Anyone fly with a Fender TSA approved case?

yes, I think so...they are actually SKB which is also owned by Fender if I'm not mistaken...at any rate it will give more protection than a tolex case...

 

Haven't flown with it, but the Fender cases that look like this :
Pro Rectangular Electric Guitar Case | SKB Music / ProAV

...have TSA latches and were supposed to be airline rated. Some said Fender but were SKB made. I have one Fender and one SKB marked, but they're identical cases. I'd fly with mine and not worry a bit.

 

A short flight is the same as a long flight, for all intents and purposes - damage typically happens during handling at each end of the journey. If it's a small plane, it can actually be more dangerous as bags/cases may get individually 'thrown' down the length of the baggage compartment, rather than put in a big container first and then put in the cargo hold as they are on larger aircraft.

In answer to your question, if it's TSA approved then it's probably good for it. The main thing to make sure of in any case (boom-tish) is that the instrument is not able to move inside the flight case - you may need to place a few socks strategically to make sure of this, depending on exactly how 'fitted' the case is.

 

I had one that came with my elite and though I never flew with it I wouldn't have hesitated to after tightening up with extra shirts inside. It seems like that's exactly what it was made for.

 

Captain Pedantic would like to remind everybody that there's no such thing as a "TSA approved" case per se; any reference to "TSA" in the case's description only means that the locks work with a universal key that all TSA agents have access to. It says nothing about the case's durability.

You may be confusing TSA with ATA...although strictly speaking there's also no such thing as an "ATA approved" case either. What you will occasionally find -- though far less frequently than manufacturers and advertisers would have you believe -- is a "case which meets or exceeds ATA specification 300, Category 1 for reusable shipping containers". These often get referred to as "ATA Flight Cases" [sic] though again, unscrupulous manufacturers may use that term even if their product doesn't meet/exceed the ATA spec. Or even if they don't really know whether it meets/exceeds the ATA spec.

The ATA is not in the business of "approving" anybody's product; they simply define the requirements, and it is incumbent upon the manufacturer to prove that their product complies with those requirements.

Now back to our thread...

 

I’ve flown quite often with a 2011 America Standard five string jazz in a stock ata case, and haven’t had any issues.

The trick I use is not to check it as baggage, and send it down the “conveyor belt of doom.” what I do is bring it to the gate. Sometimes the stewardess will allow me to put it in the closet, usually they take it and put it under the plane, like a baby carriage. Once I get off the plane, I wait in the ramp and they get my bass back to me. It doesn’t leave my hands for very long, and it’s handled a lot better than by the loading gorillas.

This trick has worked for me in the past. It’s how I fly with a bass.

 

You just take it through as a carry on. You don’t check it in baggage as I said. It will go through the x ray machine and you have to carry it through the airport, but it doesn’t get destroyed or put on the wrong plane. It’s with you the entire time.

And ramp/gate is what I meant. It’s more of a hassle getting through the airport, but well worth the piece of mind, especially with long distance connecting flights.

 

If your case is anything like the SKB 44, it should be fine for a short hop.

 

If you're definitely going to check it as baggage, I'd pony up for that 3I50. But I also think JGbassman's suggestion re: gate-checking is good advice.

 

Very smart. Gate checking is the way to go. It will usually go on last, and come off first.