your fiddle, bodhran, box, etc. If it's an 11 AM flight, be at the airport no later than 9AM. Be even earlier for an international flight. Bring a book to pass the time between clearing security and boarding your flight. Give yourself plenty of time between connecting flights, too, so you're able to board the next flight as early as possible.
#2 If you're not flying first class and are not elderly or in need of any assistance while boarding, try to arrange your boarding as early as possible; often, booking a seat towards the rear of the aircraft can help with this, as many airlines board the rearmost rows first after taking care of the elderly, parents with small children, and others in need of boarding assistance. If you accumulate airline miles with your credit card, you might be able to use those miles to bump up your boarding status.
#3 Avoid airlines and airports that have a reputation for forcing musicians to check their gear and then trashing it.
#4 If you're forced to deal with a bad airline or notorious airport, do everything in your power to ensure your instrument's safety.
If possible, disassemble it and pack it in as small a case as it will fit. I know a piper who is able to completely disassemble a full set (w/removable bass regulator) and pack it into a camera case approximately 22x14x9 in.
Airlines hate instruments
Airlines hate instruments
I've not long returned from Washington after two good weeks of music. Sadly on arrival I noticed the neanderthals in Airport Security had almost wrecked my banjo, a 1928 Weymann. (Granted there are a few who will say that this is a good thing after having heard me play but that isn't the point)! Added to this they put a little leaflet in with the damaged instrument to say, tough luck oul' han' we've checked it and wrecked it and there's not a big lot you do about it!!
What can we as musicians do, if anything, to combat the blatant violence toward instruments on the airlines? If any of you have similar tales of vandalism please post them up...Perhaps we can get these idiots to take more care of the tools of our trade.
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by divilthebit
Re: Airlines hate instruments
People always give out about airines and instruments...but about 3 years ago i brought a mandolin back from portugal on plane and last week i brought a baglama (Like a bouzouki) back from turkey .....all you have to do is bring it in your hand on the plane
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by Irish Mandolin
Re: Airlines hate instruments
"all you have to do is bring it in your hand on the plane"
Wow, that was easy. Problem solved then.
Except most of us don't have 'planes of our own. I don't know if there is a solution to this, although instruments are shipped by air all the time by retailers and dealers, and seem to fare ok. So I think it's back to assuming that you won't be allowed to carry on your instrument, unless you actually book a seat for it........( this is the satest scam, I'm told), or pack it in a bomb proof case, and pay the bas***ds for the excess weight. Either way you lose.
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by Backer
Re: Airlines hate instruments
If only 'twere so Mandolin. We were restricted with the hand luggage and were only allowed one item on board, which in my case was a small hold all. Anyway they said no to the banjo being onboard the cabin.
Maybe we could raise the Spruce Goose for guitar/banjo/mando players..no... wait...bloody fiddlers would shoot us down!!
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by divilthebit
Re: Airlines hate instruments
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1235.shtm
http://www.afm.org/public/departments/leg_issues_01.php
These links are for USA.
You can try showing them this and carrying a copy of the .pdf letter linked to in the second. They show that TSA allows a musical instrument *in addition* to the one allowed bag
Note it says "Bring your stringed instruments, within carrier size limitations, as carry-on items."
I'd have to assume that the banjo was rejected because it was outside carrier size limitations, since you are definitely allowed to carry an instrument as well as the one bag unless the individual airline doesn't allow (and only Ryanair do this AFAIK) .
If the damage was done by Airport Security then it could also have happened to a carry-on, except as the link points out, you have the right to be present at the inspection.
I would be interested to hear what the damage was and what Airport Security were trying to achieve when they "almost" wrecked it. Presumably, to look inside the banjo?
I have carried both mandolins and banjos since the new rules, but carry my banjo in a soft backpack rather than case. Although it is still longer than the carrier limits, it is clearly not going to take up too much space and no one has objected so far.
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by Bren
Re: Airlines hate instruments
(I also had the resonator unscrewed, just in case, since obviously you can't carry on tools and I wouldn't be depending on the inspectors to have the right tools)
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by Bren
Re: Airlines hate instruments
I always carry my fiddle on planes. Never had problems. I take it as carry on. But if you got your instrument damaged, fill up a claim. They broke my wireless card and I got a form to fill up and then they reimbursed the new one. Don't just complain on this website. Go to your favorite music store, get it fixed and send the bill to the company.
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by Carabus
Re: Airlines hate instruments
Flutes fit in backpacks
Thank god for flutes. . . . the most pain-in-the-@ss-free instrument ever.
God forbid I ever need to take my harp on a plane :(
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by wormdiet
Re: Airlines hate instruments
I recently made up a letter on my letterhead that was made on the spot for this circumstance (as a beginning luthier! They don't know how long and it didn't matter) saying that the Taylor guitar in question would cost more to fix than to replace. that really was true. They mangled it, rebuilding all new parts would take longer than making a new guitar from scratch it was so bad. Anyway, six weeks later a check for $2700 replacement cost was issued. They didn't even ask for the damaged instrument back. I believe it was Continental Airlines. No insurance, no questions asked.
# Posted on July 28th 2007 by irisnevins
Re: Airlines hate instruments
PS... it was for a friend, not my own guitar. Not clear, and why I don't remember for sure what airlines.
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by irisnevins
Re: Airlines hate instruments
its great putting my tin-whistle in my handbag/pocket
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by aoibheann-90
Re: Airlines hate instruments
Wormdiet,
You're right-especially PVC or delrin. I can back my car over it and never notice...
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Airlines hate instruments
I just flew back from Canada. I brought my tenor banjo as hand luggage. No problem. In fact, going through departure security in the airport (i wont say which in case they get into sh*te), i was called back by one of the personnel who wanted to know who owned the banjo. When i said that i owned it, she said that i had to play a tune. All the security folk were dancing around the airport. Great fun. No hassle.
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by copo24
Re: Airlines hate instruments
So it would seem there is reason for hope...I have received the first few forms back from tsa so we'll see how it goes.
i appreciate your advice but why should we just expect instruments that go in the hold to be damaged. Should the airlines not have a stricter handling policy? Surely its not that hard to carefully lift instruments...
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by divilthebit
Re: Airlines hate instruments
It's amusing, that TSA document, implying that they allow the musician to be present while they inspect your instrument. When I flew to Japan a couple years ago I had my uilleann pipes in an aluminum case. The surly security guy at LAX took one look at the case, grabbed it from me, told me "don't move", and took it off to a side room. Ten minutes later he brought it back. The pipes were fine but he had broken one of the latches on the case, which were not locked. He just didn't understand how they worked.
The worst nightmare was, I think, last August when around the time of the Edinburgh festival and the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow there was a terrorism threat. Thousands of musicians from all over the world were unable to take their instruments with them on the flight home.
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by Richard D Cook
Re: Airlines hate instruments
It might not be that your guitar was damaged by an inspection, but by cargo shifting in flight. I think that's why they pay special attention to traveling animal crates.
A friend once packed & checked her bayan (Russian full button accordion) in a computer monitor box, back in the days (4 years ago) when new computer monitors were still very large.
If you have somebody to receive it at your destination, it might work out to ship a large instrument in advance.
--
I had another friend whom the guards made play her balalaika at a remote mountainous border crossing in the Alps. She had fun with that too.
To the smug little whistle players:
nya nya ni nya nya -- My son has an even lighter instrument than yours! He's touring right now with his boys chorus to S. Korea & Hong Kong, playing to huge audiences 
Suzanne.
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by SuzThoughts
Re: Airlines hate instruments
"Should the airlines not have a stricter handling policy? Surely its not that hard to carefully lift instruments..."
Well, the baggage handlers are seldom employed by the airlines except at big airports dominated by one carrier.
Unless something is labelled "fragile", and perhaps stuck in one of those plastic baths, then it won't get any special treatment.
The over riding handling concern is speed. Some of the worst damage can occur without manual handling, as pieces career down chutes and slam into other pieces
# Posted on July 29th 2007 by Bren
Re: Airlines hate instruments
What planet are you on Bren?
# Posted on July 30th 2007 by divilthebit
Re: Airlines hate instruments
Planet Reality
# Posted on July 30th 2007 by Bren
Re: Airlines hate instruments
#1 BE ON TIME for boarding your flight. Do not expect to come rushing on at the last second hoping to find space for your fiddle, bodhran, box, etc. If it's an 11 AM flight, be at the airport no later than 9AM. Be even earlier for an international flight. Bring a book to pass the time between clearing security and boarding your flight. Give yourself plenty of time between connecting flights, too, so you're able to board the next flight as early as possible.
#2 If you're not flying first class and are not elderly or in need of any assistance while boarding, try to arrange your boarding as early as possible; often, booking a seat towards the rear of the aircraft can help with this, as many airlines board the rearmost rows first after taking care of the elderly, parents with small children, and others in need of boarding assistance. If you accumulate airline miles with your credit card, you might be able to use those miles to bump up your boarding status.
#3 Avoid airlines and airports that have a reputation for forcing musicians to check their gear and then trashing it.
#4 If you're forced to deal with a bad airline or notorious airport, do everything in your power to ensure your instrument's safety.
If possible, disassemble it and pack it in as small a case as it will fit. I know a piper who is able to completely disassemble a full set (w/removable bass regulator) and pack it into a camera case approximately 22x14x9 in.
# Posted on July 30th 2007 by Hanley