Phil O'Keefe Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 No, you HAVE to check that violin - even if you don't want to, we're going to grab it from you and MAKE you! http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/an-...UAe?li=BBnb7Kz Did you know that there is actually a Federal law on the books that says you can bring your instrument aboard as a carry-on, provided that certain conditions are met? I didn't - but there is. I'll bet that United supervisor didn't know about it either... https://www.transportation.gov/sites...nal%20rule.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted June 7, 2017 Members Share Posted June 7, 2017 Very interesting, especially the link to the regulations regarding carry-on musical instruments. Unrelated story: I wanted to book a United flight using a voucher. Normally I would do this online, but called customer service because I wondered if it would be possible to combine a second voucher that was for less (it isn't; one per flight). The person at the other said the primary voucher I wanted to use had been voided, but she didn't know why. She asked her supervisor, who didn't know either and said the only option was to go to the customer feedback section and ask why the voucher had been voided. So I just went online to attempt to book the flight with the "voided" voucher, and a minute later, had a confirmed reservation. United is really falling apart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 Very interesting, especially the link to the regulations regarding carry-on musical instruments. I never knew about it before I read that article... but it's good to know, especially if you fly a lot. Unrelated story: I wanted to book a United flight using a voucher. Normally I would do this online, but called customer service because I wondered if it would be possible to combine a second voucher that was for less (it isn't; one per flight). The person at the other said the primary voucher I wanted to use had been voided, but she didn't know why. She asked her supervisor, who didn't know either and said the only option was to go to the customer feedback section and ask why the voucher had been voided. So I just went online to attempt to book the flight with the "voided" voucher, and a minute later, had a confirmed reservation. United is really falling apart... I'd double-check the confirmation - you don't want to show up for the flight and have them tell you they changed their minds about it again... which I wouldn't put past them at this point. I agree - the airline industry in general is really falling apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted June 8, 2017 Members Share Posted June 8, 2017 I'd double-check the confirmation - you don't want to show up for the flight and have them tell you they changed their minds about it again... which I wouldn't put past them at this point. I have a confirmation message that's printed out and ready to roll. If I show up and they say it's not valid, I'll probably get a voucher for another flight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 8, 2017 Author Share Posted June 8, 2017 I have a confirmation message that's printed out and ready to roll. If I show up and they say it's not valid, I'll probably get a voucher for another flight Either that or they'll beat you up, drag you off the aircraft, smash your guitar, lose your luggage and then send you a letter of apology in a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted June 8, 2017 CMS Author Share Posted June 8, 2017 There's a lot of stuff in that Federal Register document. One thing that's pretty clear is that the airline is obligated to allow an instrument that will fit in the overhead bin to be stored there as long as there's room at the time the passenger with it boards. It also states that if there's an instrument stored in the overhead bin, the airline can't remove it to make room for another passenger's baggage, So, the trick is to forget about taking your bass, cello, or kick drum on board, but you can almost certainly take a fiddle, uke, banjo, and most likely a guitar - but you'd better get there first, and if you aren't a very frequent flyer in the airline's mileage program (and you should be), you may need to pay extra for early boarding. Most airlines today will happily take that bribe. That being said, many of Southwest's aircraft have a rack of shelves at the back of the plane that will accommodate most guitar cases, and they allow two carry-on items (plus a "personal item") free regardless of the class of service or number of miles you have flown with them. There are good reasons not to like Southwest (no reserved seating is the most common one), but at least they make a good effort to accommodate carry-on instruments. Back in the late 1960s and '70s, I used to fly a lot for work, and I'd often take my guitar just to have something to do in the hotel room in the evenings. Back then, both United and American had racks in the back of nearly all of their "jumbo" planes, and, back before jetways were almost universal, deplaning was done from both the front and rear doors, so if you were seated near the middle, it was easy to pick up your instrument on your way off the plane without having to swim upstream or be the last one off. And in those days, they fed you, and sometimes it was even pretty good. And American had a piano bar in their 747s. Ah, for the glory days of air travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gismo recording Posted June 9, 2017 Members Share Posted June 9, 2017 I've only taken an instrument on a flight once. A keyboard. I checked it cause it's too big to go in the overhead or under the seat. Came out unharmed on both the flight and the return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rjt Posted June 11, 2017 Members Share Posted June 11, 2017 I wonder how many violins, mandolins, guitars etc., were transported in overhead bins with no problem in the weeks before and after the above reported incident without being mentioned anywhere as "job well done." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members philboking Posted June 12, 2017 Members Share Posted June 12, 2017 My comment, from the department of ridiculous metaphors: True. But it only takes one turd to ruin a bowl of milk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rjt Posted June 12, 2017 Members Share Posted June 12, 2017 I agree, a ridiculous metaphor. It would be like saying someone wrote 10,000 solid/great songs, and one bad one, so they are a poor songwriter. Or another example, someone refuses to fly (or drive) because of the occasional crash/accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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