<p>corranged- I was being facetious. While many cellists purchase seats for their instruments, those who fly with basses are subjected to having them treated as oversized checked baggage. I have no idea how harpists cope; I’m assumimg the instruments might be treated as air freight or specially designated cargo.</p>
<p>I did a bit more checking, and Northwest, touted among pro string players and frequently traveling musicians as the most “instrument friendly” airline has an amended policy for carry on instruments so as not to exceed 45 total linear inches (length+height+depth).</p>
<p>The case my son uses for travel exceeds this slightly, totaling about 48". It has fit into every overhead he’s encountered.</p>
<p>It accomodates his 16.5" viola and is well built and affords a great deal of protection, and has ample room for his other needs (extra strings, rosin, rests), but is fairly heavy. His case for everyday use is far lighter, and a bit smaller, falling within Northwest’s 45 inch aggregrate, but it is not a case intended to take substantial abuse.</p>
<p>The 4/4 full size violin is pretty much standardized in size at 14 inches. The measurement is the length of the back of the body only, not including the neck. 4/4 violas vary widely, ranging from 15 to 18 inches, the vast majority falling below 16 1/2 inches. </p>
<p>Based on the above, I would not expect a violin case ever being so large as not to fit unless it was a custom made oversized case or a double instrument case.</p>
<p>anothermom-w q’s point about calling the viola a violin is valid when traveling, as most airline employees will not know the difference, and it may avoid the hassles of having to be checked. (“Our policy says violin, not viola. What’s a viola?”)</p>
<p>If you decide to ship it, here’s two different methods for proper packing:
<a href=“http://www.thelovelytrudella.com/packandship.html[/url]”>http://www.thelovelytrudella.com/packandship.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.josephcurtinstudios.com/about/shipping.htm[/url]”>http://www.josephcurtinstudios.com/about/shipping.htm</a></p>
<p>The preference for bubblewrap/foam peanuts is arbitrary based on the writers’ difference in perspective and internal policies, not on effectiveness.
I designed product packaging at one point in my professional career… both are equally effective in protecting for the purposes detailed.</p>