Violinists flying Chengdu to Singapore were told cases must be checked in, even when offering to buy a seat. Learn airline rules, advance approval, and cabin options for instruments.
Tags:Source: OT-Team(G), 扬子晚报
On September 15, a social media post shared an unpleasant travel experience involving two violinists who flew from Chengdu to Singapore with their instruments.
When collecting their boarding passes, the musicians were reportedly told that their violin cases could not be brought into the cabin. Even when they offered to purchase an additional seat for the violins, they were not allowed to do so and were told the instruments had to be checked in.
So how are professional musicians supposed to fly with their violins? And how common is it for violinists to board a plane holding their instruments without their protective cases?
Reporters spoke with the airline, professional musicians and industry insiders to find out.
Orchestra Members Say It Is Not an Isolated Case
Reporters first asked the airline about its rules for transporting musical instruments.
The airline's customer service staff said that checking in a violin carries certain risks. Passengers who want to bring a violin into the cabin need to provide the dimensions of the case in advance.
A common full-size rectangular violin case measures around 80 cm × 27 cm × 17 cm. The customer service representative said a case of this size exceeds the airline's standard carry-on baggage dimensions, but passengers can purchase a separate seat for the instrument. However, seat-occupying baggage must be arranged through customer service in advance.
The airline said musical instruments that meet its requirements for non-checked baggage can be brought into the cabin and kept under the passenger's care. Instruments that are to be checked in must also be declared and approved in advance. Instruments exceeding the standard checked-baggage dimensions, such as pianos and harps, cannot be transported as baggage.
For delicate and valuable instruments that are unsuitable for checked baggage, passengers can apply in advance and pay the relevant fees to have them carried in the cabin as seat-occupying baggage. The instrument remains under the passenger's care, while the weight and dimensions of the instrument and its packaging are subject to specific requirements.
In both cases, however, the airline requires passengers to make arrangements in advance.
And the experience of boarding a plane with an unprotected violin is apparently not unique.
A member of a symphony orchestra in Jiangsu told reporters that the group had encountered a similar situation.
“I’ve heard of several cases where violin cases were not allowed into the cabin and had to be checked. Our orchestra has experienced something similar,” the musician recalled.
Earlier this year, the orchestra flew from Nanjing to Shenzhen for a performance. Members of its string section were told that their violin cases could not be carried into the cabin as hand luggage.
“In the end, everyone had to board the plane holding a completely unprotected violin,” the musician said. “To be safe, we wrapped the instruments in clothes and scarves because we were worried they might get knocked.”
A similar dispute occurred in June involving the Manila Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Airlines. Nine orchestra members were stopped by ground staff at the boarding gate because their violin cases exceeded the airline's permitted cabin-baggage dimensions.
The cases were eventually checked in free of charge, while the musicians had to carry their unprotected violins into the cabin. The orchestra criticized the experience as extremely uncomfortable and even humiliating.
Another high-profile case occurred last November, when violinist Carolin Widmann was traveling from Helsinki to Frankfurt on Lufthansa with a 1782 Guadagnini violin.
The antique instrument, valued at more than $1 million, was not allowed into the cabin in its case. Widmann was forced to hold the unprotected violin throughout the flight, reportedly anxious about the possibility of damage to the valuable instrument.
Following the controversy, Lufthansa changed its rules to allow cases for small instruments such as violins and violas to be brought into the cabin.
Industry Insider: More Flexibility Is Needed
Cheng Pengyang, general manager of Nanjing Dayang Culture, said he considered it unreasonable for an airline to prohibit a violin case from entering the cabin while also refusing to allow a passenger to purchase a seat for the instrument at the airport.
“I think this is very inappropriate. It shows a lack of respect for musicians and also reflects shortcomings in the service philosophy,” Cheng said.
Based on his years of working with well-known violinists and their teams from overseas, Cheng said cases in which violins are not allowed into the cabin are relatively uncommon.
“A violin is the musician’s life. They simply cannot accept having their instrument checked as baggage,” he said. “Having to fly while holding an unprotected violin is unreasonable. Turbulence could cause the instrument to collide with something around it, while changes in humidity could also affect and potentially damage the instrument.”
He also questioned why passengers would not be allowed to purchase a seat for the instrument when its case cannot be carried as standard cabin baggage.
In most situations, Cheng said, violins can be carried into the cabin either as hand luggage or as seat-occupying baggage.
“Whether the violin and its case can be brought onto the plane may also depend on the airline and the staff members involved. Different airlines have different rules, and those rules may also be enforced differently,” he said.
Cheng suggested that even when a violin case does not qualify as standard carry-on baggage, airlines should consider coordinating with passengers to place the instrument on an available seat when possible.
“Letting the musician purchase a seat for the violin would still be much better than having them hold an unprotected violin throughout the entire flight,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment