September 2007 \ Gigging & Recording \ Tone Tips from the Road \ Flying With Guitars

Flying With Guitars

by Peter Stroud

Flying with your axe without busting it up.
Premier Guitar September 2007
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Here are some tips on how to keep your guitars safe and sound when flying.


Checking as Baggage
I’ve never lost a guitar when checked as baggage (as I knock the hell on wood), but here are some ways to ease the process.
  • Always loosen the strings before flying. Pressure changes are known to pop headstocks. Though I haven’t had it happen, I don’t want to find out.
  • Put black gaffer’s cloth tape over latches to keep them from popping open or breaking off.
  • Most of the time guitars show up at the oversized baggage claim with your golf clubs and skis.
  • To stay within the two bag limit, try strapping or taping two rectangular guitar cases together, but keep in mind the 50 lb. weight limit or be subjected to a hefty “overweight” fee.

Carrying On
I flew three times on AA this week and carried my LP on with no problems – even on full-capacity flights. From my experience, Delta has been the most resistant to guitars onboard, but they seem to have lightened up lately.
  • As before, remember to loosen the strings.
  • Electrics will usually be okay to carry on, as long as they fit in the overhead compartment. Form-fit hard cases are the way to go, and acoustics are usually too large to carry on.
  • In Dallas (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX), TSA has halted instruments from going through security.

I would always recommend trying to carry on your guitar; the worst that will happen is you will have to check it at the gate. I would not recommend a gig bag, however, as there is always a possibility that the guitar will be put underneath.


Peter Stroud
65amps/co-founder
www.sherylcrow.com
65amps.com

     



Comments

 (2 comments) display by
UsernameComment
me
on 08/16/2007 		What about checking an acoustic? Quick temp and pressure changes have cracked a few tops of mine over the years, even with loosening the strings. Got any good flight case brand suggestions for acoustics? Btw, last time I used them (spring 07), Delta had a "no guitar in the cabin" policy. And Southwest barely has overheads big enough for a uke!
bob the luthier
on 08/15/2007 		It is a fallacy that headstocks break due to air pressure changes.
They break from being dropped and the string tension is so great that a little jar to the head can break. while it may be a good idea to loosen the strings a very little damage is not caused by air pressure changes.



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