Air travel with Taylor in hard case

[brianc118]

So a bought a Taylor 314ce in the US but will need to fly back to Australia. My flight from LAX->Australia is already booked but I still need to get to LAX.

I've been reading up on storing guitars on the overhead compartments as carry on. Apparently it's a law that if there's space at the time of boarding then guitars should be allowed as carry on?

My Taylor came with the standard hard case. Will this fit on most domestic Boeing 737 / A320s?

Also, I read that Southwest has been historically the popular airline to go with; has anyone had experience with Alaska Airlines? (Going with Alaska may be significantly cheaper due to points).

General advice also appreciated!

Thanks!

[Photojeep]

Yes, it's true US airlines are "supposed" to allow instruments if there is room at the time of boarding but in reality it is up to the airline personnel themselves. The Boein 737's onboard luggage bins are large enough to handle guitars in hard cases but I don't know about the A320s. I fly Southwest Airlines regularly and in the past 5+ years have never had my guitar not be allowed onboard. As others have said, SW is very guitar friendly.

Alaska has also been said to be guiter friendly but I have no first hand experience with them. This past summer I was supposed to fly on Alaska but was switched to their regional carrier "Horizon Air" (I think that was the name) They flew smaller turbo prop planes and the baggage compartment was in the tail section of the passenger compartment so it was essentially the same as being right above my head in the bin. I remember checking Alaska's website and they say instruments are allowed on board.

Best of luck,
PJ

[werkout52]

A month ago I took a flight to Cancun and while looking for my luggage came across a hard shell guitar case that was crushed in the neck area half way through. I didn't see what happened to the guitar but it likely broke the neck. The thing was there was plenty of room in the overhead. By all means keep it in the overhead.

[kcnbys]

Your Taylor hard case will fit in most overhead compartments on most airplanes. I recently flew from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, and then on to Haiti (and then back the same route) with my 324. The hard case fit very nicely in the overhead compartment on each of the flight legs. Speak directly to the flight crew very nicely, and ask if they have a space to store the guitar for the flight. It's important to speak to the actual flight crew, not the gate agents. If a gate agent wants you to gate check it, go along with it, but then when you get to the plane, talk to the flight crew. I ask very nicely, and they are typically very nice about it. I even had a pilot see me and my guitar waiting at the gate. He was a fellow guitar player/Taylor owner, and had his guitar with him too. He approached me to tell me to not let the flight crew deny me carrying on my guitar. He said "if they give you any trouble, ask to speak to the pilot to see about storing it in the cockpit, there is room". I was like, wow - that was straight from a pilot. Anyway, I've air-traveled quite a bit with a guitar, been very nice, and have had no trouble to this point. One thing - you need to make sure you board the plane as early as possible, so overhead space is plentiful.

[brianc118]

Thanks for the responses! This is reassuring at least for the domestic trip to LA. Hopefully the Qantas will be nice as well, but they do explicitly say on their website "Larger musical instruments, for example, most guitars, don't fit within the musical instrument allowance, and must be checked-in" :/.

@kcnbys I have never gate checked before and am not familiar with the process. If I'm asked to gate check by the gate agents, how will talking to the flight crew help once I board? Won't they already have taken the guitar down?

[amyFB]

Originally Posted by brianc118

Thanks for the responses! This is reassuring at least for the domestic trip to LA. Hopefully the Qantas will be nice as well, but they do explicitly say on their website "Larger musical instruments, for example, most guitars, don't fit within the musical instrument allowance, and must be checked-in" :/.

@kcnbys I have never gate checked before and am not familiar with the process. If I'm asked to gate check by the gate agents, how will talking to the flight crew help once I board? Won't they already have taken the guitar down?

1. pay for priority boarding. This is most useful thing you can do to make this plan work to your benefit. (although never any guarantee)
2. if the counter agent insists on giving you a baggage tag and says you have to gate check, take the tag and head down the gateway, without arguing. Just smile and nod and keep moving.
3. with a prioirity boarding pass, 9 times out of 10, you;ll go right to your seat and put that case in the overhead.
4. Imobilize the neck inside a hard shell case, on the chance that you do have to check it. EVerything I've read says that failure to imobilize the neck is a pretty sure guarantee of ugly damage if the case gets dropped or banged up against a hard surface.

good luck.

[AgentKooper]

I flew Alaska Airlines in August, and my guitar was allowed onboard on both flights. I've flown with a guitar on Southwest numerous times over the past year and it was never an issue. I don't pay attention to airplane models, but both guitars I've flown with (an OM and an 00, both in Hiscox hard cases) have fit in the bins of every plane I've been on, except for a couple small, 50-passenger commuter planes. With plenty of space left in the same bin for other passengers' stuff.

[AgentKooper]

Originally Posted by brianc118

I have never gate checked before and am not familiar with the process. If I'm asked to gate check by the gate agents, how will talking to the flight crew help once I board? Won't they already have taken the guitar down?

When you gate check, the gate attendant gives you a tag and you carry the guitar down to just outside the door of plane, where you're supposed to leave it, with the strollers, wheelchairs, and other random stuff you'll probably see there. So you'll still have your guitar with you when you get to the flight crew member at the plane door.

But I agree with the advice above: if it gets to that point, just carry your guitar onto the plane like you own the place. (Of course being respectful and compliant if a crew member actually asks you to check it.)

EDIT: The reason I don't stress too much about is that I travel with my guitars in cases that can hold up in the belly of the plane if I have to check them. That happened to me twice, on both legs of an international United flight. On one of the legs, there was plenty of room in the bins when I got on the plane. I don't know why they didn't let me carry on. But I didn't push it. I wouldn't feel as confident using any case with less than the protection level offered by a Hiscox Pro 2 or equivalent, whatever that might be.

[AHill]

While your guitar case will fit in the overhead compartment, this is the holiday season and it's HIGHLY unlikely there will be room available for it. If you've ever traveled near Christmas, you'll understand. Everyone wants to bring all their Christmas presents as carry-on luggage, and they are likely staying for a week or more when they travel, so they are loaded up.

I'm assuming the 737 is for the domestic (US) leg of your flight. I don't know that a 737 has the range to fly from LAX to Australia without stopping somewhere for refueling.

I understand your concern about damage if the guitar is checked baggage. The reality is guitars are rarely damaged when shipped as checked baggage. Millions of pieces of checked baggage and we hear of just a handful of them getting damaged. Check your guitar and don't worry about it. Buy travel insurance if you need more peace of mind.

[kcnbys]

Originally Posted by brianc118

@kcnbys I have never gate checked before and am not familiar with the process. If I'm asked to gate check by the gate agents, how will talking to the flight crew help once I board? Won't they already have taken the guitar down?

Originally Posted by AgentKooper

When you gate check, the gate attendant gives you a tag and you carry the guitar down to just outside the door of plane, where you're supposed to leave it, with the strollers, wheelchairs, and other random stuff you'll probably see there. So you'll still have your guitar with you when you get to the flight crew member at the plane door.

But I agree with the advice above: if it gets to that point, just carry your guitar onto the plane like you own the place. (Of course being respectful and compliant if a crew member actually asks you to check it.)

This is exactly right. Sorry I didn't define that a little better. Lot's of great advice in this thread!

[Mking]

"EDIT: The reason I don't stress too much about is that I travel with my guitars in cases that can hold up in the belly of the plane if I have to check them. That happened to me twice, on both legs of an international United flight. On one of the legs, there was plenty of room in the bins when I got on the plane. I don't know why they didn't let me carry on. But I didn't push it. I wouldn't feel as confident using any case with less than the protection level offered by a Hiscox Pro 2 or equivalent, whatever that might be."

I agree with the comment above and all the other good advice. I have Calton cases for all the guitars I routinely travel with. Yes I try to carry them on and most of the time it works out. However, some airlines have small regional jets and the guitar has to be gate checked. Having the Calton cases takes away the stress of worrying about the instrument. They are expensive but they do the trick.

[amyFB]

Folks that are not frequent flyers, or who have never flown with a guitar might risk an unintended case of cognitive dissonance about how the shape of a guitar case inefficiently uses the space of an overhead bin, as compared to the way the space accommodates several roller bags side by side.

that overhead bin was meant to hold the bags for the folks sitting below, and it expects a number of bags equal to the number of seats below.

that's the point, as i understand it, of the "check if your bag fits" kiosk at every checkin gate at every airport.

it's a rare passenger anymore that doesn't push to and beyond those size limits with their carry on bags and that's when stuffing the traditional guitar case in there is liable to cause issues with flight attendants or fellow passengers.

for all those reasons, i think that the best success is had by treating the gate attendants politely and nicely and being mindful of fellow passengers who have their own reasonable ideas about their baggage and where it should be stowed for the flight. And, be prepared to check it and package it accordingly.

i'm happy to spin the "Love my Voyage Air folding guitar" record if anyone is on the fence about whether to get one or not. If you fly with guitars, having a Voyage air or a Journey model folding guitar eliminates 100% of the overhead luggage space stress factor.

[guitargabor]

One point:when you travel with your guitar and you have another carry on,make sure it is compact.

I have only flown with a standard guitar about 10 times in the past 8 years.On each occasion my guitar made it on board.

My other carry on luggage is either a very portable soft briefcase or a light backpack.

On my most recent flight ,there were 2 other guitarists as well as myself.They had to gate check while I was allowed my guitar in the cabin.I flew 1st class and the other guitars were in coach.

It's really getting absurd regarding the quantity and bulk that is allowed to be carry on's.And one reason for the slow disembarking procedure.

To me the airlines have it backwards.One should be charged extra for carry ons instead of checked baggage.

I'm sure most of us guitarists would happily pay $25 in order to carry our instruments on board.

[Samogitian]

I personally wouldn't risk counting on the crew allowing the guitar in the cabin, so before I fly with my Taylor I'm getting the military grade SKB case. Better safe than sorry.

[rob2966]

I have the SKB iSeries and I just check it under the plane right from the get-go. The case offers incredible protection at a very good price. However, not super practical for what you are trying to do since you already have the HSC

In your situation I would...

- Put packing material below/above? the headstock to try and prevent any whiplash damage.

- I would also consider some kind of webbing strap around the "waist" of the case, just to ensure the case can't open accidentally.

- Try to take it on board, but be 100% prepared to have to check it.

- And if it gets checked, cross fingers but realize that it is statistically unlikely that any misfortune will befall your new guitar.

Later
Rob