Since I lived in Alaska for years, I've travel on AS (Alaska Airlines) many times, and also with their regional partner, Horizon Air. They have generally been pretty guitar-friendly. I've also had pretty good luck with gate checking -- just ask for the colored tag (color varies by airline). White tags go down the jet way and are hand-loaded into the plane. Color tags also come back up to the jet way by hand with wheelchairs, strollers, etc. You have to wait there until it comes out, though.
On Horizon and their smaller turboprop planes, they have a system called "Al a carte" where you put a bright green tag on the bag, carry it down to the plane yourself and leave it on a cart on the tarmac. Then it is hand-loaded into the belly of the beast. On the other end, it comes out on the cart and you carry it back into the airport yourself. But if you are checking through to your final destination, it goes into the baggage [mangling] system like everything else. I worry way more about the automated conveyor system than the baggage handlers out there, working in plain view of the boarding passengers. I've watched them load and unload Horizon flights many times, and they seem to be careful.
Personally I use the SKB i-Series case mentioned above on the now-rare occasion that I fly with a guitar.
|
12-01-2017, 06:45 PM
