Traveling with a Guitar - Part One

Few things strike fear and panic into the hearts of guitarists everywhere than the thought of checking your guitar as baggage at an airport.  Whether you're making a 6 connection flight to Istanbul or a non-stop to the coast, little can relieve that sinking feeling that you will never see your fretted friend again.  A little cunning and a little sugar can get you far towards carrying on your precious cargo (or guitargo, sorry).  Fortunately I've had great luck and I'd like to share my tips with you here.

In the mid-nineties I received a call to do some work that required me to travel quite a bit (about 12 roundtrips a year) and I really needed to have both an acoustic and an electric guitar with me.  This is not something I would attempt anymore, but the axioms apply to carrying on one guitar today.  

My dilemma at the time was how could I get two guitars with me on the plane at the same time?  A Taylor acoustic in a hard case (though not a flight case) and a G&L electric in a soft gig bag.  Calls to the airlines only heightened my anxiety as I was repeatedly told that I would have to check them. 

Tip One - Minimize your exposure to airline personnel.  

Most every time I was able to get both guitars in the overhead bin over my seat.  The soft case on top of the hard case.  Rarely did I fly on a DC-10, MD-11, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767 or Airbus that didn't have room.  Though you can't always count one type of airplane to have same overhead bin configuration every time.  I would occasionally run into a bin with a divider, but it wasn't a solid divider, and the hard cases neck could fit through it easily first then the body of the case could be placed in afterwards.  Also there were time when I thought the case was too big as the door wouldn't close, but a helpful flight attendant showed me how placing a pillow under the body of the case would lift it just enough so the curvature of the bin's lid would accommodate the case and close.

Tip Two - Be early. This may seem obvious, but it really does help to keep your options open.

Tip Three - Check you and your suitcase in at the curb not inside at checking.  Typically the curbside guys are not airline employees and could care less what you walk into the airport with.  The person behind the counter is an airline employee and will make every effort to convince you to check your bag here.

If you have any flying with guitars stories or tips feel free to post them in the comments.

Traveling with a Guitar - Part Two

Getting through the security gate can be tricky as of late because many terminals/airlines have made the hole smaller on the conveyor belt through the x-ray machine. If it's plenty big enough for your acoustic's case or if you are just bringing an electric in a gig bag, no sweat, slide it on through.However, if you find that the opening is too small don't start sweating yet, I've had each of these six things happen to me...

Tip Four - Be open to options.

1. The metal flap making the x-ray machine's opening smaller was hinged and the security guard just lifted it up so my guitar would fit.

2. The metal flap making the x-ray machine's opening smaller was hinged and I just lifted it up so my guitar would fit.

Tip Five - Be generous. Generally smile a lot and say nice things.

3. The security guard said I needed to get permission from the counter before he could lift up the hinged flap and fortunately I had just come from the airline counter having successfully negotiated my way on to a flight other than the one I was booked on.  I had just given $25 to the airline's pet charity as a thank you to the employee who helped me, the same employee who by the way was needed to approve my guitar's passage into the deep recesses of the terminal.  Which she was more than happy to do.

4. The security guard just asked me to hand it to him over the x-ray machine so he could inspect it personally.  He even wanted play it a little.  Sure his hands were filthy but it was fine with me, it's not my guitar, everything I own belongs to God anyway.

Tip Six - Pull some strings.

5. One time when I was flying from Indianapolis to LA I arranged to be escorted through security by an airline employee.  She was the wife of a guitar playing friend of mine.  This was because my "guitargo" was a 1929 National Duolian metal bodied dobro that was impenetrable by x-rays and I didn't want them to take it apart to see that I wasn't carrying some form of contraband.  I swear.  I don't think in a post 9/11 world this would work.  I would just ship it today.  But it never hurts to have a contact in the business.

6.  The last scenario... I was sent to the ticketing counter where I was assured that my guitar would be handled carefully and waiting for me at the "fragile baggage" claim area back at home. It was there, but when I opened the case up and inspected it right then I noticed that the "G" string had been loosened and there was a dime inside (?!?). Whatever.

If you have any flying with guitars stories or tips feel free to post them in the comments.

Traveling with a Guitar - Part Three

Next stop, the gate. This is definitely not the place you want to saunter up to with a guitar (or two) acting like a prima donna.

Tip Seven - Keep a low profile.

You have two options here if you need to go up to get your boarding pass at the gate. One, have a friend (or quickly make one) watch your guitars as you wait in line to get your pass. Or two, leave your guitars somewhere you can keep an eye on them but out of the line of sight of the gate-checker-in-person. This way you can answer "no" honestly when they ask you if your bags have ever been out of your sight.

Tip Eight - Choose your seat wisely.

Now this is most important. When you call in advance to book your seating (I always forget) find out what kind of boarding they have. There are three kinds that I've experienced...

1. Rear to front - this is most common. Get a seat in the back so you are the first to board when there is plenty of overhead space.

2. Cattle Call Boarding - Southwest is known for this type of boarding, this reiterates the importance of Tip Two, be early.

3. "WILMA" Boarding - This stand for Window, Middle, Aisle. As in the order in which the seats are boarded. I've only seen this on United Shuttle. It's supposed to speed up boarding and took me completely by surprise, as my normal last row aisle seat meant I was one of the last to board forcing me to check my acoustic, but that's another story.

Tip Nine - The "Switcheroo".

This next tip I'm not proud of but we are told to be "shrewd as serpents", this could maybe on a good day fall into that category. Your second to last hurdle is the person (airline employee) who takes your ticket just before you head down the skyway onto the plane. If this person was going to be on my right I would strap the electric to my back, hold the acoustic in my left hand and my ticket in my right hand.If this person was going to be on my left I would strap the electric to my back, hold the acoustic in my right hand and my ticket in my left hand.In either situation I would say something nice, witty or charming. I call the the "switcheroo".

Tip Ten - Be courteous. 

If you've gotten this far and you're on the plane, you are ripe for a bitter harvest of disappointment.  You may have forgotten the last hurdle... the flight attendants (don't call them stewardesses).  This lesson I learned the hard way, when an attendant told me my guitar would have to be check as there wouldn't be enough room on the plane for it (maybe Tip Eleven should be don't travel around the holidays).  Well I wasn't prepared for this outcome and I made a little stink saying something to the effect, "you'll never work in this town again" (which means very little at 30,000 feet).  

So when the same thing happened on a flight the very next week, I was polite and even acted happy that some businessman would be able to carry on his suitcase full of CLOTHES(!) so he could save some time by avoiding baggage claim and down one extra martini before bedtime!  Well the flight attendant came back to the 178th row to see me half way through the flight to inform me that my guitar was in the overhead bin above row 10 as they had more room then the expected.  A service that would not have been provided by someone freshly chewed out.

Also along the lines of courtesy.  When an airline gets it right and your traveling with guitars is made relatively easy or even greeted with courtesy of their own, let them know.  E-mail the airline praising them for their acts of heroism.  Okay, maybe not heroism.  Let them know you will fly their airline whenever you can and to book you on the first flight the book to the moon (lots of frequent flyer miles).

If you have any flying with guitars stories or tips feel free to post them in the comments.