Hey all,

Looking forward to the gathering but was wondering about air travel with a guitar. I have a Collings Clarence White which resides in its original Collings case. I was going to put it in a gig bag and carry it on the plane but am a bit concerned about the prospect of the airline (JetBlue) forcing me to check it in as baggage.

If I take it in its hard case I don't think I could carry it on (too big) and I wouldn't want to check it in as baggage in its hard case either.

Anyone have any experience with this issue? Will an airline typically find a place for a gig-bagged guitar on board or will they force me to check it? I'm just not checking my guitar in as baggage. I'm afraid that the airline will either lose it or destroy it.

Thanks,

Jim

Hi Jim...It's a gamble at best whether or not you will get the gig bag on the plane...I think your best bet would be to use the hard case, pack well around the headstock, and loosen the strings a bit. Then, with a smile and very nice demeanor, I'd try and board when they ask for the elderly and people traveling with small children...Worst case, you would have to gate check it, then pick it up when you exit the plane. This keeps it to an extreme minimum of baggage handling and chances are it'd be fine. And, often times, if the flight attendant is in a good mood, they will store it overhead or in the closet. This is usually impossible on smaller planes.

The other option is to purchase a Calton and have it shipped to you before you leave...the best peace of mind for traveling with fine instruments.

Good Luck on your travels...see you at the gathering.

Kia Manuia,

Dale

Yes, it's hit or miss. I've been lucky to get my guitar on board and put in the overhead area at times, but it was about an 00-size with a hard case, which fit fine. I've also had it put into a separate luggage area with a pink tag - right before boarding they put it with other special items, though in that case it wasn't in the cabin. But I've also heard lots of stories of guitars having to be checked in as luggage, even when a seat was purchased specifically for the instrument!

I'd say to be prepared for the worse case scenario, which would be treating it like any other luggage, so I'd bring it in a hard case and buffer it. This might rule out bringing it into the cabin, but what would you do if you used a gig bag and they said you had to check it in?

I have flown dozens of times with my Geib cases and never had a problem other than a ding or two on the case cladding. But that was when I had a Guild or a Martin. I've done it, but been less comfortable, with my Collingses.

Last Christmas I confirmed ahead of time with Continental that I could gate-check my guitar, then traveled with my excellent Travelite case. Gate-checking went smoothly and the case and guitar were fine. YMMV, obviously.

I'm going to be provocative and dogmatic and say that anyone who travels on a plane with a guitar that they truly care about MUST have a Calton Case or better (there are couple of equivalentsm, Mark Leaf, for example).

Jack Lawrence, who travels with Doc, convinced me to trust the Calton, lower the string tension, and check the case with baggage. In the thousands of trips and who knows how many miles, he's not had a problem.

I have two Caltons, the Dreadnaught size, which fits every dread I own, and the "concert size" that is a perfec ct fit for OMs and OOOs. Oops, the new OO-koa has its own Calton too.

Pack your clothing in a gig bag, then carry the gig bag at the event.

Coming back from Winfield, a friend saw a dreadnaught case fall off the conveyor to the ground (about 8 feet). It would have survived in a Calton, but not in a Geib-style.

Now, off my soap box.

When my wife and I arrived at the Nashville airport, she noticed an old guy with a shabby (non-Calton) guitar case, a leather belt securing it closed in addition to the latches. She walked over to him and began to shmooze. Turns out, he was Johnny Gimble, just arrived in town with his son. My conclusion? I want a Calton, but if I have to travel without it, I'm going to secure the case with a belt, like Johnny Gimble does.