Carbon fiber guitar in airline overhead
 

I'm traveling by air tomorrow and taking my Emerald X20 (United ... no need to post a link to the United Breaks Guitars video, thank you :-). I really want to use the gig bag that was made for it vs the hard case for portability purposes (ability to carry on my back). I will be boarding ahead of most passengers in my section so I'll be sure to get a spot in an overhead. I'm in an aisle seat and my strategy is to occupy the overhead above me, and then let if other passengers have things that will go under it, I'll lift it up. If I luck out and have a flight attendant stand it up in a "closet," saving the hassle, I'll lose control of it, but probably can't turn down that option. The one fly in the ointment is that United's guitar carry-on policy stipulates "hard shell" cases. I suppose this technicality could bite me if an attendant wanted to make life difficult ... then I'd be totally screwed. My sense, however, is that rule wouldn't be enforced.

.... am I crazy for carrying on with a a gig bag? I'd be interested in others' experiences and opinions.

No, you're not crazy. The front closet technically "belongs" to the lead flight attendant, so I would just remember that kindness is the best policy. I would probably wrap the headstock as extra protection, but not mandatory. I bet it'll be just fine. Carbon fiber is perfect for airline flying.

They stipulate hard case because they can at their discretion make you check it and then it goes into the belly of the beast. But since it's a CF, even in there it should be just fine. Nerve wracking, for sure, but I'd bet it would survive unscathed. I wouldn't worry about using the gig bag.

How is the padding on the Emerald gig bags? Is it relatively sturdy and akin to the semi-hard sided high quality gig bags you can buy these days? I have an X20 custom on order and actually opted for just the gig bag since I never, ever use hard cases.

Thanks for that info Methos. According to current FAA regs they cannot make me check the instrument if there is space in the overhead when i board. If such an eventuality came to pass, I would walk off the plane, not check my $2K instrument in a gig bag. I agree that the hard case stipulation is probably for back-up and CYA. That's why I say it would only kick in if someone had a chip on their shoulder. I'll be real nice to try to avoid that.

The gig bag is nice and padded, but nothing like the more reinforced gig bags that you can buy. I got the hard case with the instrument and then purchased the gig bag from Emerald. I have no complaints ... it's what you'd expect in a high-quality gig bag, and has straps to carry on your back. But to be honest, if I were purchasing again, I'd shop first for a more reinforced bag that fits the instrument. Just my two cents.

Don't count on that policy -- gate agents and flight attendants can do whatever they please, and if you object then you are off the flight, whether you are within your rights or not.

I would put in in a hard case, and pack my clothes in the gig bag (rather than a suitcase) for better portability on the other end. And your CF guitar would likely survive just fine in a gig bag in the cargo hold. What a gig bag won't survive well is the baggage conveyor system. Ask for a gate check tag, which puts your guitar by hand in the cargo hold with strollers and wheelchairs. Be sure to get whichever tag -- usually a color, not white -- that also brings it back up to the jet way, or it will come out on the baggage carousel.

I fly for a major airline and wouldn't stress too much even if you had to Check it. The Emerald is tough enough that they would actually have to try to be damaging it to do any damage.
As far as FAA regulations, the FA's will decide if there is space... but the gig bag looks less imposing and less likely to make them think "I better have him Check that" IMO.
FWIW-Tommy Emmanuel checks his guitars and has never had a problem...at least as of when I saw him a year or so ago. He travels more than most so it would be really bad luck if anything happened.
As mentioned, be very nice, maybe even bring chocolates for the crew, just saying...
Enjoy the travel and try not to stress too much.

I've flown domestically many times with my X7 and last summer had a trip from San Jose > NY > London > Reykjavik > Seattle > San Jose. I brought it in a gig-bag (the original Emerald gigbag has gotten ripped up a bit in the headstock area due to sharp string ends, so I used a Roadrunner bag) and for the most part was able to put it in the overheads. However, on several occasions (IIRC, London to Reykjavik and Reykjavik to Seattle) it had to be gate-checked. By the time I deplaned, the guitar was waiting in the jetway, and there were no issues at all to report

Earl is correct- make sure you gate check either way if you check it, they will take better care it gate checked.

I took my Rainsong Parlor to Alaska a few years ago in it's gig bag, which was the largest guitar I ever flew with, and I was able to put it in the overhead bin, but to be honest I'm not sure your x20 will fit. If United requires a hardshell case, that might be the way to go.

Whenever I've flown numerous times with my CA Cargo in its gigbag, I've always been able to put it in the overhead bin no problem.

Whenever I've flown with my Emerald Chimaera 6/12 doubleneck its been in its hardshell case in a box and I've checked it in. It has always made it unscathed. I now have a gigbag for it and I'm tempted to try and get on the plane with it in its gigbag (so I have the gigbag with me to haul around down south) to have placed in the FA space. However, that might be taking too much of a chance to have it end-up in checked baggage and although the Emerald gigbag is ok, I wouldn't describe it as being of the more robust types.

Question: When you gate check your guitars in gigbags or hardshell cases, do you also box it? When the case is lockable, do you lock it or not? Although I'd like to lock it, I'm afraid customs officials may just bust it open and I sure don't want that.

With about 1.5 million lifetime miles under my belt, I can say I would have no hesitation checking the guitar in the hard case. The issue is portability at the destination. The idea of using the gig bag as a suitcase on the outbound is a clever travel hack, but my issue would be dealing with the hard case at the destination.

It cannot be locked with your own lock, it must be a TSA (or Canadian equivalent) approved lock. Even then you are at the mercy of the agents. I'm sure you're well aware what happened to Don Ross' Benetau.

Since your post was yesterday I'm probably too late, but ... There's no way I would fly with my CF guitar in a gig bag. It probably won't have to go into the cargo hold, but it might. We've all seen what those folks sometimes do to baggage. CF is not indestructible. And if it had to go through the baggage handling machinery .... No thanks.

No way would I put any guitar into the cargo hold in a gig bag ... I'd walk off the plane with it. As it turned out I didn't have to. Flight attendant stood it up in the closet. However, had she not done that, there was room in the overhead at the time I boarded and I would have had to manage other baggage going into the overhead ... a real PITA that I didn't have to put up with.

Section 403 of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 provides that “An air carrier providing air transportation shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin, without charging the passenger a fee in addition to any standard fee that carrier may require for comparable carry-on baggage …. if there is space for such stowage at the time the passenger boards the aircraft.”

I made sure I had a ticket that enabled me to board at a time that there was room in the overhead.

That's my strategy too. I have the airline credit card which allows me to board early enough to get my hard case into the overhead bin.

The last four years I have brought a full sized guitar on a service trip (with four flights/legs) and at worst have had to gate check it. The last two years I've been able to get it on the plane every time.

However, some planes have better bins that others. Most 737 style planes (and low end Airbus 319-321) have bins that can accept the guitar case. They have a space that stretches across multiple rows.. I've found that 767 and 787 planes have bins that are divided individually in each row. On those planes you have to hope you can get it in the front closet on the plane. My friend was able to get a jr. sized fender guitar (3/4 size guitar) in a gig bag in a 787 bin. But I don't know the size of parlor or GS mini guitars to know if they would fit as well.