Tips for Flying with your Guitar How to keep your guitar safe during air travelCDBABYPRESENTS:2 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVELTips for Flying with your Guitar How to keep your guitar safe during air travelYouve probably heard horror stories about expensive guitars being destroyed by air travel maybe via careless baggage handlers or rapid humidity changes during ight. Heck, you mayve had your own gate-checked guitar returned to you on the jetway with a giant crack in the soundboard.In this guide, youll nd some quick tips to help you minimize the chances of that ever happening again, or of becoming a victim of guitar mistreatment in the rst place!The 100% protection method: dont y with your guitarLets start with the obvious: the only way to guarantee your guitar wont be damaged during the ight is to leave it at home. For many musicians, thats not an option theyre bonded to their axe. But if youre comfortable performing on just about any pro-level guitar, here are two alternatives to traveling with your own instrument: 1.Rent one from a music retailer or teacher in your destination city2.Borrow one from a friend, fan, or fellow musicianStill set on ying with YOUR guitar? You have a tough decision to make. To carry-on, or not to carry-on? That is the question.As far as carry-on luggage goes, guitars are shaped pretty awkwardly. Because they take up lots of room, airlines try to discourage musicians from bringing them on board whenever possible.Heres the basic conundrum of ying with your guitar, though: if you pack your instrument in a sturdy ight case, chances are it wont t in an overhead compartment, so its a safe bet itll end up stowed in the cold and arid belly of the plane. But if you pack your guitar in a gig bag and CANT manage to take it on board as carry-on, its also going to make the trip in the belly of the planeonly without the protection of a rugged case. Kinda feels like ipping a coin, right? To help you make a more informed decision, lets look at how you can maximize your chance of keeping your guitar with you during ight. 3 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVELHow to take your guitar on board as a carry-onThanks to the American Federation of Musicians, the law is on your side. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 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 aircraftTo make sure you meet all the established requirements to claim protection under this law, follow these guidelines:1.Travel with a small guitar. Parlor guitars and backpacking guitars should t in an overhead, no problem. You can even buy guitars now that fold in half for travel.2.Board the plane as early as possible. The earlier you board, the likelier the chance of nding adequate overhead storage space. So: how can you board early? Get to the airport early for check-in. Flights on Southwest Airlines board by group since theres no assigned seating, so you want to get there early enough to be in the A group. Check in online whenever possible. Some airlines allow you to do an online check-in 24 hours in advance.Ask at the counter if you can join an early boarding group. They might say no, but a little politeness can often go a long way.Book your seats near the rear of the plane. Many airlines board from the back to the front. However, if you can view a seating chart when reserving the tickets, avoid the last two rows since those overhead spaces are sometimes used for drinks and snacks. Try to book seats here at the rear of the plane.4 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVEL3.Know what kind of aircraft youll be ying on. Guitars, even small ones in gig bags, usually wont t in the overhead compartments on small commuter planes. If youre ying to or from a town that isnt a hub, you probably want to rethink the carry-on approach and just pack your guitar in a sturdy case chances are good its going below. If youre booking your travel with an online service, the website (Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.) should tell you the aircraft type for each leg of your trip. If its a plane with only one or two seats on each side of the aisle, overhead compartment space will be limited. 4.Dont pack tools or wire cutters in your gig bag or case (if attempting to carry your guitar on board), unless you want to be detained by security and see your possessions tossed in the garbage.Some other tips for carrying your guitar on boardPrint out pages 74 and 75 of the above-mentioned law. Be prepared to show airline staff if they try to discourage you from carrying your guitar with you. Take your guitar onboard anyway. If youre given a gate-check tag (meaning they intend to put your guitar down below with the rest of the luggage), a certain amount of playing dumb can be helpful. If youre told at the gate that you need to leave your guitar at the bottom of the jetway (so it can be placed in the hold), let them put the tag on the handle of your guitar. Then carry your guitar handle so your hand conceals the tag and walk onto the plane. If no one stops you, quickly nd an empty overhead space.Ask about the coat closet up front. This can be a lifesaver, especially if you DO try to take your guitar onto a commuter ight. Explain to the ight attendants that your guitar is expensive and fragile, and its essential for your livelihood. Ask them if it could be stored in the closet. Always stay calm and polite. Airline workers can be a humorless bunch on a bad day, so youre not going to get anywhere putting up a ght. Keep cool, but dont let that stop you from exhausting every option before you let them put that guitar down below. Pack it in a gig bag. A gig bag? Are you CRAZY!? Believe it or not, some folks have better luck traveling with their guitars in gig bags not because it provides better protection, but because the vulnerability of a guitar in a gig bag is an easy way to get the ight attendants to sympathize with you. Assuming, once again, that youre not on a small commuter ight, a guitar in a gig bag has several things going for it: 5 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVELIt appears smaller to the gate crew (so theyre less likely to tag it for gate-checking in the rst place).It more easily ts in an overhead compartment.If room in the overhead is limited, it ts more easily in the coat closet.However, theres no getting around the fact that a guitar in a gig bag is not well protected. If you are forced to put your guitar in the hold, you denitely want it to be in a sturdy travel case. Thats the other side of this coin: maybe its easier to just pack your guitar in one of those cases you could safely throw from a rooftop one of those sturdy, sturdy, sturdy cases and avoid all the hassle and uncertainty mentioned above. Checking your guitar as luggagePlenty of pro guitarists have own hundreds of times with their guitars checked as luggage and never had any issues. Luck may have something to do with that, but more likely it comes down to the quality of the ight case, plus proper care and packing before takeoff.Heres how to make sure your guitar comes back in one piece: 1.Invest in a ight case. As mentioned above, you want to know that your guitar is safe inside a durable case that can take a beating repeatedly without breaking. Check out your options online, read product reviews, compare customer ratings, and make sure youre choosing a case that makes sense for the size and style of your guitar. The snugger the t, the happier your guitar.2.Stow the extras in the compartment. If your case has an area for capos, strings, tuners, picks, slides, and such use it! If your case doesnt have a separate compartment, pack those items separately. You dont want them rattling around and scratching, denting, or breaking your guitar. 3.Consider dropping your guitars tuning. Taut guitar strings put hundreds of pounds of tension on your instrument, and it only increases in cold, dry air. Rapid humidity or temperature changes are also a danger to your guitar. To counter this, many people suggest you slacken the strings to keep the neck or bridge from snapping or the wood of the soundboard from cracking. However, each guitar is different. Some luthiers recommend tuning all the strings down a whole step, some say a half step, and some say not at all depending on the woods. Do your research and consult with the manufacturers of both your guitar and ight case before loosening your strings for travel. 6 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVEL4. Keep your guitar humidied. As stated above, rapid changes in humidity and temperature can wreak havoc on your instrument. One way to combat this is to keep a humidier inside the case and, for acoustic guitars, inside the body of the guitar itself. Again: do your research, ask around, and nd the best humidifying solution for your case and instrument. 5. Take pictures of your guitar. Just in case something DOES break in-ight, you want to have the BEFORE pictures to prove it. Granted, date-stamps on photos probably wouldnt hold up in a court of law, but just having a few snapshots ready to show airline staff may help you get a quicker resolution to your problem, while demonstrating that youre not messing around when it comes to the safety and care of your instrument.6. Use extra packing material. You dont want your guitar to bounce around at all inside the case. If its not a totally snug t, bundle your guitar in bubble wrap, using more around the headstock, neck, or anywhere else there might be space between the case and instrument. You can also use t-shirts, socks, towels, or other soft materials to add extra cushion for your guitar during ight.7. Label your case, inside and out. You obviously want to have a luggage tag on the handle or body of the case, but in the event that the luggage tag gets torn off or wet, its a good idea to have your contact info in the inside compartment as well.8. Secure your case with a lock. You dont want any yahoos peeping in your guitar case without cause, but airport security may need to take a look inside. For that reason, make sure your lock is one that can be opened with a universal key. You dont want them to have to break the lock.What to do upon landingYou just ew thousands of feet in the air, at hundreds of miles per hour. First, give thanks. Second, open up your case or gig-bag as soon as you can. For carry-on folks, this would be when you exit the jetway. For those who checked guitars, open up the case in the baggage claim area once its come off the belt.If anything appears to be missing or damaged: 1.Report it to your airlines baggage staff immediately. File the report right then and there. You dont want to rush off to your gig and have to report the damage later over the phone or online; that makes it easier for the airline to deect blame, arguing theres no way to prove the damage didnt occur after leaving the airport.2.If they provide you with a damaged or missing item form, ll it out and return it, email it, or fax it to the appropriate person immediately. 7 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVELWhat if the airline still doesnt take responsibility for the damage?Making sure your airline does whats right can be a long, painful process. If youre having trouble making headway at the baggage claim ofce at the airport, here are some other routes musicians have taken to get the airline to address the issue: Call the airlines customer service. Tell them about the situation and be sure to reference the damaged-item form thats already been submitted. If the customer service representative cant resolve the issue, politely ask to speak to a supervisor. If the supervisor cant resolve the issue, ask to speak to a manager. You want to keep trying until you nd someone who sympathizes and/or has the power to remedy the problem. Take notes about your call: names of people you spoke to, what was discussed, and when. Stay calm, but be rm. Take to social media! The employee that manages the airlines social media marketing efforts will have very different concerns than the customer service or baggage claim workers. Theyll want to put out any online res as quickly as possible. Thats why a Twitter or Facebook rant can often get results. Respectfully voice your grievances and be sure to tag or mention the airline in each post or tweet. The more your tweet or post is shared, the likelier you are to receive the answer you want to hear from the airline. Contact a consumer advocate group, or even your local representative. Seriously. When Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island heard from his constituents in the band Deer Tick that their musical equipment had been damaged during a ight, he wrote to the FAA on their behalf. Maybe an organization such as the Better Business Bureau or a government ofcial can contact the airline for you, adding a little extra urgency to your complaint.Shoot a video. Hey, it worked for both Dave Carroll (who wrote United Breaks Guitars) and Dave Schneider, whose Facebook video post convinced Delta Airlines, after much delay, to compensate him $10,000 for a damaged 1963 Gibson ES-335, plus two free ight vouchers. Best of all, Gibson gifted him a 1963 reissue of the same guitar and free repairs for the damaged one just because they wanted to help out! Sue them. Its certainly a last resort, and without video of any wrongdoing the airlines army of corporate lawyers will surely be standing by to smother the re quickly. And, after all the legal fees, itd probably be easier to just spend that money on a new guitar.What should you do if your guitar is ne?Ok, enough doom-and-gloom. You packed your guitar according to the precautions mentioned above, right? Then lets look at the other, more probable possibility: your instrument arrives in ne shape. If your axe has made it in one piece, breathe a big sigh of relief, take the taxi or train to your venue, tune up your guitar, and rock it. 8 KEEPINGYOURGUI TARSAFEDURINGAIRTRAVELYour guitar is ready to y!Hopefully the tips in this guide make it easier for you to travel with your guitar. 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