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mike2jb
Lokahi
USA
213 Posts |
 Posted - 05/20/2008 : 08:36:55 AM
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quote:
There's no telling what will set TSA people off.
quote:
The reason they inspect is to see if you are smuggling contraband inside it.
I took my first trip ever with a checked guitar last week (to Honolulu and back) after having taken my chances with it as a carry-on in a canvas bag twice before. I didn’t own a case and didn’t want to spend more than my little student Yamaha is worth (about $120), so I compromised and picked up a used case at my local guitar store for 50 bucks the day before my trip.
On the way back the TSA guy pulls me aside as we’re leaving our luggage to be checked, has me open the case, pull out the guitar, hold it up for him while he peers into every nook and cranny. He asks me to hold the guitar up high by the neck while shines a light in through the sound hole, never touching the instrument itself. A small crowd gathers on the other side of the ropes. Then the guy starts to prod at every bit of padding in the case (this is the part where I start to get paranoid about what the previous owner of the case might have left tucked away inside it). He has me explain why there is underwear wrapped around “that part up there with the string winders.” He confers with another agent.
After what seems like a very long time, he explains he is in training and that normally the inspection would not take as long, thanks me for my cooperation, etc. Off I go, still sweating.
The rest of the story: The guitar sat in its case for a couple of days after I returned home and when I opened the thing up again it stunk. Bad. The stink left the guitar after some lemon Pledge and a few hours of airing out, but the case just got worse. I assumed it was mold, but the previous owner could have used it as a cat box, for all I know. Tried Lysol, a garment steamer, a hair dryer—nothing helped.
Finally I left it out in the sun for a very warm three days with a couple boxes of baking soda rubbed into all the padding. Success. After a good brushing and vacuuming the whole thing out, it no longer smells, but there is still a residue of baking soda that I couldn’t get out of the corners and crevasses. Wonder what the TSA man will think about that.
-Mike
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Edited by - mike2jb on 05/20/2008 08:39:36 AM |
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Larry Goldstein
Lokahi
267 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 08:57:45 AM
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quote:
there is still a residue of baking soda that I couldn’t get out of the corners and crevasses. Wonder what the TSA man will think about that.
Don't be surprised if you get searched for a straw 
Larry |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 1:16:34 PM
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| I forgot to mention that I got serched too a few weeks ago. They said it was random but I knew better. The guitar case was opened and i took it out. He merely looked into the sould hole but swabbed a buch places. I didnt mind. I figure a few people got to look at a beautiful custom guitar. |
Bob |
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basilking
Lokahi
124 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 8:24:50 PM
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i've [over some decades] travelled with acoustic guitars in everthing from carried-on gig-bags or cases to checked Fender-Rhodes-sized Anvil dreadnaught cases. Baggage handling is one issue, TSA another now another, capricious gate and flight-deck staff a third issue.
Short ver: get a Calton. 2/3 of the time there's a TSA paper inside sayin' they opened/looked when I arrive but who knows/cares why?. Cases get beat up when checked, but never had a guitar damaged nor lost for more'n a coupla days...
I hear Hiscox cases are also good but no experience. As more airlines charge for 1st checked bag let alone add'l ones I suspect carry-ons will be more subject to rejection. Carefully-packed guitar in a Calton and checked [curb-side or gate] is the best "guarantee" your instrument will survive the flight intact imho.
I carry on [in a gig bag] my old martin taropatch uke or 5-18; these little dogs "disappear" when worn back-pack style. Anything larger is checked in a Calton. The boat-anchor Anvil's long gone, the semi-anchor Mark Leaf dread case will someday get passed along too. Caltons are NOT cheap, but for valuable/cherished guitars they're worth it to me. |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
524 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2008 : 06:43:12 AM
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> checked curb-side or at the gate <
Be aware that when you check at the curb, unless it is a uniformed employee of YOUR airline, they will take zero repsonsibility for loss or damage. You turned your bags over to a third party, not the airline. (Don't ask me how I know this. At least it wasn't a guitar that was lost and uncompensated).
Nothing against the Sky Caps, but the airlines use this as an excuse not to pay a claim should anything happen.
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Allen M Cary
Lokahi
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2008 : 10:22:14 AM
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I have had no problem bringing a full sized guitar into the cabin of a normal airliner, by that I mean 757, 767, 777, A300 etc. I alway assume I might have to gate check but they have always let me on. In most cases the full sized case fits in the overhead, although returning from AMC in June, I found myself on a newer 767 with all "drop down" bins which were too short. The flight attendant put it in the First Class closet with no complaint. I am an elite flyer with United and most of this experience has been with them. I'm not sure I would be treated so well with another carrier, sitting in "extra low swill grade" class in the back. I have had to gate check on the smaller regional stuff, inter-island or commuters, but never had any hassles or problems. TSA hasn't even opened the guitar case in the last 10 times I've gone through screening.
All this having been said, I do assume that I will need to check it and pack accordingly.
Aloha,
Allen |
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APT
Aloha
34 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 1:18:32 PM
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I just called United and was told that:
1) If length + height + width is under 45", you can carry on.
2) If length + height + width is between 45" and 62", you can check it and the normal fee ($15) applies.
3) If length + height + width is between 63" and 115", the baggage charge is ... hold onto your hat ... $175.
My case's dimensions are 64". (Grrrr.)
This policy was effective October of 2008. |
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 7:38:14 PM
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Thanks for the update, I am just in the middle of deciding what instruments and how to take them to George's camp in June.
Julie |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2009 : 02:29:05 AM
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Well, you can know for sure that Paul's 12-string guitar in some kind of super duper case that is supposed to be good for flying with is way up into the $175 range. We are going to look into how much it would cost at the UPS store to ship it and maybe one of our dear, sweet, kind, darling, lovable, kolohe, bolohead friends might let us send it ahead of time to his house. Or maybe better to buy a travel instrument. Or maybe better to wait until we get there and buy an instrument. Maybe a baritone `ukulele for the big guy.
I thought we had this all figured out and now....... |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
524 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2009 : 06:04:52 AM
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You could always call ahead and have it shipped to the hotel where you are staying. They can hold it at the concierge. I've done this with diving gear before. General delivery is also an option, where they hold it at the post office.
A large box around a large sturdy hard case would probably cost $125-$150 to ship to Hawaii, at least baeed on my experience shipping guitars back and forth to Alaska. Even USPS was recently $82 for priority mail for a small guitar in a standard Taylor box. It just made the girth measurement without incurring "oversize" charges.
There is always the possibility of renting a guitar for the week from a locla music store, or buying one at Costco and then either taking your chances coming home or donating it to some local organization.
This isn't getting any easier.
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2009 : 01:05:06 AM
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I think that flying Continental, if possible, may be a good bet. Here is the policy for Continental Airlines from their web site. Their air fare is as competitive as any of the others. The normal baggage requires $15 for first checked bag and $25 for second checked bag. The good thing about their instrument policy is that the dimensions are generous enough to cover a guitar case.
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Musical Instruments
Musical instruments can be carried on board or checked as baggage. If necessary, a seat can also be purchased for an instrument.
Carried on Board
A small musical instrument can be carried on as a personal item. If the musical instrument appears too large or irregularly shaped to fit under the seat or in the overhead compartment, it will not be accepted for in cabin stowage.
Checked as Baggage
Instrument should be in a hard shell case to protect it during normal handling.
Excess charges apply if checking more than the baggage allowance.
Oversize charges apply to musical instruments that measure 90 - 115 linear inches.
Overweight charges apply to musical instruments that are over 50 pounds.
Musical instruments over 70 pounds will not be accepted.
If the instrument is over 115 linear inches, contact Reservations.
In addition to the above polices, stringed instruments should have the strings loosened to protect the neck from damage due to expansion and contraction which result from temperature variations.
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2009 : 06:21:04 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by wcerto
I think that flying Continental, if possible, may be a good bet.
IMHO, there is a still a lot left to chance (i.e. who you come across) regardless of official policy.
There is a lot of good stuff in an old post titled GUITARS ON AIRPLANES by Mark Hanson I flew Continental last summer and just brought my guitar onboard. No problem sticking it in the overhead bin. Otherwise, my plan was to check it at the gate. It was in a HSC.
Traveling sure has changed in the past few years. Frequent flyer programs carry extra weight (literally, sorry for the pun) because (at least on Continental) they waive the extra fees for baggage. You also get a heavier limit per bag.
Back in October, I flew to Honolulu. There was a guy two rows in front of me who was flying from Newark to Honolulu just to qualify/maintain his frequent flyer status. It was crazy. He didn't even stay for a day or leave the airport. He simply wanted the miles. He took the 10 hour flight out, walked around the airport for a few hours, and hopped right back on the return flight. He said that he had flown to Hong Kong in a similar fashion before. |
Andy |
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Allen M Cary
Lokahi
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2009 : 10:23:14 AM
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Aloha Kakou,
As crazy as it seems it is worth it to keep those elite status miles. I didn't travel enough last year and lost Premier Executive status with United--big mistake!!! It is really painful to go back to extra-low-swill-grade, even if you are not traveling with your guitar. I did try a new airline in December, Virgin America San Francisco to Dulles with my ax and had no hassles. VA seems to be a pretty no-hassle airline.
I'm off to China in a couple weeks to keep those miles coming in (actually a real business trip).
Aloha
Allen |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2009 : 4:15:45 PM
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| I've remarked here on the subject before. I've travelled many miles with one instrument or another without musch trouble, except for one occasion. I have gate checked my instruments since the 70's. On my return to LA from Germany, I mistakenly let a customs agent send my Roland keyboard (looks like a tenor sax case - very good for 1976-7) ahead, along with my Martin 00028. When I picked them up, the lid was torn off the keyboard, and the Martin case had a big gouge in it - no damage to the guitar inside. The airline baggage guys clasimed that "we got them in that condition". Never again. When thumbstuck and I go to Hawaii, we check his Ovation and carry my Jerry Byrd frypan (both hard to ruin) and my 8 string Dobro on board. Both fit into the overhead. When I went for the HSGA convention and wanted to play my beloved double 8 Stringmaster (check out me playing it at Folklife on the performance page), I got an Anvil case for it. Break dat, ya buggahs!!! It cost $75 each way because the ensemble weighs 70 pounds, but it has wheels on the end for easy hauling. It was worth the cost, and I filled the empty spaces with gifts for the family. It's so heavy that the gorillas can't heave it. If you can, carryon is the way to go. Look out for airlines who'll gate check your instrument but won't give it back to you at the airplane - the gorillas are lurking! |
keaka |
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islandboo
Lokahi
USA
237 Posts |
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Topic |
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Flying with Yer Guitar-- the real story
