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Flying With A Bass - What Do I Do?

#161
I fly Northworst with my bass from Manchester, New Hampshire to Pusan, South Korea and have done it several times w/o too much trouble.

I put the bass in a featherweight (not incredibly protective but does the job) case and check it in. I also personally see to it that they cover the case with fragile stickers so throwers wont miss it.

The only problem I encounter is in Korea AFTER I get my bass from the revolving belt when the customs ppl start questioning me about the value of the bass. Luckily I never fly with my Bongo and the one I fly with is a heavily modded Cort that I bought in Korea with a "made in Korea" on the back of the headstock.
 
#162
I've been thinking that European airlines probably treat the musicians better than the American ones. I'm flying from Melbourne, Fl to Atlanta on Delta, then from there to Frankfurt then to Rome on Lufthansa next month.

I called both airlines. The Delta rep wasn't even listening. When I asked my question, he asked my name and gave me a confirmation number and said thank you. I stopped for a second, and said "I wasn't calling to confirm my flight, it's two months away! Can you please answer my question?" Then he goes "sure, what's your question?" then doesn't give me a straight answer. Lufthansa was VERY helpful (the guy I was talking to was also most definitely German due to his accent) and told me the golf cases are allowed to be gate checked. They don't have extra charges, either, as of a month ago.

I just think American flight companies have really screwed things up.

Nick
 
#164
We once flew domestically in Norway and had pedalboards and some guitars in flightcases. We brought the other guitars in gigbags and put them in the overhead compartment. It turned out well, although some of the other bands we flew with weren't so lucky. One of the bassplayers had his hardcase broken in half! No damage to the bass itself, still it's scary!

A friend of mine sat in his seat and witnessed the load-in of baggage and equipment: the guy hurled the guitarcase from 10-15 feet into the plane only to walk over to it and jam it even further in. Why not just carry it all the way?
 
#165
I used some no name hardcase on my way from Australia to Croatia and I had to check it in at the overize check-in. No extra charge. This was Malasia Airlines. The case got lost somwhere between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur and I got it back couple of weeks later. Hardcase was broken in half but suprisingly nothing hapened to the bass. I did have it all insured thou. Malasia Airlines agreed to pay for damages but I am still to actually see any money from them and this hapened a year ago. I do have it all in writing from them they are just reeeeealy slow paying up.
 
#166
scotch said:
A Delta-specific anecdote from new years 2007:
I fly out of Nashville on Delta & carry my gig-bag on without a single sideways glance or question from the Delta staff. I complete the gig & the next morning try to check in at Kansas City & Delta refuses to let me carry on my gig bag! Even after my careful method of reasoning with the ticketing agent and manager on duty - no beans. But... they would be happy to check the gig-bag if I sign a damage release!:eyebrow: They don't give a rats a$$ that I just flew into KCI less than 24 hours ago with the same carried on gig bag!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

That's the whole problem in one paragraph. You are at the mercy of the gate agent. If they say check the bag, you check the bag. No appeal, no logic, no consistency applies.
 
#167
Playin' it safe...

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The case itself only weighs 20lbs (30 with bass), but because it is 69 linear inches, I still have to pay the oversize fee.
 
#172
bopeuph said:
Got my SKB golf case yesterday. What are the suggestions for packing it?...
Click to expand...
bass > gig bag > SKB Golf Case

bopeuph said:
...People have said they lined it with foam. Any special type or technique to do this?
Click to expand...
The SKB SHOULD have come with the foam already installed in the upper section (to protect the heads of the golf clubs)

bopeuph said:
...Or is just packing clothes in it just as good?
Click to expand...
Well, that's what I've done on more than 50 flights so far . . . I put the bass (in it's gig bag) in the center of the open SKB case and place a long week-end's worth of clothes EVENLY around the gig bag. The toiletries usually go (in a "dop kit" waterproof bag) and my CD player and headphones (I'm a bit "old-fashioned still) usually go down near where the wheels are.

:cool:
 
#173
I posted this the other day on my blog at http://www.12rants.blogspot.com and seeing as this thread is still going, I thought I'd post it here!

Please be patient as the relevant bass part is at the bottom of the blog entry! :hmm:

THE ADVANTAGES OF FLYING CLUB CLASS WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

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TAKE A LONG LOOK AT THIS BASS.

It was bought new for $1200 in Boston USA, and Boston Airport was the last place that I saw it during our whole flight and our return, when a lovely lady on the check in desk covered it in fragile stickers and I handed it over to a baggage handler and watched sadly as it went through the curtain into oblivion and towards the British Airways Baggage Incompetence Department at BA Terminal 4, where it would later be subject to an attack of severe idiocy.

Anyway, back to the story:
In the duty free shop at Boston airport, we were told that we could only have ONE bottle with liquid (a rather nice bottle of perfume we got as a present for a friend), but we couldn't buy two bottles of Baileys and another bottle of alcohol - which were recovered from us - due to BA's restrictions on what liquids you can buy and carry and so they put it back on the shelf.

We got on the 747 to London and the cabin staff on the plane said what the duty free shop had told us about the number of bottles we could carry was basically incorrect. We were then sold a bottle of whiskey, duty free on the 747 from Boston to London and they didn't seal the carrier bag up. MORE OF THIS FOLLOWS:

Later on during the flight, we were treated like naughty children and basically told to shut up when talking briefly about what was on the in-flight TV, though various brats were squealing away in economy through a curtain and keeping everyone awake.

We were so hacked off by this that when breakfast was offered, I politely rejected it. "Well, if you don't have it now, that's your last chance", the lady snapped back. The thought of telling them where to put it came to mind, but I have never been that kind of passenger and never will be.

Next thing we know, my wife, my new bass, myself and our two cases have landed at London Heathrow and all made our own separate ways from BA at terminal 4 to BA at terminal 5.

When we went through security at Terminal 5, despite having the bottle unopened, a BA carrier bag and a receipt from the plane's duty free sales - it was argued that the bottle of whiskey was to be taken away from us, as the BA bag was not sealed.

I am not that keen on whiskey, but I do really hate being ripped off. I know exactly how the system they employ works: I was NOT leaving a bottle of whiskey for them to celebrate with at home. I would have dropped it on the floor and let it break first.

I said that if this was not resolved sensibly and quickly, I would kick off in such a big style that Naomi Campbell would want to have my babies from sheer admiration.

This approaching storm got a positive reaction from one of the guys who was dealing with us. We were escorted to another floor to see a guy who may (or may not) have been able to solve our problem.

He wrinkled his brow in a truly impressive demonstration of deep thought and examined the evidence in the precise and thorough manner of a real Sherlock Holmes:

A BA in-flight duty free sales bag.
A receipt.
An unopened product exactly matching the receipt.

He made a lightning deduction and came to the utterly splendid correct conclusion that the bottle and receipt definitely belonged in the bag.

I asked, could HE seal the bag, then we could be on our way?
Nope.

He decided, due to the overwhelming balance of evidence in our favour, to let us keep the bottle, but he had to put everything in yet another sealed carrier bag and it would have to go directly in the hold and we would have to collect it at the end of the flight off the baggage carousel. I had visions of collecting a smashed bottle and having to write off for compensation. More unnecessary hassle.

Ignoring his suggestion to nip over and buy a few newspapers to pad the carrir bag, I added a guitar mag that I had been intending to read, to try to feebly cushion the bottle in the bag. I could then imagine reclaiming the cost of another magazine, too. He put the bottle on the conveyor and it didn't start moving, so he handed it back to us and asked us to take it with us and hand it in at the gate!

I then pulled myself together and thought 'the foolishness stops here'.

Everything went back into the BA bag and we just took it onto the plane, missing out the 'getting BA staff to either lose or steal the bottle' options and the 'probable broken bottle' stage entirely. No-one cared to check the bag with it in.

But wait!!! As promised.... More crap follows:

BA Terminal 5 is deservedly legendary for being the largest screw-up in aviation history. There is a very good and ongoing reason for this. It is the actual new Bermuda Triangle for passenger baggage.

High profile peoples luggage has gone to various mystery locations at regular intervals and your humble correspondent - while not feeling I have been elevated to the peerage or anything - am no exception to the rule that if you pay £3000 for two return air tickets to the USA, there is a good chance that the BA baggage handlers will still lose your damn cases, no problem - especially with the amusement value to them of an expensive musical instrument inside.

My bass - after much chasing and complaining from myself - was found to have got on the next plane to Manchester. I doubt that it did this by itself. I am inclined towards thinking that an illiterate baggage handler misread the label and wanted to put it on a flight to Bahrain or somewhere else suitably exotic.

Whatever... I couldn't wait around to see if the bass was going to arrive on the next flight in, as we had transport booked and our plane was already 30 minutes late in. The idea of sending my wife home in the taxi and making my own way with the bass - IF it arrived - wasn't an option.

Fortunately, it ended up in the hands of a courier firm who have, most helpfully, after a fair number of urgent calls from myself, managed to tell me that the bass that BA mislaid and which finally reached Manchester a good couple of hours after me, would reach me at 6pm the evening of our return. 30+ hours without sleep, due to chasing it up. Which it did. Thank God for the courier firm.

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Thanks to the Customer Services Agent from BA who rang us back the next day and was profusely apologetic for 12 minutes about our utterly poor treatment on the return flight and who also promised to look into how duty free is sold on the planes (yes, the cabin staff ARE on commission).

Still... £3000 for round trip tickets and a return flight that was a total nightmare.

I will never EVER fly British Airways ever again.
I would rather walk.
 
#176
That was a real horror story for sure. I have to say...and I've posted it before I believe on this thread....I take my bass on the plane 99% of the time. The only times I've had nightmares was when "checking" my bass a couple of times. I do this for a living and fly almost every week to do shows. They always let me on the plane with it and always find a spot in the cabin if the overheads are cluttered. I've gate checked afew times only when the plane was a prop plane and was tiny. I've been doing this over 30yrs. I have a old beat up Reunion Blues gig bag that is very thin from front to back so it's almost like a envelope when I carry it on. I see some have had bad experiences here, but I have to say I've been lucky not to as far as carrying it on goes.
 
#177
Deep said:
That was a real horror story for sure. I have to say...and I've posted it before I believe on this thread....I take my bass on the plane 99% of the time. The only times I've had nightmares was when "checking" my bass a couple of times. I do this for a living and fly almost every week to do shows. They always let me on the plane with it and always find a spot in the cabin if the overheads are cluttered. I've gate checked afew times only when the plane was a prop plane and was tiny. I've been doing this over 30yrs. I have a old beat up Reunion Blues gig bag that is very thin from to back so it's almost like a envelope when I carry it on. I see some have had bad experiences here, but I have to say I've been lucky not to as far as carrying it on goes.[/QUOTE

Deep

I am still somewhat thinking about taking a chance with my Short Scale bass with Delta....(small plane)....i'll be taking a $99 SX bass in a $15 elec guitar gig bag... I am worried about getting back from Cleveland to NYC????????
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#178
I travel all of the time(I recently,just returned from London,England),and I can tell you that,I have no trouble,taking my basses into the cabin,and putting them into the overhead compartment.Previously,I would put them in 2 gig bags,but recently,I purchased a double gig bag.When unfolded,it resembles 2 gig bags,sewn together.When you fold it,and seal it with the velcro strip,it looks like,it could be just 1 instrument,...and what's more,it's very sturdy,and protective,and when I carry it, it doesn't feel as if I'm carrying 2 instruments.Generally,if you carry a gig bag,they won't bother you.Hard cases,on the other hand,you WILL get a problem.Also,if the over head compartments are small,you can generally talk to one of the flight attendants,and they'll look out for you.
 

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