Ari Herstand is a Los Angeles based musician, the founder and CEO of Ari’s Take and the author of How to Make It in the New Music Business.
I fly a lot with my guitar. It’s a $2, 000 Taylor. Over the years, airlines (namely US Airways and United) have told me that my guitar MUST be checked. This usually happens at the gate. However, at LAX they have their own guards checking you BEFORE you even get to security. A few months ago they tried to turn me back to the ticket counter to pay the checked baggage fee and check my guitar…
Yes I had the new law printed out and I showed them. Obama signed this bill into law on February 14th, 2012.
Packing Tips For Traveling With Musical Instruments
What is the law? Well it’s 145 pages of various airline passenger rights, but hidden on page 74 and stretching all the way to the middle of page 75 is the Musical Instruments clause. It states:
“An air carrier providing air transportation shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin, without charging the passenger a fee in addition to any standard fee that carrier may require for comparable carry-on baggage, if (A) the instrument can be stowed safely in a suitable baggage compartment in the aircraft cabin or under a passenger seat, in accordance with the requirements for carriage of carry-on baggage or cargo established by the Administrator; and
Per point B, make sure you are able to board the plane EARLY. On Southwest, boarding order is determined by when you check in. You can check in online 24 hours in advance – set your alarm. Check the other airlines to see how you can get an early boarding group. Sometimes if the gate attendant is nice, she/he will let you board early if you ask politely (Southwest usually lets me on during family boarding).
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**Update 1-8-15 – It appears that even though this law was passed the Department of Transportation never outlined the guidelines for the airlines by the required deadline. Because of this, many airlines have been routinely refusing to allow musicians on with their instruments. The DOT has finally remedied this and as of March 1st, 2015 all airlines must comply with the law. Here is the Final Rule.
If you have an instrument that doesn’t fit in the overhead compartment (like a cello), you can buy a ticket for it. That’s in the next part of the law. They cannot charge you an additional fee if it’s less than 165 pounds and is in a case.
Thank the musicians union, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), for lobbying congress FOR YEARS and finally getting this pushed through. Bet you didn’t know what the musicians union did. Well there you have it.
Tips For Flying With A Guitar
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkFlying with a Guitar: Everything You Need to Know From learning your rights, to airline policies, to packing—we’ve laid out the most crucial to-knows for flying with a guitar in the United States.
Chances are, you’ve seen a headline or watched a video which perfectly embodies one of your worst fears (see: “United Breaks Guitar.”) Every musician who’s ever even thought about flying with a guitar has had anxiety about all the things you can’t control when traveling with your instrument. After all, when you fly, you’re putting your guitar in the airlines’ hands.
The truth is, you have rights when flying with a guitar. There are steps you can take to minimize the likelihood that you’re going to need to beeline to a repair shop when you land.
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Your best bargaining chip when it comes to flying with a guitar is knowing your rights. And yes, you do have real-deal legal rights when flying with a guitar in the United States (flying abroad is a different story). Per the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (thanks, Obama!), airlines have to let you bring your guitar on board as a carry on if it fits in a closet or in an overhead bin when you board.
An air carrier providing air transportation shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin, without charging the passenger a fee in addition to any standard fee that carrier may require for comparable carry-on baggage, if— ‘‘(A) the instrument can be stowed safely in a suitable baggage compartment in the aircraft cabin or under a passenger seat, in accordance with the requirements for carriage of carry-on baggage or cargo established by the Administrator; and ‘‘(B) there is space for such stowage at the time the passenger boards the aircraft.
Point B is pretty key in terms of function. If you’re last to board on a full flight and the airline is gate-checking every bag in your boarding group, the odds are lower that your guitar is going to fly in the main cabin with you. If that’s the case, your best bet is to politely plea with the flight attendants to keep your guitar in one of the on-board closets that are usually reserved for coats.
Selecting The Best Travel Guitar For Airplane Travel
There are plenty of things you can do to ensure a better boarding position (and thus get on the plane when there’s more overhead space available), usually for an added fee.
If you’re flying Southwest, you can pay an extra $15 in advance or $30-60 at the gate to get a better boarding number. For other airlines, upgrading to “premium” seats or an exit row seat will get you a better boarding position. Some airlines board by row, so reserving a seat that gets boarded sooner (for example, Alaska Airlines boards the back half of the plane first) can increase your odds of fitting your guitar on the plane.
You might want to even consider committing to one airline, and even getting a credit card with one. Airlines tend to reward their frequent customers, sometimes in the form of a better boarding number.
Can I Take A Guitar On A Plane?
One last thing about knowing your rights: just because you know the law doesn’t mean the people working at the airport will. They can’t possibly know every single policy off the top of their heads, so we highly recommend printing off a few copies of the law or the policy as listed on their website to show employees at the airport if they try to get you to check your guitar at check-in (we know a few people who have laminated copies in each of their cases and gig bags). Be polite, but firm.
Possibly due to some negative press, the United Airlines guitar policy requires your instrument be in a hard case rather than a gig bag, even a reinforced one like the Mono 80, as does the JetBlue guitar policy. The Southwest Airlines guitar policy doesn’t require a hard case, but it does stipulate that if you do use a soft case or gig bag, they’re not liable for damages to your guitar.
The American Airlines musical instrument policy doesn’t have this stipulation, and neither does the Alaska Airlines guitar policy, the Spirit Airlines guitar policy, nor the Delta guitar policy (though they do highly recommend a hard case). The Air Canada guitar policy allows those flying with musical instruments to board in advance of general boarding if you’re there early enough.
Taking Instruments Abroad On A Plane
Some airlines encourage you to buy a seat for larger instruments, sometimes at a discount. Air Canada offers 50% off regular fares, and American offers seats at the child rate or less. This normally applies to much larger instruments, i.e. a guitar that would not fit in an overhead compartment (such as one on a smaller plane) or a double bass.
We’ve already talked about the importance of boarding early and knowing your specific airline’s rules, but it’s also important to know what plane you’re flying on for one big reason: overhead bin space.
Typically, your boarding pass or reservation will have your plane type on it. Be aware that this can change, so check again the day of your flight to make sure your case will still fit in your overhead bin.
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While most airlines don’t publish exact information on their overhead bin space, you will be able to see if you’re flying on a Dreamliner or a prop plane. The bigger the plane, the more likely it is you’ll be able to fit your guitar. If you’re on a smaller plane, the odds are lower. After all, some prop planes can’t even accommodate a roller bag in their overhead compartments.
Even if you manage to bring your guitar onto the plane with you, you’re going to need to pack your guitar with care.
You typically have three case options for planes: a true guitar flight case, a standard hard case, and a reinforced gig bag. Though we’d respect the optimism of someone traveling with a standard gig bag, we wouldn’t recommend it.
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