Damage to cello during flight for auditions

musicalkids
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 19:35:06 +0000

In our experience (probably about a dozen different flights around the US), buying a seat is an expensive but much less stressful way to go – as long as you can afford it. Some airlines insist that the cello sits by the window in the bulkhead, others are a little more flexible and allow the cello to be in any window seat as long as it’s not an exit row. We’ve had good experiences with United, American, US Air, and Southwest. We’ve always made sure to tell the airline staff at the gate about the cello and us, and give them plenty of time to work out where they want us to sit if our preassigned seat is not right for them. I don’t know about international rules, but the FAA recently solidified the rules about traveling with musical instruments within the US: http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-issues-final-rule-regarding-air-travel-musical (“Carriers are required to carry large musical instruments in the cabin if the passenger wishing to carry the instrument in the aircraft cabin has purchased an additional seat to accommodate the instrument and the instrument is contained in a case or cover to avoid injury to other passengers, the weight of the instrument does not exceed 165 pounds or applicable weight restrictions for the aircraft, and the instrument can be stowed in accordance with the requirements for carriage of carry-on baggage or cargo established by the FAA. Carriers are not required to provide for this process in their carry-on baggage programs; however the Department encourages carriers that do not currently allow such stowage to amend their programs to allow it, provided that all safety requirements are met.”).

As far as the OP goes, it seems worth it to me to write to the airline and see what they might be prepared to do. Every airline has different rules about baggage buried deep on the website in small print, but it never hurts to write anyway.