pendingrequests Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1389371120' post='2333513'] Get a proper flight case. Secure it, but don't lock it - if airport security decide they need to get into your case they will do it in the easiest and fastest way possible. Don't detune the strings. The strings and the truss rod balance each other out. If you detune the strings you also need to slacken off the truss rod (and then get the bass set up all over again when you reach your destination). [/quote] Okay great thanks Can get my hands on a proper flight case thankfully. What about powering pedals in the US? Do I need one of those voltage regulators or would a single converter be okay? Edited January 16, 2014 by pendingrequests Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhythmbug Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Just recently complete a long return trip from Australia with my Stingray 5. Route: Brisbane - Fiji - LA - London. Airlines: Fiji Airways, Air New Zealand. I took it on board as cabin luggage in a soft case, but unbolted the neck first and folded the excess part of the bag over so the case was shorter in length (about 180mm shorter). Fiji Airways showed no concern when asking for permission, but Air NZ were hesitant and told me it would depend how full the flight was and that only the staff in LA could confirm. When I arrived in LA, I kept a low profile and asked no further questions. While at the gate, the gate staff repeatedly announced over loudspeaker the 7kg and 118cm overall lineal centimetre limits. I was worried they would collar me upon boarding due to the size (I'm sure it was bigger). But they said nothing. Bass made it aboard, not a penny extra paid in oversize luggage or flight cases. The fees for oversize luggage were heavy for these flights. The neck will take a few days to settle back into shape. For a one off transit exercise I feel it was worth it, but nonetheless a bit risky and stressful as you are at the mercy of the gate and cabin staff. My Stingray and I have been apart for over 7 years so I'm stoked to be re-united! Edited January 16, 2014 by rhythmbug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I'm heading to Corfu for a month in July with EasyJet. I'm a bit nervous trying it in the cabin because if it goes tits up I ain't got any extra money or a hardcase I'd trust it in. So I was thinking of investing in a SKB Bass Safe, as that seems highly recommended. Is this still so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendingrequests Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) Just back from Austin Texas where my bass arrived there and home safely in a proper flight case my friend had from a previous tour. It was put in the hold both ways and there was no damage to the bass. Even with a TSA inspection. The only issue was on the way to Texas, my bass was put on the later flight, meaning I had to borrow one for the show that evening. Annoying, but United Airlines delivered it to me later that night. If I ever have to put my bass in the hold again, I will most definitely use a proper flight case. Not taking the risk for something I hold so dear. Edited March 19, 2014 by pendingrequests Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shedua511 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I too have traveled extensively with my bass and Chapman Stick. Had a couple of close calls (once in Paris I was almost in tears, they were adamant that my one of a kind 1/4 fretless Chapman Stick was going in the vault... when I threatened suicide they let me carry it on board), but I've always been able to bring the instrument with me in a gig bag. After 9/11 I've booked an extra seat whenever at all possible. A few months ago I had a bass custom built by Grove Guitars in Cincinnati, Ohio. My brother lives there, so I took the occasion to visit him and his family (I reckon it should have been the other way around, but let's be honest among kindred souls ). On the way there I noticed that the overhead compartments were way to small and I asked the crew if there was any place I could store a bass: no dice! So I bit the bullet and decoupled the neck and body, brought the neck with me in the cabin and sent the body in the luggage. No problems whatsoever, even with the truly inquisitive US customs. So, not ideal, but it works fine! I'm glad it wasn't a neck through... Here's the bass incidentally, you can see more photos of Scott Smail's fine works at www.groveguitars.com. My bass has a UK imprint too, the neck being Status and electronics John East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borxas Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Nice mate![/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Good work : ) [/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzjames Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Any experiences with easyjet? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I just took my bass with EasyJet (in the hold) but my mates took an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar on with no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Can anyone recommend me a proper flight case? Or at least a good place to get one from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I bought the SKB Bass Safe and it works amazingly. I had no problems with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 With that, will you need a soft gig bag to place inside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Yeah you do. Makes it a tight fit and I struggled to get the end on but like I feel that's better when on the plane because it has less chance of coming apart on it's own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Ok struggling to decide on what flight case to get, are there many differences to the so called flight cases around, compared to the standard hard cases for a bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veils Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I've just been talking to United Airlines about this since I'm almost certainly going to be flying with a bass for the first time. They tell me it's no problem to carry it on and put it in hand luggage, but does a bass typically fit in hand luggage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 [quote name='Veils' timestamp='1409020423' post='2535568'] I've just been talking to United Airlines about this since I'm almost certainly going to be flying with a bass for the first time. They tell me it's no problem to carry it on and put it in hand luggage, but does a bass typically fit in hand luggage? [/quote] That's the thing. Surely it doesn't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 You can take it on board with you and you can put it in the overhead lockers. It counts as your one bit of hand luggage but they have the right to say no to you taking it on board at the last minute. Also it can only be in a gig bag and not a hard case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendingrequests Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 [quote name='Veils' timestamp='1409020423' post='2535568'] I've just been talking to United Airlines about this since I'm almost certainly going to be flying with a bass for the first time. They tell me it's no problem to carry it on and put it in hand luggage, but does a bass typically fit in hand luggage? [/quote] I flew with United multiple times and there is no way I can see your bass, in a soft case of hard shell fit into an overhead bin. No chance. You can't keep an overhead bin for yourself, as other people require space for their luggage, so it will end up being checked in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbrich Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Just following up on this thread and I'm amazed how many of us don't know the difference between a "hard case" and a "flight case". Guitar manufacturers, to my knowledge, don't make flight cases for their guitars - so if it says Fender or Gibson or Whatever then you can be reasonably sure that its NOT a flight case. Full flight cases, typically, are made from sheet aluminium and are very "industrial" looking. They can also be quite heavy. Take a look at "http://flightcaseuk.com/content/guitar-cases" and you'll see the sort of thing. They're not cheap but how much did your bass cost? I paid a hundred quid for one in a local music shop years ago - just an empty aluminium case. Then I got two pieces of foam from a local foam dealer, one to fill the base and one to fill inside the lid. I traced the shape of my bass on to the bottom piece of foam and cut and sculpted it to shape using an electric carving knife (foam guy told me that trick). I've been gigging and flying with that case for over 25 years and - don't want to tempt fate by saying any more. Incidentally, I have no idea whether FlightcaseUK are any good or not. I just googled "bass guitar flightcase" to find some pictures. Hope this helps somebody somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBob09 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 In the past year I've flown several times with United and American Airlines. Both were totally cool with me flying with my bass as hand luggage. With one United flight, at the first check in at Glasgow, one check in desk lady said to the other, "that guitar should be ok, eh?" The other agreed. All other flights, nothing more was said. On the first flight with my bass, I got on nice and early and made sure I could find some space in an overhead bin. Huge mistake. I just had to watch in fear and horror as a hell of a lot of people just rammed their bags in on top of my bass. Since then, I've learned to ask the staff if it can go in the cloak cupboard, which has always been obliged. I'm flying in a couple of weeks with BA. I've read a couple of success stories on this topic about BA but none really within the last year or so, has anyone taken a bass on as hand luggage with BA in the past year or so? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Has anyone flown with Icelandair or Alaska Airlines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Just thought I'd post my experience when I took my Jazz bass to Wooten Woods, I don't think I've posted it in this thread. I essentially decided to not trust American Airlines (who's website states that instruments go in the hold anyway), let alone their internal US flights! Tiny tiny planes. So I took the neck from the body, took tuners off the neck, and basically stowed it in my main luggage case. The body was no issue, and the neck fit snuggly from corner to corner diagonally. I wrapped them both in clothes to protect further, as well as a cheap gig back wrapped up. Got to hotel, rebuilt it, jobs a good'n. No conversation with airlines, no worry about the bass getting through about. Obviously not possible with neck throughs Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) A few minutes ago this appeared in my Facebook newsfeed, from my friend Dave Pomeroy: [quote] [url="https://www.facebook.com/dave.pomeroy.7?fref=nf"]Dave Pomeroy[/url] I made it into USA Today's story about the carry on legislation the AFM has worked on for years. Happy to take some of the credit, but it was a team effort all the way, including herculean efforts by AFM Legislative Director Alfonso Pollard and President Ray Hair. That's how we roll... [image removed because this site doesn't allow it] [url="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F2015%2F01%2F06%2Finstrument-carry-on-rule-for-flights-pleases-musicians-%2F21363473%2F&h=yAQFtP0pQ&s=1"]Instrument carry-on rule for flights pleases musicians[/url] Nearly three years after Congress passed the law, the federal government has implemented a rule that will require airlines to allow musicians to carry their instruments onto flights. usatoday.com [/quote] Edited January 16, 2015 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 We took 2 extra guitars in the Hold on Alsaka Airlines and Iceland Air and they didnt charge us for either! All worked out fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I flew Qatar Air a few years back and they were more than pleased to take the bass in a soft case and put it in the business wardrobe while I flew economy. Their website actually says if the instrument is over 120cm long it must go in the hold or pay for an extra seat but when I rang them they said it was OK as hand baggageand there wasn't any problem at check in.. I also flew Delta from the States with my bass in a tweed hard case in the hold (Houston-Detroit-Heathrow). I must admit I was pretty nervy watching the baggge loaders and waiting for the carousel at Heathrow. The case suffered a few scrapes but the bass arrived safe and sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Don't try any of this cabin stuff with flyby. Their web site says guitars under certain lengths are ok in cabin, but the check staff don't know this and say no. Customer service don't know and say no too. Show them the web site page printout and they've never seen it and say no. They tell you it must be hold, but you can walk it to the plane yourself, where the same staff member has conveniently forgotten she told you this and refuses to take it. All in all a pain in the bum all round. Especially when you then see the guitar thrown from the plane and watch the baggage handler miss it! Insurance did cough up eventually. On the other hand a recent trip on Emirates was brilliant. It had to go in the hold but a man appeared with rolls of bubble wrap, and they encased our gear in this, and then a man was tasked to take our kit to the aircraft and at the other end in Dubai, another person hand carried them to the reclaim. Can't argue with their care and attention. Flybe just handed out insurance forms and were totally uninterested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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