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Keyboard on an Airplane


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My band is flying to a gig in june and the keyboard player in our band doesn't know how to transport his keyboard. his keybaord is a Roland rs-5 with a soft gig bag. Is it possible to carry on? If you have to check it what is the optimal method? I would imagine double boxing it would go along way but then again i've seen how bags get handled. Has anybody out there done this before? I see guitars on planes often but never keyboards.

thanks much,

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Anyone who doesn't use flight cases is asking for trouble.

 

Having said that ..... I once bought a keyboard in Japan and brought it back on the plane. The store packaged it in its original cardboard box and wrapped bubble wrap (I believe) around everything. It went under the plane and everything was OK.

 

Maybe he could just rent a second hand case for this one trip?

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Flying by the seat of our pants may be a more apt description, it's possible he could swing the flight case but i'm sure he'd prefer an alternative. We don't often fly to gigs. I've heard there is a flight attendent closet that they sometimes allow passengers to use any one know of this?

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dont count on using the airplanes closet. the only way to get the keyboard from point A to point B would be a hardshell case of some type. check out ebay, they probally have some old cheap hardshell/flight cases he could pick up.

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I wouldn't risk putting a keyboard throught the check in without a hard case.

 

I made the mistake of packing my notebook, in a semi rigid trolley bag in between stacks of clothing, and the case of the notebook still got cracked.

 

The pressure the suitcases must endure in the aircraft luggage hold must be enormous.

 

I am not sure if getting the airlines to put fragile on the box would make any difference.

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I've taken an M-Audio Radium 61 onboard a plane before. I toted it around in a soft gig bag as carry-on and placed it in the overhead compartment - no problems.

This was on an overseas Boeing 747-400 flight (China Airlines) and on a couple other international flights (China Airlines Airbus A-330 and Philippine Airlines Airbus A-320).

You might want to double check with your airline, though, yours might have a different policy. If you're flying within the USA, they might have stricter regulations on carry-on items due to 9/11.

 

I did fly on a domestic flight (Southwest Airlines, LAX to Salt Lake City) last year for a gig and put everything in Anvil-type flight cases. Everything was fine.

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It really boils down to what the airlines size limit for carry on luggage is. Even my Virus Kc is smaller footprint then any of my basses and guitars. Another solution is to buy the keyboard (or bass, tuba, guitar, whatever) a ticket like it was a passenger & strap it into seat next to you. But again check with airline for policies regarding passenger tickets for objects. With todays absurd airline & govt paranoi about what goes onto an airplane, its certanly possible the fools would concider the keyboard, guitar tuba, ect a potential club useable for hostile actions. And thus branded the same as nail clippers, emerybrds ect & thus banned.

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I don't know if all airlines do this, but:

 

usually they have a cage for non-standard bags. I usually fly with a backpack, and 75% of the time I'm asked to drop it in the cage-with non-standard luggage along with surfboards etc etc..I'd be willing to put my synth in this cage if it's in it's original packaging.

 

Just ring your airline if they have this option, else definitely think about getting a flightcase if you're planning on gigging more often or check the rental fees for keys.

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Originally posted by brandon's

Flying by the seat of our pants may be a more apt description, it's possible he could swing the flight case but i'm sure he'd prefer an alternative. We don't often fly to gigs. I've heard there is a flight attendent closet that they sometimes allow passengers to use any one know of this?

 

 

The flight attendant closet on most planes (basically anything other than a double decker) is barely big enough to fit 3 or 4 jackets.

 

No way they could fit a keyboard case in there.

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