Flying Internationally w/ a tuba-My tips


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Posted by jeff miller on September 20, 2003 at 10:40:01:

Hi,

I've seen many posts regarding flying with instruments. I've done this quite a lot, and wanted to share my experiences with anyone who's interested. I hope they're helpful. This is in response to Ryan Scott's post below, but I thought it might be generally useful to other people, so posted here.

I've flown BA 3 or 4 times from the UK to US and back. They are such a large organisation that it's very difficult to get a straight answer out of them, and even then it's not binding. Basically, the guys working the checkin counter have the final word.

Once I flew BA, and was charged nothing for the tuba. Another times, I've had to cough up a few hundred each way. It depends almost totally on the mood of the checkin crew, and the busy-ness of the flight.

Here are my tips for flying internationally with a tuba:

1) Fly Virgin Atlantic if flights are available. They are by far the most tuba-friendly airline I've ever encountered. They will tell you whether or not a large case will go in the hold. They will tell you what their excess baggage charges are, and they treat musical instruments and sporting equipment differently than normal cumbersome luggage. VA's oversize/overweight/excess charge is about $90, and they've never charged me more than one excess fee per leg. Sometimes they don't charge anything. BA, United, and USAir have tried to charg me up to $840 (one way!!) to stick my 4/4 CC on a flight.

2) Call the airline well before hand.

- Tell them exactly what you are bringing, including its weight and size. Size is measured in total linear dimensions, so measure all 3 spatial dimensions (they don't care about time - physics joke) and add them together. If it's not an out and out lie, tell them it's about the size of a large suitcase, that helps them to figure out how big it is.
- Ask them if it will go on the plane.
- Ask them how many excess baggage charges you will probably have to pay, and how much they are.
- Ask them whether the plane has a special hold for fragile items (Virgin Atlantic do)

3) If you like what you hear during this phone call, ask the airline person to put a note on your ticket record stating all of the above information. This means the checkin guys won't have to think so hard about it, and gives you a little more assurance as to how much it's going to cost, and how much hassle it will be.

4) Arrive at the airport as early as you possibly can. This means perhaps 4 hours before your flight departure. Ideally, you want to check in when there is no one else waiting in line behind you, and the checkin staff are all relaxed, happy, and no one has been stressing them out yet. (My tuba's flown for free several times, and each time this was the case at checkin).

5) Be relaxed, friendly, and jovial at all times when speaking to airline staff. If you wind them up, they will take it out on you by being difficult. Also, it's not their fault you're flying with a tuba. That's your problem.

6) When checking in, plaster your case with fragile stickers, and ask whether you can hand carry the instrument to the plane. Usually, they will let you go right up to the entrance of the plane before handing it over to baggage staff. This way, they may hopefully know you are watching them load it on, so they may be a little more careful as well.

7) Ask whether it's possible to arrange for the instrument to be hand delivered on the other end of the flight. If you don't, you may find your hand carried tuba being chucked in the conveyor belt system on the other end of your flight.

I have also tried buying a seat for the tuba. In fact, in some cases this is cheaper than putting it in the hold. However, many airlines are not used to this, and it can be a tremendous hassle. The last time I flew United with the Tuba in a seat, it ended up with two creases in the bell courtesy of the x-ray guy at the airport. Also, it was very, very difficult to convince the staff at the airport that I'd bought a seat for the tuba (even when showing them the tickets!). I even had one very irate BA air hostess telling me that my tuba was too large to be a carry on item ("Duhhh!). (By the way, Virgin Atlantic just issued me a ticket for "Mr ZZ Tuba" and let me get on the plane first, as well.)

I hope these tips are helpful; flying with a tuba (or worse, 2) is a pretty stressful experience on the best of days, but if you plan ahead, you can manage a lot of the stress before it ever affects you.

Jeff Miller


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