Posted by Rick Denney on December 23, 2000 at 21:51:40:
In Reply to: Re: flying with my yfb-621 posted by jon schultz on December 23, 2000 at 20:53:51:
The YFB 621 is definitely, positively NOT small enough to fit on an airplane, unless you can sweet-talk it into a closet, which not all airplanes even have. It will not fit in an overhead or under the seat, and no U.S. airline will allow you to carry anything bigger than a book or a purse in your lap during take-off and landing.
In fact, most airlines won't even let you through security with it--it won't fit through the template they are now installing on the X-ray belt. So that means you won't even be able to buy a ticket for it. I hear about cellists buying a seat for their cello, but I've never had any luck at all attempting that.
I tried to carry my 621 onto a Southwest Airlines flight a few years back (when things were less strict than they are now), and they agreed to gate-check it, like they do with baby strollers. Supposedly, they give it back to you at the gate, but in my case they processed it like other baggage. Fortunately, there was no damage, and I consider myself lucky.
The problem with the Yamaha case is that it can be crushed, so if they stack a bunch of stuff on top of it, it can cave in, putting all the stress on your horn. You might be able to wedge a one-inch plasting water pipe, cut to the right length, through the tubing and between the two sides of the case, with floor flanges (the plumbing supply will know what you mean) on each end to keep from punching a hole in the case. That pipe will carry crush loads instead of the horn. I haven't tried this trick with this case, but I've done it on other kinds of cases.
If (and it's a big "if") you can talk them into gate-checking it, then that is better. Most of the problems are in the airport baggage systems, not in the airplane. But just because they say you can pick it up "plane-side" at your destination doesn't mean you really will be able to. And, of course, you have to get it through security. That will probably not be a problem in Calgary, but it will be a definite problem in Chicago, where they definitely use the templates.
Rick "very frequent flyer" Denney