Keep Your Guitar Safe During Flight

by Susan Stets

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You may have romantic notions of traveling the countryside like an ancient troubadour with your instrument slung over one shoulder, but if your travel plans require leaving the ground, how do you protect your guitar from becoming the star of an air travel horror story? Pop-jazz guitarist/singer/songwriter Diane Ponzio suggests using all the charm you can muster to convince airline employees to let you carry your guitar onto the plane. Pre-boarding is a good idea, she says, so you can request an alternative storage solution inside the cabin if the case does not fit into the overhead compartment.

Aboard the smaller shuttles airlines are using, there may be no choice but to check your instrument. In some cases, you may be permitted to carry it to the steps and watch an attendant load it into the belly of the aircraft. Once you and the guitar are airborne, though, you have no control over banging, shifting and otherwise unimaginable trauma, so make sure there is no wiggle room inside the case. Whether you check your guitar or carry it on, Ponzio suggests these steps to prepare your guitar for air travel:

1—Remove the endpin if possible.
2—Tune each string down one whole step.
3—Lock the case.
4—Affix "fragile" stickers and identifying information.

Dick Boak, Director of Artist Relations for C.F. Martin & Co., recommends special guitar cases (Calton, Pegasus, Accord) that are more likely than their inexpensive counterparts to withstand the baggage handling process. Boak says they’re "well worth the cost if you fly often with an instrument." Professionals use what Boak describes as "large unwieldy flight cases that are costly and difficult to carry, but quite protective." Anvil, Calzone and Moll make these.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), responsible for security at the nation's airports, permits musical instruments both as carry-on and checked baggage. Check with the air carrier for size and weight restrictions. Guitars must be x-rayed, or physically screened, before transport on an aircraft. You may be asked to play the instrument. Arrive early and remain present during screening if possible. If not, remember screeners may have no musical background, so checked instruments need short written handling and repacking instructions inside the case. TSA policy allows one musical instrument in addition to one carry-on and one personal item through the screening checkpoint.

One more precaution is to get a pre-flight insurance appraisal to establish your guitar’s value. "Any time an instrument is at risk," says Stan Jay, President of Mandolin Bros., Ltd. on Staten Island, "it needs to be insured." Some musicians assume their homeowners’ policy is adequate, but Jay says added coverage or a separate policy may be necessary. It’s your guitar. Protect it.
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Susan Stets is a freelance feature writer who recently moved to Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, where she divides her time between writing and home renovation.