He actually flew with it on six separate flights/legs last summer, going to different summer programs. That included two trips with layovers, flights in both Canada and the US, and one little propeller plane. So it was a trial by fire that MOSTLY went fine. He ended up having to check it one time, but only because he asked someone at the gate about it and they insisted it wouldn’t fit in the overhead. Turns out it totally would have, but it made it through being checked just fine. After that he was very careful not to ask and to just to confidently carry it on. It fit easily in every overhead, including on the tiny plane. We did pay for early boarding on one or two of the flights so he’d have a better chance of getting on before it started to fill up, but he found a space when we didn’t do that, too. I had printed out a copy of the law about flying with instruments; I’m not sure if he would have been bold enough to whip it out if challenged, though. At any rate, what we learned is that it WILL fit in pretty much any overhead compartment. I think maybe there was one other time when a flight attendant tried to tell him it wouldn’t fit but let him try…and it fit. So I think confidence is the key.
Thank you! I followed the group last year and was very happy for your son. You’re always a wealth of information and support for us coming up in future years. I really appreciate your contributions.
Aww, thank you! This group was very helpful our first time dealing with music admissions, so happy to pay it forward any time I can (there’s still PLENTY I don’t know!) I just clarified with DS, and he says that nearly EVERY flight a flight attendant told him it wasn’t going to fit, but with that one exception they all let him try…and it always fit. I’m sort of shocked that they can’t tell whether things will fit by just eyeballing them after doing this all day every day.
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