✈Can you SAFELY bring a guitar on an airplane? 🎸
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
- This is one of the most frequent questions I get. How can one safely fly on a plane with a guitar? As an active traveling musician, I share my stories and tips.
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I am Brandon Acker. I create guitar tips, classical music covers, educational videos about rare plucked instruments, tutorials, and more! Consider checking out my new online guitar course: classicalguitar-pro.com and supporting me on my Patreon / brandonacker
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I guess flight attendants can't refuse when they see Brandon's smile😁
He instantly makes them his thrall.
@@trebmaster If Brandon was our classmate in school I bet a lot of girls would fall in love 😆
🤣
I cant be the only one who thought he literally meant use a guitar like a witch broom when i saw the title
sort of, i thought he was going to show us how to play the guiatar in way that would make you literally lift off the ground and fly
Yeah for a quick moment, then thought he meant it figuratively via playing well. Ha ha ha
Trust me bro.. you are not the only one😄
Far from it.
Yer a musician 'arry!
I had my guitar gate checked, and if it had not been in a hard case, it would have been toast. I watched an employee try to chuck it up the stairs and the guy at the top didn’t catch it. They do the same with wheelchairs, strollers, and in my case some years later, also broke my kids booster seat.
Avoid gate check at all costs.
Wow! Thank you for the warning!
Watching this video in the airport after the gate check makes it even better
I have read an article by a guitar shop owner about how they ship guitars. The most important factors was that the guitar should not move in the case and that the space under the headstock should be packed tightly so that there is no movement there. He explained that if the guitar (in its case) is dropped the most likely damage will be in the neck or headstock due to something akin to a whipping movement.
I heard that the head should be free so that it cant get stressed on impact. Does anyone has further inside?
Humidity control is important too. Especially if its on board
@@bassesatta9235 Humidity in the cargo area should be the same as the cabin, since they do ship live animals (pets for example) in cargo holds. Both will be dry, and you should still control for humidity if you can, but there shouldn't be a lot of difference between the cargo hold and the cabin.
@@bokajllensch661You definitely don't want it hitting anything solid, but it should be somehow shielded a bit to resist its ability to act like a freaking tuning fork on hard drops. I had a refinished guitar (Historic Makeovers Les Paul Historic) have a ton of finish checking just around the headstock almost certainly due to being dropped and not supported terribly well in that area.
@@brandall101 That makes sense! Thanks. So propably some packing for the headstock which is soft enough to not transfer energy from the case to the headstock, but hard enough to dampen vibrations introduced to the guitar.
One time they put a gate check tag on my $1600 Kamaka Ukulele. I just ignored it and walked it onto the plane and no one cared and there was plenty of overhead space. I was about to fight somebody but luckily I didn’t have to 😅
Very helpful information, Brandon! Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Thank you for sharing your experience, it’s super helpful
Hi Brandon, this gives me a lot of hope for when I eventually move from what has been my home for the last 12 years in Singapore and go back to the UK. Thank you a lot for bringing this video. One thing I will definitely do is check with the airlines that I fly and contact them before such flights!
So very helpful!! Thank you, Brandon!!
I love you for this. Thanks and all luck for your career. 🙏🏻
How this video has arrived at the right time makes my day better
Great video Brandon! A bit of a niche topic for sure - nice to have it covered like this!
loved this video!
I've flown across the atlantic ocean more than 15 times and I've had to check my electric guitar every time. Wish I would've seen your video all those years ago lol. Luckily the guitar made it every time.
"Smile, be calm, be very very polite" -- Wise tips to be sure, but you also have "exceedingly handsome guy" advantage on your side when asking for favors!
I just realized what you're playing in the background starting at around 3:00. Great! Happy to hear it :)
I love your energy and the way you speak, thank you for your videos ❤
Thank you, Tanya!
Great tips! Thank you
When I was 18 years young I flew in USA with a classical guitar and they made me check it and it got damaged. Airline of course refused to pay for it. Took me 20 years to get a luthier who fixed it beautifully. Today I might handle more in line with your video. Thanks for the tips!
Very positive and upbeat and helpful. Yes - flight attendants are almost always very very helpful - and yes - anything valuable or fragile I'm carrying on a flight - I carry on. But I have to say - the thing that kept running through my head while watching this was Dave Carroll's United Breaks Guitars! 🙂
Great video! There is a lot of really cool ideas here. Add to those, I would recommend buying a chip 3/4 guitar for hiking and traveling for vacation purposes. It's almost always small enough to fit in the overhead and go between your legs if needed (not ideal comfort wise, but for non-really long flights it is fine)
Thanks so much! I'm heading to Brazil in January and my host insists that I bring my guitar. You've answered my questions beautifully!!
Thank you for the information. 🎸✈️
Plenty of great info and I am not even at half length of the video. Thank you.
Thank you, I flew with my concert uke in May, and just carried it on in a hard case. It was fine. That was only halfway across the US. I felt a little self-conscious about it, but I was very glad that I brought it and practiced. It was fun!
I did this in August. It went into the overhead and was fine. Although I was nervous.
Very interesting video, I like the way you wrap your clothing round your guitar,that is a brilliant idea. I play a half size violin but it is good to know a hard case is best for flying in the future.
That was so well explained, and it makes me feel way better about trying to bring my guitar home to Virginia for the first time. Thanks for the tips! I'm definitely subscribing.
are wining to bring ?
Thanks, Brandon! Very helpful!
I really like your videos on all aspects of guitars. Real nice to get info on how to travel on a plane with a guitar.
Thanks so much for this video! It helped a lot. I just brought my guitar back on United and by talking to the attendant, getting in boarding group 2 at the front of the line it worked out. They didn't have a closet, but since I was first on it was going to fit in an overhead bin. Even better, I was sitting in the back and an attendant saw and offered to put it behind the rear seats in a safe spot.
I had it tightly packed with loosened strings just in case too.
Made it safe and sound without having to check it!
Around town I utilize a Mono case, but when I fly, I always use my Calton case. So far, I have only flown with my electrics, yet my electrics cost more than most people’s cars. Before I would fly with my steel-string acoustic or my classical, I would purchase another Calton case. All-in-all, there is no peace mind than greater than a Calton case.
P.S. I have never had an issue with carrying my guitar onto the plane and placing it in the overhead.
What if you don't have the supernaturally warm smile quality of Brandon Acker and can't get on people's good graces simply by making them your thrall?
i wish to be able to fly with a guitar one day
Another (unfortunately) expensive option is a carbon fiber case. I have one for my Martin D42K acoustic and the case is strong enough to take a large man sitting on it without the case suffering any damage. It also has an outer cover that protects the case's finish and provides shoulder straps. Like you said, I also ALWAYS loosen all of the strings; retuning only takes a few minutes, especially if you carry one of those whirly string winders.
I'd use a hard case with a massive ID label in case you have to gate check. I haven't traveled with a guitar (we flutists have no issues fitting our instruments under a seat), but I have flown many times with strollers which always have to be gate checked. It's a complete gamble. The gate hands are not gentle, and they get tossed onto the conveyer belts last-minute. One was broken. One was actually loaded onto a different plane! It ended up with all the checked bags at baggage claim (We were eventually reunited at our final destination).
Another tip: it might not be the most moral of options, but, here in the USA, if you request a wheelchair, they have to give you one and thus you're now pre-board. ADA doesn't allow them to ask any questions. This is our Plan B if another stroller gets trashed or lost when we have to make tight connections.
oh brother you're totally right, it's so stressful! I'm considering not to take my guitar with me again (I often fly from Europe to US). If I have to put it in the hold it's going to be a hell of a journey, I always think about it and the nightmare of finding my guitar broken at the end of the flight is always with me. Thank you for your smart tips on the subject.
Very helpful video, thank you very much! :)
And an unrelated question so sorry about that - do you plan to play the sitar in the future? It's a lovely instrument
I am flying to another state tomorrow morning & found this info to be invaluable.
Good job sir. You gave my a wealth of information & I do appreciate you.
Thanks! 🙏🏻 11:45
Thanks!! Helpful detailed information!! I use to carry my guitar on board, until I was flying from Oregon to Atlanta on United Airlines. When I checked in my large suitcase at the counter, the agent saw my guitar and said I'd have to check it and could not carry it on board. When I told her, I had no problem on my flight out to Oregon. She said it was not allowed . I had to call a friend, have him pick it up and ship it to me. I missed my flight and waited 10 hours for the next one. There was no way I was going to check my 1966 Jose Ramirez, Flamenco Peg guitar. So now I avoid United Airlines!! Fly Southwest Airlines when possible!!
It’s funny to hear an American talking about their struggles with Ryanair! Thank you for your advice.
So funny, even teach you the whole conversation and the smile 😆 use it as a template!
thanks!
Thanks, Brandon! I remember the time that I was told about Manuel Barrueco, who had a nightmare incident when his guitar was checked in with luggage and he watched in horror as his instrument actually fell off the runway. Now, I don't know if he was flying internationally, but I always imagined this happening to me. Thank goodness it never happened to me!
Very helpful info. This is like Rick Steves travel tips for musicians.
Thank you
Flew with American recently with a guitar. I was in the last group but luckily I was able to find space in the overhead bin both flights. Didn't know about the closet and asking about preboarding tho, thanks for the tips!
These are all good tips! I am a airline crew member who flies small regional jets. We don’t have space in overhead bins for anything like a guitar, nor do we have a closet on the plane. Do not let them put your guitar in the cargo bin! If you ask nicely, though, (a little bribe of chocolate never hurts either! ) and if there is an empty seat, we can strap it into an empty seat if it is next to you, or if the person next to the empty seat doesn’t mind. My advice is to try to get a ticket on a flight that is not full if you can so there’s a better chance of this. If the flight looks full, you are right, just buy a seat for the instrument. If you are buying tickets with stops, be aware that you could be making connections on a regional jet. You can usually pay for that extra seat only for the legs on the regional jet instead of for the whole trip, the best way is to call the airline directly when you buy your tickets rather than try to do it online. Great video!
Thank you for the insider position!
Very helpful - even for ukulele players!
This video reminded me of the "United breaks guitars" song.
While apparently most US airlines now let you bring a guitar on board, in my experience this is not common anywhere else in the world. Also not all airports or airlines allow you to gate check. (I just returned from Europe to Australia. A new Portuguese guitar was damaged in my checked luggage. The head stock had snapped off).
Did you detune the guitar before traveling? The headstock should not have snapped off, even when dropped, if you'd detuned the strings...
So sorry to hear that ... It's bulk lugagge in Germany.
@@twokool4skool129 Yes, it had been detuned. The instrument also spent two extra days at Heathrow and the case was fairly beaten up. I assume it took a tumble and fell of a trolly or something like that. (I knew it was at Heathrow because it had an AirTag in the case).
@@duffyiii Also, as mentioned in the video, most airlines tend to have their policies about instruments listed on their websites. That should give some comfort before flying. I have traveled with my regular guitar checked in many times without any problems. I use what was a fairly cheap fibreglass hard case which seems a bit more rigid than some of the more traditional wooden style cases.
I don't even play Guitar but i'm here watching, very helpful video.
Awesome
So another option is to get a guitar made by Journey instruments. They have a folding neck and an awesome case that will fit in any airplane overhead bin. I know because I’m the guy who flys the plane. I’ve been traveling with my Taylor gs mini for over ten years but since I’m the pilot it always is in the cockpit closet. I have zero affiliation with Journey other than I bought one last week and if I was a passenger I would seriously consider making that my travel guitar.
When I stayed in China for my exchange, i simply bought a new guitar to not go through anything, it was surprisingly good, the sound was warm the feel was great, and board was easy to move on, really great and it only cost me 1200rmb with a small bag. It was a real gem for that price.
I did not plan on doing this to be honest, but I missed playing, so I found a shop close to campus, and then I began to practice outside, i quickly got a following, and I even played songs for strangers while they recorded me, a great way for me to practice guitar and Chinese, especially when I began teaching my friend who studied at that university. Of course things like D 大调 A小调, is not really something that I could use outside of that hyper specific scenario. :-) but it was still a great time
I would love to see a collab between you and Lucas Brar. Well that is completely up to you.
Original title should be how to manipulate people to do you favours - in air edition - ! Love this vid !
Personal experience:
I went from Brazil to Bolivia with my guitar involved in sheets (they told me I had to put them in the superior baggage space) ... They are OK with it, the only thing is that you have to find a good and spacious place to put it, where it isn't exposed to any damage from another hand baggages!
Airlines don't have any problem with it (at least in Brazil and Bolivia)... And my guitar ended up not damaged at all! ✌️
Re-gate checking: some airports you do not get your instrument/luggage back at the door of the aircraft when you disembark. Paris Charles de Gaulle is one example of this. This means your instrument has to go through the entire baggage system of the airport with all the large heavy cases and comes out at the baggage carousel.
For some reason I thought he was going to play a gibson/epiphone flying v lol
Also be interested in what is required if your instrument is made out of endangered or protected woods such as Brazilian Rosewood or has any Ivory and you are flying out of the country.
Few years ago, the airline which i was gonna fly with, had a new protocol of baggage size allowed to be brought on the cabin, which i wasnt awared of. I brought my guitar with a softcase and was not allowed to hand carry because it was too long. Luckily my acoustic was a bolt on godin multiac so i rushed to stores in the airport to find a screw driver to disassemble the neck and body. After the diassemble, my guitar was remeasured and was allowed to be hand carried.
I am going back to UK next year (from Japan) and I have been debating whether to carry my guitar or send it with my stuff on a sea container. I also have a dog so I think the guitar is going back home by sea… Thank you so nuch for the tip about loosening the strings.
book it as fragile bulk cargo, you can also ship it in advance via Freight forwarding company.
nice overview thank you; could you let us know the semi rigid gray case manufacturer?
In the UK Easyjet let me buy a seat for my Bourgeois acoustic, didn't cost much either! It had to have a window seat in case of emergency evacuation, and be checked in as Mr Musical Instrument! 🤣
Bradon I appreciate your efforts for the us
I want you to play a (baglama saz)
Practical, thanks
I have done several flights in Europe (not low-cost) with my guitar and have never had trouble when brought in soft carry-on gig bag. If you have a hard case, gate-check should be okay. I carry electric guitars only, though. They are slightly flatter so they are usually easier to lay flat.
Hi, so I was curious about something: Can't you just put your guitar between your legs in a standing position? That way you wouldn't need any space at all, I've never done this so really appreciate the help please 😅
Allow me to share my story: back in 2018 we went to Spain for the first time and I jumped at the opportunity to get myself a true Spain made classical guitar. I got it in Granada from Guitarras Ferrer very close to the Alhambra.
Anyway, at the airport in Madrid, from the get-go all the airline employees told me that the flight was full, so it was going to be difficult for me to bring it in the cabin. While I was waiting in line, a flight attendant signaled me to follow her and I ended up at the very front of the line waiting for the door of the plane to open. That's when I realized she did not signal me; she was calling a pair of teenagers that were under her supervision, but nobody complained or told me anything so I ended being the third passenger on board and had the whole overhead bin for my guitar.
On the second leg, from Toronto to Montreal there were no teenagers I could follow 😁, but was still lucky enough to find my overhead bin empty. I put my guitar inside and closed it. The amazing thing was that nobody opened it, even though there were people looking for an empty spot to put their carry on in.
All the videos in my very-small-with-very-few-videos-channel have been recorded with that guitar 😊
What happened at customs was also very cool, but that's a story for another time.
I'm looking at a guitar at the exact same shop, did you get a hard case with it and travel with it? It's kinda scary thinking about flying and them rejecting it and having ti check it...
@@noctilucent7396 I got a Cibeles hard case with it from that same place. Be sure to unwind the strings before you board. From another video I saw this guy recommending his "Jedi mind trick": with a big smile say "I understand, can I please try and see if it fits the overhead bin?" or something like that. Good luck.
Hi Brandon, this is a fairly unorthodox request, but could you play gerudo valley from the legend of Zelda ocarina of time?
I would love to see your rendition on a theorbo but I already feel this is a big ask. It’s typically a guitar song.
Just wanted to say something for anyone with this same situation, a couple months ago I flew from Tucson to Las Vegas to Los Angeles via Southwest Airlines, there wasn't any space in the closet due to boarding late but I managed to find space in the overhead locker and it fit with no issues. After that I flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Qantas in a Boeing 747, I had no issues getting the plane on the overhead locker, only suggestion here is to have some sort of humidity pack because in the 15 hours of flying, even in the overhead the guitar gets pretty cold, and always remember to loosen all your strings when putting it on the plane :D
Can you please elaborate on the "humidity pack"? I mean, how can one ensure the temperature drop doesn't cause condensation on the guitar once it's back to warmth, or what do you mean? Just looking for some tips
Hi Brandon! Thanks for the tips! Unrelated question but, what's the song you use in your intros? I love it!
You're welcome! Chopin nocturne in Eb
Easier instument to fly with indeed !! a guitar is resonably small ..Cool informative vid !! when i travel i always keep the guitar between me legs , is it still allowed , haven't flew for a while ...
I have a flight tomorrow morning, and was wondering this myself!
Another pro tip: if you aren't pre-boarding and have your guitar in a gig bag with straps, when it is your turn to board sling the guitar below your shoulder that is furthest away from the gate agent (i.e. if the agent is on your left, sling the guitar over your right shoulder as low as possible and hand them your boarding pass with your left hand). If you are dealing with a surly or stressed agent, this way they are far less likely to object to you boarding with the guitar and not gate-checking it.
main take away, : be respectful to the personnel, you never know what free stuff you can get
Also:
1) be attractive
2) don’t be unattractive
@@CampfireHeadphase at the least, look presentable, looks has nothing to do with your decency
I think you would have to fill up the bin to want to bring your guitar in the overhead bins. Prepandemic, it was hard to find that much empty space in the overhead bin on popular flights. If everyone brings a backpack/handbag + suitcase then your options for storage isn’t great. Good call about the closet though. Preboarding and asking to store in that space is helpful. This kind of space I think also depends on the airlines (in part). Apparently Jetblue doesn’t have closet space on any of their aircraft where United usually does.
For people transporting a wedding dress, they also face this issue (though shocks and impacts are less problematic - so a robust enough and oversized linen box helps).
Generally don’t put it under the plane though. Technically this is how animals travel but cargo is usually treated poorly.
Thank you!
I was thinking about going to Georgia and bringing pandurii back instead of czacza booze.
How was this friend wedding?
All best!
Haha I have a Panduri from Georgia actually. The wedding was great, thanks :)
These are great tips. I'm going to start carrying an empty guitar case so I can preboard. Does the changes in pressure do anything to the guitar? The cabin pressure at altitude isn't the same as sealevel.
Have you tried riding a Harley with a guitar? Yeah, I'm that cliche. I'm the guy that thinks he's _so cool_ because he's on a cool motorcycle with a guitar on his back. When you get up to over 45mph, the head and neck start to catch the wind and pull on you. It's like someone constantly tugging on your shoulders trying to pull you off the back of the bike. Then I'm stressing about whether or not that's doing any damage to the neck or head of the guitar. I finally got luggage clips put on the side of the bike so I could carry it horizontally on the side like a saddle bag.
Pressure isn't really an issue since acoustic guitars are open (have a sound hole). The main environmental risk is humidity and temperature. Airplanes can get really dry
@@123Ir0nman yep. I use addario humidipak control to keep the humidity from dipping below 40%. The one time i didnt do that, the humidity inside my case was as low as 33%. Luckily it was a short plane ride so it didnt much damage
We were at a show once where Richard Shindell talked about a then recent incident where he had learned that, when doing TSA with a Bouzouki, it was best to just tell them that it is a guitar. I have since heard other artists relate that he was, indeed, correct. LOL!
I fly all the time with my guitar. Sometimes they are kind and put it in the closet but sometimes they make me gate-check it. I only take my cheaper guitar when I fly because I never know how they will treat it.
This video appeared at exactly the right time. I'm about to go to the airport and I was going to check it as luggage :○
Phew!
Hey can you do a Bach luite suite lesson, in particular sarabande 996
I didn't attend a lute conference in the United States this year (Cleveland - Lute Society of America) exactly because of the perceived danger to my precious lute (10-course renaissance built by Robert Lundberg in 1974). The bent neck makes it more bulky than a guitar, and I highly doubt that it will fit in an overhead bin. Many decades ago, I did travel overseas with the lute and it was cheerfully stored in the onboard closet. But that was before the terrorist attacks 9/11 and the resulting changes in airline policies and attitudes.
I found when I got my guitar back the strings dug deep into the nut now it has a buzz
But how does this apply for non-vampires without seduction powers?
Show some skin.. it always worked for me
I thought this would be silly, but turns out is a rather interesting topic!
With the first title" how to fly with a guitar" I thought u were metaphoric and u were talking about a super cool play technic haha
When I was in high school, I had an electric guitar that I had to fly. I de-strung it, unbolted the neck and packed it in my suit case 🤣
UNITED...
Hey Brandon. Do you have any videos on why elevated fingerboards are recommended for people beyond beginners ?
Hey Stefan, I'm not sure i agree that advanced players should use elevated fretboards. Its about preference but I don't see it as better or worse.
Hello Brandon! I'll have to travel soon with a 10 course renaissance lute and I wonder if you've been able to travel with a 10 course or a similar lute and how (buying a seat or as carry on)? I am not sure it will fit since the headstock size is so big
Hi yes for a bigger lute, I get an extra seat. In North America, the seat has to be a window seat in a non exit row and you need to sit right next to it.
Good luck!
@@brandonacker great thanks for the help
For some planes the overhead is too small for a full size guitar. I guess regional airlines are out. Why are using a foam case and not a carbon fiber case? Temperature in the The closet, is reserved for first class? Insurance is a requirement. Any recommendations.
Need a performance of Air playing on the background!
It's on my CD "Guitar Favorites" arpeggiato.com/cd/
Great video ! Thanks…you mention one guitar that’s cool but, I want to bring another one ( 1st one will be the carry on, maybe I need to buy a seat for the 2nd one ?! ) any suggestions?! 🌺
You can sometimes fit two guitars in one seat but they have to be buckled in so it depends on the size of the cases. Electric would be easy. Two acoustics might be pushing your luck.
But yes one in a seat and one above is a good solution
@@brandonacker wow that’s excellent! I was going to check one in and was nervous about it ( electric base brand new, the carry on electric guitar ) the others ( x2 ) I will place in my storage unit and will eventually fly back to bring at least one over ( I’m relocating ) 🌺 Thanks for your quick reply 🤗
@@brandonacker Aloha 🌺🎼🎸
Can you play the Japanese Shamisen, Chinese Sanxian, and Mongolian Shanz?
Random question, is it better tone when playing without nails? Thanks
Just listening to you talk about it stresses me out. Being friendly and looking a certain way definitely helps... just saying. 😉
Imma get a damn padded titanium case bro