
"I saw a lot of bass players traveling with neck-off basses and I thought, 'Why can't I do that with a guitar?' Some guitars do it, but it's not nearly as common as basses. Her new instrument, built by luthier Flip Scipio, features a neck that is quickly removable and packs up into a case that is the size and shape of regular luggage. Halvorson tired of putting her guitar at risk in a gig bag and recently commissioned a custom guitar. In those cases, there is no argument to be made and a guitar must be checked. Often, when traveling on short flights using small planes, the overhead bins are simply not large enough for a guitar and there might not be a closet available. In addition to this confusion, there is also the reality that sometimes guitars just don't fit. The rule 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 (B) there is space for such stowage at the time the passenger boards the aircraft." Department of Transportation has even created a website featuring information about this rule, as well as tips and resources to help musicians traveling with their instruments. Here in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration understands that musicians want to carry their instruments onboard and in 2015 created guidelines for all airlines that says instruments must be allowed onboard if there is space in the overhead bins. It's normally just the baggage claim people that aren't." The flight attendants are always super helpful. Even if they put a gate checking tag on, I'll still walk right past and get right on the plane with it.

"I never voluntarily check it unless they give me a big stink. "If it's shaped for your guitar so it isn't any larger than it needs to be, at least if you have to check it, it's hopefully not going to get broken and they are easier to fit in the overhead." Peace of mind goes a long way for Hufnagel, and he's willing to go the distance to bring his guitar onto the flight. "Ninety-eight percent of the time it fits on the plane and there's no reason for them to not let you carry it."Īfter too many close calls with his guitar being lost or damaged, Hufnagel switched from using a gig bag to a flight case, but is still persistent about bringing his guitar as a carry-on, since his case is form-fitting and still able to fit in overhead bins-a strategy he recommends. "It's much more comforting to have it with me and not have to worry about it," he says. Parker continues to bring his guitar as a carry-on in a gig bag, preferring to play the odds that he'll be able to keep his instrument with him under his own watch. Given these stories, it's no surprise that so many guitarists prefer to carry their guitars with them.

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I decided to reach out to Davies and a few fellow guitarists who are professional travelers-all of whom were eager to share their thoughts and experiences-to try to get some insight into how they manage to lug their guitars around on flights and keep them safe. His story was just another one of a seemingly endless supply of stories about the problems guitarists run into traveling with their instruments.

Of course, guitarists have spent years stressing out about what might happen to their guitars on flights. It seemed surprising to me that this would happen to someone like Davies. I didn't have to wonder long, because on December 31, Dave Davies of the Kinks tweeted, "I'm really disappointed that is not allowing me to bring my guitar onboard with me as I always have and has made me check it as luggage for extra 69 quid-I traveled BA all the time back & forth from London to New York-next time might fly a different airline." I was lucky enough to be notified in advance and was able to make plans to have the festival rent an instrument for me, but I got to wondering what could have happened had I not been so lucky.
