[microscope]

Sorry to revive a dead thread but I wanted to share a tale of warning.
These days the trouble is you can't be sure they are going to have room for your guitar in the overhead or closets.
If they do, then you should be fine with the soft shell.
Although keep in mind, if you are changing flights you will have to roll the dice again, and then again on your return.
But as you can probably guess at this point, the problem is if they don't have room on one of your flights, it's going under the plane.
And then it's anyone's guess if your dear guitar comes out alive.
If it's a beater than you might be fine with rolling the dice, but if you like your guitar, the best bet is a sleek but solid hard case.
By law they can't charge you an extra instrument fee anymore for carry-on, and "if there is room" they are supposed to let you at least try to find a spot for it.
But they can and do play with the "if there is room" clause.
So to increase your chances of there being enough room, make sure you are the first group (after 1st class) to board the plane.
Check with the airline but it's usually last rows first, so book a seat in the back and line up early for that first call.
They might still ask you to put it under the plane either at the check-in or after everyone has filled the plane, but at least you tried, and at least you have a hard case so it's protected
underneath.
The reason I am weighing in here, is because I tried the soft shell route and it ended up under the plane and died in transit ) :
RIP baby.