Watch out for the airlines! they got me...

[dhadleyray]

I recently flew to South Korea from Heathrow. I had my electric bass in a flight case and everything was okay. The problem occurred when I left South Korea, and the airline charged me over $264.00 for "excess baggage", meaning my bass. I told the guy "I just left heathrow and I haven't bought anything. How come they didn't charge me when I left London?" His exact words were;

"I guess they got it wrong."

There are some serious changes happening to airline travel. I know that other musicians have been having similar problems. 20 kilos, I think, is the limit.

I wonder if the unions are doing anything to help find a solution? Hell, I used to carry my bass on the plane with me in my Reunion Blues bag, but after my recent experience, I expect nothing but trouble.

I presume that the increasing oil prices, along with the fear of terrorism, are the prevalent factors. I'm aware that double bassists use rented basses on the road, but they often complain that some of them are difficult to play.

Has anyone else had transport problems for either their electric or double basses? Do you add the cost to your fee? Will that affect your income?

I find similar issues are being discussed by classical bassists and I think there's a petition going around trying to confront the problem.

What do you guys and gals think?

[tzadik]

MAN that is not cool. Never happened to me - so far. Too bad you had to deal with that.... How can pulling that sort of crap be good for business??!

[Nadav]

I just flew to Israel and back with my electric bass without a problem, but I took on the plane with me and asked a flight attendant to put it somewhere.

[Basshole]

It's roulette. If the guy is an @ss, you get taxed. Just that simple.

Also, you should be aware that there are simply "hotspots" of @ssholes. For example, everytime I ever flew to Montreal to play the Jazz Festival there, I got zero grief GOING there...and total hell coming home. Seems you don't have to be French to be arrogant and rude...even French Canadian is close enough (just my experiences folks, nobody crucify me).

Example:

Board the plane in NYC with bass (727...late model) and place bass comfortably in overhead. Fly to gig at Montreal Jazz Festival, perform.

Return flight:

Intercepted by stewardess. "Sir, you can't take that on the plane".

Me: "Why not?"

Her: "It won't fit in the overhead"

Me: "What's the equipment we're flying today?" (airline parlance for type of plane)

Her: "727"

Me: "Same equipment I flew here just two days ago?"

Her: "Yes, sir"

Me: "You mean it fit last time...coming here, but it won't fit now...going back?"

Her: "Yes, sir"

Me: "are you serious?"

Her: "Yes, sir...I'm afraid you'll have to check that"

Me: "In a gig bag? When you guys can well destroy things in roadcases? I think not"

Her: "Then you cannot fly today, sir"

Me: "May I ask the captain if he will allow my instrument aboard, perhaps up front, in the clothes closet?" (many are glad to say yes)

Her: "No, sir...you must check that, or you will not be able to board the plane"

Me: "What if I unbolt the neck of my instrument, and make it smaller?"

Her: "If it gets dramatically smaller, sir, then perhaps; yes"

I take my swiss army knife from my toiletry bag, and use it to unscrew the neck on my Ibanez Roadstar (fitted with Tobias electronics, thanks to Bob Lee, of Tobias). I fold the top of the gig bag over, and show the airline twit:

Me: "Will this suffice?"

Her: "Yes sir, but I'll have to take your Swiss Army Knife"

ARRRRRRRRRGH!

[dhadleyray]

that's scary, it does seem to be worse than before 911. I seem to have the general feeling of nervousness everywhere.

I have a neck thru bass, so I know I would've been screwed!

What's funny is they searched my bags because they saw a bottle opener on my key ring. I guess I should be glad they are so thorough.

I don't always have that much on my card. I wonder if they would've attempted to make me leave the bass?

[Basshole]

This was long before 9/11

This comedy act was in the late 80s...but ignorance is ignorance. I guess my point was that if an airline employee want to make life tough on you, they can...

[mcnaire2004]

I here so many horrible stories about basses and airlines on this site.

[Jazzin']

Originally Posted by Nadav

I just flew to Israel and back with my electric bass without a problem, but I took on the plane with me and asked a flight attendant to put it somewhere.

I didn't knwo you could do that.

[jazzbass72]

Originally Posted by dhadleyray

I'm aware that double bassists use rented basses on the road, but they often complain that some of them are difficult to play.

HELL YEAH!!!

-Marco

[brooklynbassguy]

There seems to be no easy way out. I travel with an EUB that's 62" long and 56lbs. Sometimes I get charged for overweight, or oversize. Once recently I sat down on the plane and watched my bass get driven away from the plane. They said it would make the turn into the luggage compartment. I had already made 20 trips on these smaller jets with no problems. I had to take a different flight. Oddly enough the baggage handlers went on break right afterwards! Another time, on a direct flight from italy to spain, with my electric in a golfcase, my electric disappeared for weeks, but my EUB arrived.

[dhadleyray]

[Bobaree]

I experienced a new one over the weekend. Put my EB through to baggage and when I got to the gig, opened the case I got a huge wiff of fuel. Somehow the airlines baggage guys managed to spill either diesel or jet fuel on and into my case. No damage to the bass, but the case is a write off. Airlines = nightmare.

[CamMcIntyre]

You guys make me feel extremely lucky. I've done 2 round trips with my electrics. The basses-first time was a DeArmond Pilot Plus 5 [cheapie 5 string], the second time was my StingRay5 [not so cheapie]. Both cases were SKB-only difference was that the Ray5 had the factory EB SKB case and the Pilot had a regular SKB.

This time was in March of 2002-not that long after 9-11.
The first time i went from Indy to Memphis (connecting flight) to Ft. Lauderdale. Bass was fine-they didn't even undo the duct tape on the latches. Return flight was Ft. Launderdale to Detroit to Indy. Bass was fine. In fact, i put in duct tape "CAM" on one side and "FE 2002" on the other. Cam = my name, and FE 2002 = First Edition 2002 or the group that i was with. Someone else from our group said they saw the handlers load my bass.

The other time was in 2004.
We flew I want to say O'Hare to Orlando. I had to go to the special claims desk to claim it. Apparently they thought it was a weapon of some sort. This confused the heck out of me. The latches and duct tape were undone [i didn't see any fingerprints] so i know they took a look at the bass. I didn't think i was that bad of a bass player. I said to the lady "umm.....it's a bass guitar, i play bass for the choir group-we performed at Disney Land/World would you like to see it?" The bass went both ways fine though.

I don't want to imagine taking a DB. If i had to fly and take a bass-i'd take a serious look at the Eminence EUBs [the neck detachable ones].

take it easy.

[Bruce Jackson]

I've taken the following from the ISB site. Ther AF of M has information on air travel for all musicians also.

Dear musicians and colleagues who play the double-bass,

On the 28th of October, departing on an Air France/Alitalia flight for a concert in Rome, I was refused transport of my double bass because its weight in the flight case exceeded the authorized50 kgs. Indeed, the registered weight was 51.4 kgs, that is to say, an extra 1.4 kgs. Despite my attempts at politely explaining to the Air France officials then present that if I could not go to Rome with my instrument, a charity concert "Jazz for Children" would be cancelled, they maintained their refusal to take my double bass on board. My ordinary luggage was already registered. I therefore did not take the plane and had the greatest difficulty recovering my suitcase. In the end, after all the stress, I did manage to get on the next flight and to give the concert in Rome, thanks to an employee from the baggage handling department who, unexpectedly and with personal courage, reacted to the situation and intervened on my behalf. Interestingly, on the return flight, the next day, I did not have the slightest problem despite the fact that I was dealing with the same airline company. I did however have to pay an extra charge for excess weight.

This little anecdote illustrates the fact that today a great number of airline companies are throwing back into question the transport of double basses and musical instruments in general. I was also told by Air France officials, that following a common decision by airline companies, as of November 1st, no luggage of more than 32 kgs would be authorized on aircrafts and that no excess weight would be tolerated. Today, we thus face an extremely serious challenge to our right to travel with our musical instruments and to do our jobs. All of us are concerned, amateurs and professionals, producers, and the public at large who feel concerned about music. We must unite and set up a vast protest campaign against these new policies, so that musicians can travel with their instruments, as has been the case for years of rail or air travel. The future of our profession is at stake, and the future of music in a world which is in great need of it. This is why, I invite you all to take part in a world petition which will be transmitted to the headquarters of the different airline companies. To take part in this petition, please send an email with your name, first name and position to the following address: petition@garcia-fons.com or to the website of the Association of Bass Players and Double Bass Players of France: http://contrebasse.com/.

- Renaud Garcia-Fons, double bassist

There is further information on the ISB site under "events" sub-heading

[sibass89]

I've been having to fly pretty frequently with my Double Bass and I've always had to pay but this one time I came across this one a$$****.

I was up in Albany, flying into Newark then home to West Palm. On my way to Albany, I was charged $65 for just oversized baggage because it was a musical instrument. Something Continental has been charging me for about 2 years. Coming home from Albany the guy persisted in explaining the oversize is now $80 and that I had to pay $100 for overweight baggage at the same time. When I protested this, the guy decided to go back and charge to my account $800 for the 8 times I flew with my bass and wasn't charged overweight as well. Of course, he didn't.

Now look, I know this is nothing compared to some other horror stories I hear here, but like said before all you need is one guy to ruin your trip.

My advice if you travel frequently with your bass, if Continental has a Onepass program that when you become an Elite member that you pay limited if any overweight and oversize baggage fees and don't have to wait on lines. I just signed up for the Continental credit card which gave me enough miles to be part of the elite so hopefully I'll have that priviledge from now on.

[TheSuzie]

Originally Posted by Bobaree

I experienced a new one over the weekend. Put my EB through to baggage and when I got to the gig, opened the case I got a huge wiff of fuel. Somehow the airlines baggage guys managed to spill either diesel or jet fuel on and into my case. No damage to the bass, but the case is a write off. Airlines = nightmare.

Count yourself lucky. I was in a plane on the tarmac in either Charlotte or Atlanta and they were fueling the plane next to ours. There was a slip up and a decent sized fuel spill occurred all over and around a whole train of those baggage transport wagons. It all went up in flames really quickly and both planes had to be evacuated. No peope or aircraft damaged but all that bagage was total toast.

Last time I flew with a bass, I took a Kramer Duke, short scale, headless, aluminum necked, boat paddle, electric that could fit in the smallest overhead and was nearly indestructible. Don't know what I will do now that I am playing mostly DB. Probably get an EUB and pray if I have to fly.

Peace,
S

[dhadleyray]

Damn, I feel for any doublebass players in todays climate..

[Basshole]

Originally Posted by sibass89

My advice if you travel frequently with your bass, if Continental has a Onepass program that when you become an Elite member that you pay limited if any overweight and oversize baggage fees and don't have to wait on lines. I just signed up for the Continental credit card which gave me enough miles to be part of the elite so hopefully I'll have that priviledge from now on.

I just flew Continental to and from Brazil with a Warwick slab. It did not fit the overhead. The flight crews on the entire journey (4 aircraft) were all very accomodating, and all graciously offered to place my instrument in the foward clothes closet.

Thumbs up to Continental! They get my travel dollars from now on.

[ZombieGhosTrain]

All the trouble with musical instruments, and policies restricting them....Makes me wonder if anything bad has happened? They restrict pocketknives, liquids, and other items because they pose a threat. An EB isn't hurting anything sitting in an overhead, or in a closet.

The biggest instrument I've carried on has been a uke, no problems there!

[Damon Rondeau]

Y'know, I can hardly remember the humourless, monotone world of the non-bassist, non-musician. I do seem to recall, though, that the notion of taking a double bass on-board a plane seemed pretty extreme -- verging on ridiculous. "Imagine, the guy bought a whole extra seat for that thing!"