Flying with a mandolin

[Jim_from_NC]

And I don't mean using your Loar to get airborne! I'm flying out to Salt Lake City on Delta, and was wondering, with all the security precautions now, what folks' experience has been with trying to bring your instrument on the plane. I've got a good travel case, but it's bigger than the box they use to see if your carry-on can be stowed. I seem to remember there being some rule that the FAA accepted a while back, saying that you could take small instruments on (without having to pay for a second seat, that is- I'm not rich!)

I hate to leave my mando behind, but also don't want to get to the plane and have them demand I check it! Lost a banjo that way (and, please, don't hold that I'm a banjo-player too against me!)

Thanks for any assistance..

Jim

[Flowerpot]

I've flown quite a few times with mando in tow and have never had problems carrying it on. But recently I switched to a padded gig bag, which is small enough to fit under a seat if need be. Never had to resort to that. A good gig bag has more protection than you might guess, and is much easier to stow overhead. I just make sure nobody plops another bag on top of it. I look at it like this: if I'm carrying it on, why do I need a big heavy case to protect it? And why would they ask me to check an itsy bitsy mandolin when 20 other people have carry-ons the size of a coffin?

[Tom C]

There are at least 10 threads with 1000's of posts on this subject.

[grandmainger]

Jim,

There are plenty of threads on the topic if you want to read more, but the general consensus is that it is acceptable to carry your mandolin in the cabin with you. Security is not really an issue as such, not as much as hand-luggage size. Try to take only a small hand-luggage bag on top of the mandolin. The mando is not really big enough to justify buying an extra seat, unlike a guitar.

Get in touch with Delta if you want confirmation. Make sure you have the dimension and weight of the mando and case when you call them, some people don't know how small a mando actually is

Most importantly, simply don't draw attention to it, take it with you as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and if someone says something, look surprised

[wah]

I flew Delta in December. Had zero problems.

Wayne

[Nathan Sanders]

I flew with a mandolin once. I did not have a case and simply carried it in my carry-on bag with the neck sticking out. Now, let me tell you, this was in 1993 and the mandolin was a cheap Lotus, my first mando. I had no problem, but it was 1993, way before 9-11.

More recently, 2003, I traveled to Africa with my Martin J-40 guitar. I did not carry it on, but checked it. At check in the powers that be of course wanted to open the case and do their sniff test. I was using a borrowed flight case by the way. Everything was fine until the alarm went off. I simply had to answer a few questions while they filled out paperwork. Then my case was shut and continued on its way to the cargo hold. Now, a month or so later I was travelling with the J-40 again, this time in the US. At check-in the sniffers did not even bother to open my case. I guess they saw the stickers on the case from before and thought it was fine, which it was.

As for padded gig bags, I carry my electric bass in a very nice bag and have carried it on several airliners with no problems. It even has been on a puddle jumper or two where they had to stow it below and it survived. All in all, travelling with a mandolin should be easy, and I would definitely carry it on.

[John Flynn]

One caution that I have made in other threads on this and I will make again. I am a million mile plus frequent flyer who has been flying every week, nearly 100 legs a year, for the past several years. If you are flying a "commuter" or "connection" flight that uses one of those "little planes" (a.k.a. Barbie Jet, Lawn Dart, Buzz Bomb, Vomit Comet, Torture Tube, Bladder Blaster, etc.), the rules published by the airline may not apply. Those little planes are operated by subcontractors and they have thier own rules that are sometimes hard to find out up front.

The "rules" may even be set by the attendant on that flight based on his or her judgement of how full that flight is going to be. You can have a carry-on that meets the requirements, one you know from experience fits in the overhead on that aircraft model. You can get past security, you can get past the boarding agent, you can be in the front of the line and get on the plane first, but still then have your carry-on taken out of the cabin and "gate checked." Also, with the subcontractors, often there is no one to even complain to later.

Solutions:

1. Best: Don't take "little plane" flights with your mando. Period. Those who say, "I've done it and never had any problems" are babes in the woods, IMHO. When you are flying with subcontrators, what can go wrong, will go wrong, sooner or later, if not this flight, then the next one.

2. If you have to take a little plane flight with your mando, have it packed up to survive a gate check, including hard shell case in a case cover, bridge removed, extra padding in the case. In my experience a gate check is just as likely to cause damage as a regular check, BTW. I have had a perfectly good handle sheared off of an expensive, well made suitcase on a gate check and had the airline refuse to replace the handle. Fortunately, the suitcase company did, under thier lifetime warranty.

3. If the flight attendant tries to gate check it, kowtow to her like crazy, explain it's an instrument which is very fragile and ask "Oh please" if there is anything she could do for you, you would appreciate it so much. People give these attendants so much grief during a day that they seem to respond when someone sucks up to them. Then, they just might allow you to do what the airline says you should be able to do anyway!

[Jim_from_NC]

Thanks to all who replied. Sorry, I did try to find other threads addressing my question, to no avail- probably my inexperience w/ this website. I'm flying jets, no small planes, so I'm going to chance it.

Thanks again!

[Stephanie Reiser]

Ive taken my mando from Bangor Maine to Raliegh NC many many times. I use a regional American airlines. One of those small 37-seaters. I use the small Stew-Mac mando case and it fits great in the over head. No one in security even gives it a second look. I actually WISH they would want to make me open it and take it out. But they could care less. Once I was stranded in Boston for several hours and took it out and played some arpeggios and scales.
I prefer taking the mando flying as opposed to the laptop.
One of these times I will run across Chris Thile at the airport.
Stephanie

[fatt-dad]

three to five times per year, I bring my mandolin to Panama. Always carryon, zero problems.

fatt just-back-from-spring-break dad

[jmcgann]

I've been flying with my octave mandolin for Wayfaring Strangers gigs for years on all sorts of airlines-never a problem except for the 10 seat puddle jumpers- everything bigger than a tissue gets checked, but it's about 4 feet from the tarmac to load in to the plane, so they'd have to work hard to damage it.

[Jim_from_NC]

Hey, thanks again! I'm back from my ski trip to Utah, and it was great to be able to happily stay in practice w/ my mando coming along for its first flight! (My wife may disagree- our efficiency was VERY efficient, i.e., small). I got a padded gig bag, and it was no problem stowing it, no problems with security.

[Moose]

Yes, this question has been amply answered on previous "threads" - Good to hear you had no problems. I'm sure there are exceptions - as with any "check-in". Also, I've found that the personal "temperment"/disposition-of-the-day of the "checkers" will determine your "hassles" - The good thing about a mando is that you can(usually) keep it close by(i.e. overhead/under-seat) - I hate to leave my guitar at home or have to "check it in", so I usually take my mando - unless I'm doing a gig and HAVE to take it. I once got the "full-search" treatment at a now forgotten airport, and also "forgotten" was a pair of wire-cutters I had/have in the HSC.. - the case went thru the security/screen/ without a "bleep"(!!) - I discovered the wire cutters when I needed to change a string on the gig!? - I have NO idea why/how the cutters were'nt "tripped-up" - "Nothing succeeds like success"..., eh!!?

[TommyK]

There are at least 10 threads with 1000's of posts on this subject.

This's gotta be the 2nd most asked question here. Right behind the Hai Karate poetry stuff.

[TommyK]

Couple things brought up in earlier threads.
If you plan to carry on, Remove all electronical type equipment and batteries. #Also remove any thing that remotely looks like a tool and put it in checked luggage. #Electronicals and tools are the most 'likely' to get a "Hmmmm, what's this?" by security. #In their line of thinking, could be used either as a weapon or a be a b*mb timer in disguise. #Besides, while not likely, if a wire clipper gets loose out of the 'gadget' compartment in the mando compartment of the case it could do bad things to the finish. If forced to check it, don't forget to de-tune it before sliding it into the gorilla cage. It gets cold in them thar luggage compartments, thus shorteninging the strings to catastrophic lengths.

[ericwall]

Ok, I know this topic has been milked---but- any thoughts about a rectangular hard shell case vs a shaped Calton/TKL etc? Length is about the same between them. I've never had a problem with a Calton or TKL case- but I 've never taken on a rectangular/Loar-style hard shell case.
So indulge me- problem? no problem?
And thanks,
Eric

[Moose]

I(Moose!) use the rectangular mando case all the time for flying - and "other" purposes(!?#)... Easier to carry.., "dimension(s) never a problem. And by the way, Ya' know..., ya' can "stash" more thingies in THEM type cases. hee.. hee...

[mandogrrl]

Sam Bush brought up this subject last weekend during one of the workshops at Mandolin North Camp. He said never check your mandolin, always carry it on.

Hi John McGann -

Loved your workshops last weekend. You are awesome on the octave mandolin!

Pam

[Jim Garber]

We flew to Seattle last summer from New York. We were allowed one carry-on. I have a double tennis case so I was able to put my Flatiron in its shaped hardshell case and still have plenty of room for other necessities of a long flight. And the whole thing fit in the overhead.

Jim

[Daymando]

I flew last November from Dayton OH to Philadelphia PA for the 2004 Classical Mandolin Society of America convention (CMSA: http://classicalmandolinsociety.org) with a custom-built double mando case (holds my mando and octave, plus a pocket for strings, etc.). The flight out was uneventful, and the case (which was built well within USAirways specs) stowed under the seat easily, and could have been added to the passenger closet on a larger aircraft with room to spare. The checkin guard asked if I had ukeleles as it passed through security but that was the only notice I got for the flight out.

On the return flight, however, the flight attendant deemed (in her 'infinite wisdom') that the case was either going into cargo or it was staying in Philadelphia - period - and she didn't care how it got to Phily (even after asking me three times how it got there!)...it wasn't going to Dayton unless it went into the hold, and if I didn't like it, I could stay in Phily too. On that particular plane, her stance was Gospel, Law and The Final Word.

Fortunately, I'd planned for such contingencies in building the one-time-use case, and all was well in the end (though I doubt I'll double up on instruments when flying puddle-jumpers in the future).

-Allen.

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Visit DMO Online: http://DaytonMandolin.net/

[sailaway]

The trouble with soft gig bags is -- what if they demand to 'check' it ?? (1) When I carry on my mando I never sit with it in full view of any of the the fool flight attendant/desk people at the airport who might be inclined to 'gate check' me. (2) There is a letter of agreement between American Federation of Musicians and The feds.. allowing a carryon INSTRUMENT in addition to a small backpack or purse, etc... GET THIS LETTER and keep a copy in your case. (3) To avoid mandatory 'check in' of your mando: as I walk up to the gate check - in point I have the mando case slung over the shoulder opposite the check in person and usually have my jacket slung over that same shoulder. if I get 'intercepted' by someone at the plane itself I ask to put the mando in the bottom of the 1st class carry-on where they hang the rich people's expensive carry on suit bags, while explaining politely that this is an irreplaceable vintage 1913 Gibson worth $$$(make up a reasonable number, not related to reality ) ($10,000 works ) so could I please really rather store it 'on board' in the 1st class people's hanging suit compartment rather than gate check it. If politeness does not work then I politely ask could I please have the airlinbe's insurance forms to collect if they damage this irreplaceable instrument in checking.... sometimes that makes the stewardess from hell relent and she puts it in with the rich people's suits, where it is just fine.... i have also REMOVED the little white paper tag that they give you at the check in desk to force a gate check, and walkad right past the guy grabbing the gate check luggage for the cart , with mando under jacket opposite the gate-checker , but that is a deperate move used only once on a boston to pgh puddlejumper . but i always travel with mando in a Calton , just in case..

[pdlstl]

I just returned from a few days in Fayetteville NC. I carried my mando in a Calton and had no problems whatsoever.

Except....when leaving Dallas, I heard the x-ray dude ask his partner if they were looking at a...gasp...BANJO!

Other than that, no problems.