Airlines, Terror and my Jem77FP

[ibaraki_gaijin]

So a while back i read the article somewhere on this very site about exactly what to do should you have to travel by air with your guitar.
the consensus seemed to be to try your damnest to get the airline to let you bring the guitar into the cabin as stowing your precious axe in the hold is fraught with air pressure/temp change related dangers.

Well i'm going to be visiting the UK again for Xmas and i want to take my FP home with me, as afterall thats where my amp and rack are!

i was wondering if any fellow jemsiters have had any experience with how easy it is to get a Guitar into the cabin, especially on a busy flight to london what with the recent rise in checks etc.
Heathrow is supposed to be a nightmare, you can't take anything onto a plane nowadays.. im sure a guitar could be construed as some kind of offensive weapon.. mine is an FP, just the colourscheme alone is pretty offensive!!

Any thoughts / experiences / ideas for how to smuggle it aboard if nothing else works>???

[markg5150]

I think you're going to struggle given the current restrictions on cabin luggage. I think your only chance is to contact the airline well in advance and request you are allowed take your guitar on board. If you turn on the day and try and negotiate it as cabin luggage you'll not be successful

Concerning smuggling, you could wear very baggy trousers, somehow fit your guitar in your trouser pocket and tell the air hostess that you are very pleased to see her

[smc]

If there happens to be an "alert" on the day or around the time you go, you will have no chance of carrying it on. They where really tight for a few weeks during the summer, its eased off a bit now though.

Prehaps somebody in the know could weigh in on; if you could unscrew the neck and pack the guitar securely in a suitcase, I done this before with a cheap strat, but im not sure it is 100% safe.

[ibaraki_gaijin]

Well i'm well enough in advance i guess.. it's still a long while before christmas! but like SMC said even if all goes well after i contact Virgin atlantic there could be another alert the day before and all my careful planing goes to pot.

maybe i'll just go with the baggy trousers suggestion.

[Gex]

Originally Posted by smc

Prehaps somebody in the know could weigh in on; if you could unscrew the neck and pack the guitar securely in a suitcase, I done this before with a cheap strat, but im not sure it is 100% safe.

Thats not a bad idea at all. By taking off the neck, you have to take off the strings, and pretty much any pressure on the neck that goes with it.


I've taken my Charvel on-board with me as my carry-on from Dallas to Washington state and back. The case looks just like a chainsaw case too! and this was last summer. I didn't have any problems. I got to my seat quickly and stuck it up in the overhead before all the idiots filled it up with thier purses and other small crap that can easily fit under their seat.

The way home, I wasn't so lucky. I managed to cram the case into the overhead bin, which are surprisingly big. . they dont look all that big from below, but once you get your guitar and hardshell case in there, You'd be surprised. I barely managed to get it to fit...

During takeoff, I got a tap on my shoulder from the guy behind me. I turned around and looked at him. He pointed casually to the overhead bin, so I looked up, and the overhead was popped open, and my charvel was moments away from falling out and giving me a nasty headache. I jumped up just in time to catch it right in my arms and got it in there snug, where it stayed the rest of the flight.

[GilkyBear]

Originally Posted by Gex

During takeoff, I got a tap on my shoulder from the guy behind me. I turned around and looked at him. He pointed casually to the overhead bin, so I looked up, and the overhead was popped open, and my charvel was moments away from falling out and giving me a nasty headache. I jumped up just in time to catch it right in my arms and got it in there snug, where it stayed the rest of the flight.

Damn, good save!! Should've bought him a refreshment

[Jemwielder]

i'd recommend buying a decent flight case, they're worth the extra cash. Also have "fragile" and "sensitive electronic device" stenciled on the case so the baggage chuckers know to give your special care rather than hurling it like they usually do.

[JJEMMER777]

I flown to the UK with my 7vwh a few times. You definitely want a hard case. All I did was tell them it was a very special guitar at the ticket counter and I needed to carry it on. I opened it up and showed the lady at the counter. Her eyes got real big and she said.... "oh.....that's exquisite." She put a carry on sticker on the case and I walked right on the plane. It fit right in the overhead compartment. I flew Continental so I'm not sure about the other airlines. When I was coming back, I just left the same carry on sticker on the case and walked right on the plane without talking to anyone about it.

The other option is to ask the flight attendant if you can store it up with their luggage / carry on's. They'll almost always let you do that. If it's an FP, just show it to them and they'll have a big "O".

Works EVERY TIME

[Gex]

Originally Posted by JJEMMER777

"oh.....that's exquisite."

Precious Newfangled Eclectic exquisite chinese artifact?

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by Gex

Precious Newfangled Eclectic exquisite chinese artifact?

Actually, I hadn't put on the gold knobs yet at that point

Otherwise you'd of had to add the word "CLASSY"

[slugman]

I've taken the neck off 4 guitars and put them in suitcases. Packed tightly with clothes and wrapped in bubble wrap. Works fine, but make sure there are no bits to come loose and scratch up the guitar while its being manhandled by the airport employees.

[ryanb]

Pack it in something that will survive the cargo hold or leave it at home. These days you shouldn't plan on taking it abord especially to the UK. My boss was there about a week and a half ago and they wouldn't let him take ANYTHING abord except his wallet and his passport. Yes, security may lessen by then ... but it also may get worse again ... particlarly around the holiday season. Good luck.