Taking a guitar on a plane

BintyTwanger77

I am taking this guitar... 

https://imgur.com/gallery/OQIsa9B

...on a flight from Aberdeen to London City in a wee FlyBe plane, in one of these:

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-urban-strat-tele-gig-bag-tweed

I’ve had to take it as hold luggage. Any tips for protecting it? It seems like a sturdy enough instrument, and it’s pretty heavy. I’m more worried about protecting the neck from breaking (off). Any advice from seasoned guitar-wielding air travellers would be appreciated. Thanks!

ICBM

Pray.

Shrews

I would guess as a beginner guitarist that you should pack the case with as much bubble wrap as the zip will allow and then tape as much bubble wrap to the outside of the case as the airline will let you get away with.

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

Apologies if I'm just being completely naive about these things or you've already considered and eliminated them!

Winny_Pooh

Take the neck off and bubble wrap and package in a sturdy cardboard box if you dont have a stiff case to put in.

fandango

BintyTwanger77 said:

I am taking this guitar... 

https://imgur.com/gallery/OQIsa9B

...on a flight from Aberdeen to London City in a wee FlyBe plane, in one of these:

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-urban-strat-tele-gig-bag-tweed

I’ve had to take it as hold luggage. Any tips for protecting it? It seems like a sturdy enough instrument, and it’s pretty heavy. I’m more worried about protecting the neck from breaking (off). Any advice from seasoned guitar-wielding air travellers would be appreciated. Thanks!

Shrews said:

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

I would return the tweed gig bag, and for an extra £60 you can buy a brand new Hiscox case.

Mind, having said that last year I bought a guitar from Italy via Ebay, and the seller put the guitar in some horribly cheap manky gig bag, and wrapped it in shreds (literally and seriously) of bubble wrap and cardboard. It reached my safely, intact and unscathed. Miracle. Very quickly sorted a new hardcase from Hiscox direct, and ditched the workless gig bag.

BintyTwanger77

Shrews said:

I would guess as a beginner guitarist that you should pack the case with as much bubble wrap as the zip will allow and then tape as much bubble wrap to the outside of the case as the airline will let you get away with.

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

Apologies if I'm just being completely naive about these things or you've already considered and eliminated them!

I’m not a beginner guitarist, it’s just in my 28 odd years of playing guitar, I’ve never taken one on a plane before.

BintyTwanger77

fandango said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

I am taking this guitar... 

https://imgur.com/gallery/OQIsa9B

...on a flight from Aberdeen to London City in a wee FlyBe plane, in one of these:

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-urban-strat-tele-gig-bag-tweed

I’ve had to take it as hold luggage. Any tips for protecting it? It seems like a sturdy enough instrument, and it’s pretty heavy. I’m more worried about protecting the neck from breaking (off). Any advice from seasoned guitar-wielding air travellers would be appreciated. Thanks!

Shrews said:

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

I would return the tweed gig bag, and for an extra £60 you can buy a brand new Hiscox case.

Mind, having said that last year I bought a guitar from Italy via Ebay, and the seller put the guitar in some horribly cheap manky gig bag, and wrapped it in shreds (literally and seriously) of bubble wrap and cardboard. It reached my safely, intact and unscathed. Miracle. Very quickly sorted a new hardcase from Hiscox direct, and ditched the workless gig bag.

I can’t return the tweed gig bag, I bought it months ago, and it’s the only case I could fit in my hand luggage.

BintyTwanger77

Shrews said:

I would guess as a beginner guitarist that you should pack the case with as much bubble wrap as the zip will allow and then tape as much bubble wrap to the outside of the case as the airline will let you get away with.

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

Apologies if I'm just being completely naive about these things or you've already considered and eliminated them!

No need to apologise 

I did consider removing the neck, but not sure I can do that here, but did consider bubble wrap and a massive handle with care sign 

webrthomson

I normally take the neck off a bolt on and put it in my suit case - works just fine - used to do it to and from the states all the time.

 Unfortunately, all airlines have very little hard and fast rules about instruments, some will let you take it in the cabin, some force you to check it into the hold. Those that allow it in cabin can normally be persuaded to put it in the space that they use for sporting equipment – BA used to be good at this – they are not now.

Putting an instrument in the hold in anything less than an ATA rated hard case means no insurance pay out in the case of damage and the airline will not take any liability in any type of case.

Shrews

BintyTwanger77 said:

Shrews said:

I would guess as a beginner guitarist that you should pack the case with as much bubble wrap as the zip will allow and then tape as much bubble wrap to the outside of the case as the airline will let you get away with.

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

Apologies if I'm just being completely naive about these things or you've already considered and eliminated them!

I’m not a beginner guitarist, it’s just in my 28 odd years of playing guitar, I’ve never taken one on a plane before.

Sorry, my bad English, I'm a beginner guitarist hence the line about my possible naivety!

Wazmeister

Yes, Grae, as a beginner guitarist you will need to good care of it...

Sorry, that did make me chuckle mate ...  

ArchtopDave

I go on occasional trips to Italy. I buy a seat for my guitar, so I know exactly where it is and how it gets handled. I’ve put guitars in Hiscox Cases in the hold in the more distant past, and had them not put on the plane, so they’ve arrived a couple of days after me. The guitars have been OK, but it’s an utter pain not having them available when you need them.

BintyTwanger77

Shrews said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

Shrews said:

I would guess as a beginner guitarist that you should pack the case with as much bubble wrap as the zip will allow and then tape as much bubble wrap to the outside of the case as the airline will let you get away with.

Or buy a hard case as an investment i.e how much will it cost vs damage to your instrument plus you get the benefit of having a hard case for any future trips.

Apologies if I'm just being completely naive about these things or you've already considered and eliminated them!

I’m not a beginner guitarist, it’s just in my 28 odd years of playing guitar, I’ve never taken one on a plane before.

Sorry, my bad English, I'm a beginner guitarist hence the line about my possible naivety!

Ah, sorry! Of course, it’s my poor understanding. All good! 

p90fool

It's a Squier Tele, buy a used one in London.

merlin

I did as others on this thread have done, which is to remove the neck and put it well packaged (for me at least) in a proper Peli Case in the hold. 

I haven't travelled with a guitar as hand luggage for decades, but the guitarist in my band has been all over the shop with us and his Les Paul in a gig bag, in the overheads. As said before, depends on the airlines though. 

spark

If the flight is cheap i use to buy a extra sit for my bass. If not I use to pray.

Sorry for my crappy english.

BintyTwanger77

I have removed the neck. I’ll probably put the body in the soft case, put it in my carry on case, and take the neck with me on the plane (as it’s just a bit too long to fit in the carry-on case).

BintyTwanger77

p90fool said:

It's a Squier Tele, buy a used one in London.

It’s my first ever proper electric, it’s got sentimental value.

spark

if you have removed the neck they won't say anything (I think), it does not take so many space.

BintyTwanger77

spark said:

if you have removed the neck they won't say anything (I think), it does not take so many space.

Managed to find a replacement hold-all bag and put everything in there. It will easily survive the (now cancelled and rerouted  ) flight.