Flight Review

[Kevin Hsieh]

So I've been stressing about flying with my bass for a while, looking for solutions to the issue of entrusting such an expensive object in the hands of people who could possibly be frustrated angry and plain careless. I was close to deciding to ship it then decided to try flying at the last minute. Here's my story:

Showed up at the Jet Blue terminal in the Long Beach airport around 6 in the morning. Chose a smaller airport, so i didn't have to deal with impatient, angry ladies at the check-in counter and whatnot. Showed up with two pieces of luggage, one big box, a bass in it's flight case, one violin, and an electric bass... Immediately I was getting stares and small chuckles. Among some statements made was the always welcome "Is that a cello?" and the ever-so-witty "That's a carry-on right?" A very kind lady at the check-in counter called me to the side to deal with the oversize luggage and she found just the guy who knew how to deal with such a thing. This baggage handler personally walked my bass to the terminal and got it on the plane early. I didn't even have to pay for the oversize and my bass was just under 50 pounds in the wood construction case. It's a pretty thick and study bass too.

I somehow pursuaded the women at the gate to let me in with my bass and my violin and got it stowed in the overhead compartments, which were actually VERY big. There was room and change for my electric.

Fast forward to landing. Picked up all my stuff and got on the train to get to the car rental area. Endured a whole bunch of "You know there's an instrument called the flute?" and "That's a carry-on, right?" comments and a ton of extra stares from new yorkers and tourists alike. I ended up just saying "Yea, this doubles as a coffin when I don't need to play bass." or to kids: "You know... you could fit in here and no one would even notice."

Anyways, I ended up getting to the motel and opening the case up. The bass is ok and the violin and electric bass are intact too.

Thanks for all your advice during my move. Maybe i'll see some of you in New York who knows.

Cheers.

[milomo]

Glad everything worked out okay, having to travel with any instrument is a nightmare these days.

[MingusAmongUs]

Well that's a load off. Thank goodness!
I'm wondering where in NYC you drove to from the airport and how THAT was? First time doing that? It's like a REAL LIFE VIDEO GAME. And with a car full of bass.

[Kevin Hsieh]

Originally Posted by MingusAmongUs

Well that's a load off. Thank goodness!
I'm wondering where in NYC you drove to from the airport and how THAT was? First time doing that? It's like a REAL LIFE VIDEO GAME. And with a car full of bass.

My dad (car was rented under his name) drove me and the car full of bass (which was a pretty new Santa Fe... nice car to add to the What do you drive thread [put 4 huge pieces of luggage one flight case one electric and one violin in there ]) to North Bergen New Jersey. Traffic wasn't so cutthroat but the traffic jam was ridiculous in the Lincoln Tunnel. I just got back from a vacation in Taiwan (which is a country full of terrible drivers, so i'm not too irked by it)

About the NJ decision, it's cheaper to stay in a motel in NJ than NY. So i'm staying in NJ and doing my college shopping here for a while until move in day which is sunday

[MingusAmongUs]

Originally Posted by Kevin Hsieh

About the NJ decision, it's cheaper to stay in a motel in NJ than NY. So i'm staying in NJ and doing my college shopping here for a while until move in day which is sunday

No argument here. If you chose Manhattan, not only would you be paying thru the nose, but you'd never even get the chance to double park in front of the hotel to unload the car without getting honked at, rear-ended, and/or towed away. All of which has happened to me. In fact, one year when I drove my mom's Jeep to move into the dorm on 8th St, it was towed. The irony was that I was there, standing next to the car when they hooked it up to the tow truck. I watched them do it, while begging, pleading and finally cursing the cop and the tow truck driver to hell. Had to meet with a well-off cousin who lived uptown to get $300 for the reclamation fee and the cab ride out to Brooklyn Navy Yard. If not for the cousin (God bless him) I would have been royally f*cked. Luckily I got all my stuff out of the car before it was towed away. You just don't leave a car parked in NYC with anything in it.

I'm guessing you are planning the requisite trip to IKEA.

[Reuben]

Jet Blue is the best with a bass. They've never charged me anything for checking a bass. I'm guessing that will change, but for now they're unbeatable.

[bassplayer57]

Next time I fly with bass, I think I'll go JetBlue! Sounds like you had a good experience with them!