Airplane travel with a guitar

[AcousticAmber]

I have done a lot of travelling lately with my GS mini. For those of you travellers curious about which airlines will let you bring a 3/4 or 7/8 size guitar on-board as carry-on (in a soft case), some information for you

Confirmed guitar friendly airlines:
Delta
United
Virgin
Qantas
American

Confirmed NON guitar friendly airlines:
Southwest

[pjroberts]

Originally Posted by AcousticAmber

I have done a lot of travelling lately with my GS mini. For those of you travellers curious about which airlines will let you bring a 3/4 or 7/8 size guitar on-board as carry-on (in a soft case), some information for you

Confirmed guitar friendly airlines:
Delta
United
Virgin
Qantas
American

Confirmed NON guitar friendly airlines:
Southwest

Sorry, your Southwest editorial is wrong. In fact, untll the recent rule changes in US, SW was the most lenient. I fly on Southwest with guitars all the time, usually my GSM, but recently with the new rules, I just take any of them - as long as you can fit into a 737 overhead, you're good. The only caveat is SW seating policy is first come first serve basis ... so if you don't get on early, there is no overhead space left -- that's not because they're guitar unfriendly, that's because you checked in late and they're out of space. Check in early (boarding pass #B30 or lower) and you're good to go. You can buy early boarding to guarantee that spot, and sometimes you can buy early boarding at the gate for $40 if you check in late. My advice for online early check is EXACTLY 24 hours before, because everyone will check in early. It is the cost of low cost flying and usually on time SW.

I would call them THE MOST guitar friendly, and they even have their own Southwest GS Mini. Check it out:

[gfa]

I've never had a problem taking a full size guitar on SW.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[min7b5]

Originally Posted by AcousticAmber

....
Confirmed guitar friendly airlines:
Delta
United
Virgin
Qantas
American

Confirmed NON guitar friendly airlines:
Southwest

I'm sorry, this seems absolutely crazy to me. For what it's worth, as a touring artist, I can say I've gotten my Santa Cruz 00 on litererly hundreds of Southwest flights in recent years. Never once have I had to check it. In fact, I've never not gotten it in the overhead, and almost always directly over my head. I can't say enough great things about this airline personally, and I know a lot of other pros feel the same way. I go way out of my way to not fly on the other airlines you mentioned. Sometimes a promoter will get a ticket on United and I'll fight to change it, or even eat it. I'm often adding a connection to fly Southwest....

[flaggerphil]

I have been taking guitars on Southwest since 2000 and have never had a problem. Everything from GS Minis to OMs and an occasional dread. They are THE most guitar friendly airline in North America, IMHO.

[Guitars+gems]

Yes, I've taken my dread in a Hiscox case on to SW about 6 times now. No one bats an eye. I always pay the extra for early boarding; well worth it. It usually stamps "TSA precheck" on my boarding pass too, which is convenient. The neck of the guitar prevents those overhead cases that are designed to fit exactly in the bin, from fitting in, but it doesn't matter because people who have odd sized bags just shove in with the guitar and the bigger cases go in a different bin.

The only other airline I've carried a guitar on was Lufthansa. The flight attendant took it from me, found an empty overhead and brought it back to me at the end of the flight. Very nice treatment.

[Kerbie]

Seems to me that it might have been more helpful if you had shared what happened with us rather than simply brand an airline as unfriendly based on anecdotal experience. As some of the others have said, I have carried full-sized guitars on SWA probably dozens of times and never once had a problem. I am sorry if you experienced the opposite.

[Basalt Beach]

Like others, I have flown more than a dozen times a year with a guitar for the past decade on SWA with no issues bringing a guitar in the main cabin. I am curious on how the OP arrived at the "Confirmed non-friendly" list because of all the domestic airlines the OP listed, my experiences have been that SWA has been the most user friendly when flying with a guitar and I always choose SWA over UAL, American and Delta.

[Carmel Cedar]

Also experienced the exact opposite of the OP's list.

[sonicbliss]

United has been the worst for me.

[AcousticAmber]

OK well it seems everyone has had the exact opposite experience to me. I've flown on the airlines in my list hundreds of times with a travel guitar and no one ever batted an eye, or even looked at my guitar twice. Including the times where I've had to fly on those tiny planes that are only 3 seats wide with only one row of overhead bins that are barely guitar width.

Then I flew with SW, twice where the plane was literally half empty, and had troubles. The first time they tried to check it to underneath and I had to basically beg them not to, and they only (reluctantly) let me bring it on-board because it was a half empty flight. And the second time I managed to sneak it on as I was wearing it on my back and put it in an overhead bin that was ENTIRELY empty, along with MANY other empty bins on that flight. And on my way out of the plane I heard the flight attendants talking about it (they didn't know it was mine because I was 2 seats back) and they were saying "they're not allowed to bring guitars on board or put them in the overhead bins, guitars always have to be checked, next time when you see someone coming on the plane with a guitar, you're just gonna have to tell him that guitars aren't allowed in the overhead bins" . So I asked them about it, and they said that SW doesn't have 'linear dimensions' with carry on allowance so odd shaped large objects like guitars aren't allowed as carry on.

But I see many of you have never had a problem, so it must have been cranky staff on my experiences. Although, this was 4 flight attendants not just one cranky one. To me, this seems like confirmation of a non guitar friendly airline. Regardless, I won't be risking it with them again

[Mandobart]

My experience is I'm totally dependent on the mood, personality, whim and caprice of the check-in and gate staff, regardless of the airline, and somewhat dependent on my attitude toward them. I have not flown with a guitar or large instrument for quite a while. I've flown with a mandolin or fiddle maybe a dozen times and not had a problem with carrying them onboard any airline.

If I was planning on regularly flying with any stringed instrument larger than a 'uke, mandolin or fiddle I would invest in a high quality flight case and insurance. Or always buy an extra seat for your guitar, cello, banjo, etc.

[Elisdad]

I bought a SKB hard case for my GS Mini and gate check it.

[AcousticAmber]

Originally Posted by Elisdad

I bought a SKB hard case for my GS Mini and gate check it.

Never had any damage?

[pjroberts]

Originally Posted by sonicbliss

United has been the worst for me.

Yes, there is this: