Members Andre XXX Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 How do you guys travel with your guitars on planes ?? I'm particularly interested to hear from the Pro's and Semi Pro's that are on this forum on occassion. I'm traveling from the New England Area to play some dates in Arizona, Colorado and Las Vegas and I have no idea what to do relative to traveling with a couple of guitars ( particularly an expensive PRS, my beloved 513 ). Back Lines will be provided at the hotels and resorts. So all I'm bringing are a couple of guitars and my effects case. Any Ideas ?? Should I invest in a flight grade guitar case (s) ?? Should I buy a ticket for my guitars ?? Will the airline lose my crap ?? I was thinking of driving but that won't work time wise.... Thanks in advance ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C-4 Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 The only case I prefer for flights are the Calton cases where absolute safety for my favorite guitars are mandated. These are specifically designed for airline abuse and you can rest assured that your guitar will arrive alive. If you haven't got the time to wait for an order on a Calton, I suggest going with either an SKB, or a TKL Zero-Gravity case, if one can be found to fit your PRS. The SKB is very sturdy and made also for airline travel as is the TKL, but the TKL is much lighter then either the SKB or the Calton. Below is a picture of my CS 356 in it's Calton Custom Flight case. www.caltoncases.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andre XXX Posted March 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 Thanks ! I'll certainley be looking into those options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gtrjones Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 Here's the deal. Sometimes you'll be able to carry-on a guitar in a gigbag. But if you call and ask, every airline will tell you it needs to be checked. If the plane is full, they'll probably ask you to check or at least gate-check your guitar. I know you prolly wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with your PRS. The other alternative is to buy a good flight case. You won't be able to lock it, and security/handlers may open the case. They don't actually LOSE much, but it may be delayed (again, especially if the flight is full) because it's 'oversize'. Or you could do like Bill Kirchen, take a telecaster, (or strat, I guess), unbolt the neck, and shove it in your luggage. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 How do you guys travel with your guitars on planes ?? I'm particularly interested to hear from the Pro's and Semi Pro's that are on this forum on occassion.I'm traveling from the New England Area to play some dates in Arizona, Colorado and Las Vegas and I have no idea what to do relative to traveling with a couple of guitars ( particularly an expensive PRS, my beloved 513 ). Back Lines will be provided at the hotels and resorts. So all I'm bringing are a couple of guitars and my effects case.Any Ideas ?? Should I invest in a flight grade guitar case (s) ?? Should I buy a ticket for my guitars ?? Will the airline lose my crap ??I was thinking of driving but that won't work time wise....Thanks in advance ! I worked as a reservations agent for United for about two years. Chances are, they're not going to let you gate check it unless you're in big planes that aren't completely full and you have nice gate agents. More than likely, you'll need to check it with your regular baggage. Get a really good case, and then insure the hell out of it when you check it. It doesn't cost a whole lot, and you'll be glad you did in the event something happens. You may also want to take pictures of it prior to checking, and then have the counter agent visually inspect the unit and write something basically attesting to the condition of the guitar at the time of checking. That way, if somehow the guitar gets damaged while the inspectors have the case open, the airline can't deny the claim on the basis of no damage to the external part of the case. Be careful, and GET INSURANCE. I can't tell you how many people I had that had very nice instruments completely destroyed or stolen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ged LST Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 www.caltoncases.com Beautiful case for a beautiful guitar! - Ged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andre XXX Posted March 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I was thinking of FED Exing it in advance of the trip as well. I've had good luck with fed ex and I would overnight it. What do you think ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frankencat Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I've done the shipping thing before but it's a hassle. Justhat's about the best you can reasonably do. Personally, for all of the trouble it would be to replace, I wouldn't take one of my "beloved" guitars with me on fly-overs. I would get something nice but replaceable, like say another PRS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Edward Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I was thinking of FED Exing it in advance of the trip as well. I've had good luck with fed ex and I would overnight it.What do you think ?? Could be safer..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marc G Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I've been lucky the few times I've traveled with my guitars. American Airlines had Suit Closets and they let me put it in there and BWIA I was able to put it in my overhead. I've used a SKB for my acoustic and the guitar survived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thrill74 Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I ALWAYS gig bag it and put it in the overhead. Saves so much hassle and worry. I just don't even think about it anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andre XXX Posted March 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I ALWAYS gig bag it and put it in the overhead. Saves so much hassle and worry. I just don't even think about it anymore. I may go with this option. I'm looking at an INCASE gig bag thats very sturdy and small. Thanks everyone. I dont like the idea of leaving my best sounding guitar behind. I buy my guitars to play, not to look at. I wanna be able to look back and say " wow this guitar played all over the country with me " .........or something like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eyeball987 Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I just came back from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and spent a little bit of time in a couple different airports. I was surprised how many people with guitars I saw. Some had gig bags and others had hardshell cases and all were carry ons. I don't know how many were forced to check theirs but I can't imagine it was many more than I saw. Either way, I would not even consider chancing a guitar in a gig bag while traveling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hcprimerib Posted March 2, 2007 Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 I only use CaseXtreme for air travel. They'll never let you down. Its better to be safe than sorry. http://www.casextreme.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frets99 Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Mother {censored}in guitars on a mother {censored}in plane!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andre XXX Posted March 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 2, 2007 :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OrvilleGibson Posted March 3, 2007 Members Share Posted March 3, 2007 Depends on the airline. Alaska Airlines will allow you to take it as carry on baggage only if it's within a certain size, which unfortunately doesn't work for full size guitars. Never the less, I've seen people bring them on board with gigbags, but on full flights I worry about how they're doing up there in the overhead. You have the option of purchasing another seat and putting the guitar in that seat. Not an attractive option for me. You can check it as baggage. Alaska recommends that you put the case inside a shipping box, label it as "fragile", and insure it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zurich17 Posted March 3, 2007 Members Share Posted March 3, 2007 British people - any experience with Ryanair? I carried on a little acoustic guitar in a gigbag flying to Israel once - absolutely packed plane, but it was a 1/2 size or something and I happened to be sitting right at the back so I had space. But yeah do you think the 6am Ryanair flight from Stansted to Latvia will let me & band carry on our stuff? I can't imagine it being a packed flight.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Busk Posted March 3, 2007 Members Share Posted March 3, 2007 Use a form-fitting case and call a ahead. Tell them you know it will fit in the overhead compartment. I've checked my Les Paul a few times without a problem in the regular Gibson case, but I was not happy about it. Austrian Airlines cracked a crappy acoustic mine that had been checked thousands of times without incident. Of course, the airlines are good for {censored} if something happens. They have whole departments devoted to shirking responsibility for crap like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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