Since 2013, I’ve been on the road around 10 months a year taking my acoustic guitar on trips to most places you would, and wouldn’t want to take it. Planes, trains, automobiles and at least one horse.
Living in the U.K. where it’s quite damp, and flying to somewhere like Las Vegas where it’s dry can be very stressful on a guitar. From South America to the Arctic, I’ve learned plenty of tricks to keep my instrument safe.
I’m writing this little piece at around 30,000 feet on the way to guitar Comicon (aka the NAMM Show) with my guitar in the overhead bin. This is one of the rare non-Nashville flights with multiple, typically hairy, musicians sweet-talking guitars of all shapes and sizes onto the plane using every trick in the book to ensure the safety of their precious cargo.
What is the process of getting our instruments safely over borders? This is what I’ve learned from a lot of trial and error…
The goal
The objective is to get the guitar in the cabin and avoid, where possible, checking it under the plane where it can be subject to bumps in transit, dangerous temperatures, condensation and at worse, get lost!
Yes, you can buy an extra seat for your guitar, but for those with a more reasonable budget let’s look at some tips.
The case
I used to travel with a heavy expensive carbon fiber hard case to protect my acoustic guitar. Although these provide very good protection, nothing is perfect. They are cumbersome, limit your hand luggage allowance and ultimately end up checked because they are ‘hard-appearing’ (remember that phrase).
This is a problem because some airlines have policies that prohibit hard cases being carried on. Remember, the goal is to get it in the cabin ideally, because the risk versus reward of soft versus hard is less than checked versus carry-on.
To counter this I’ve been traveling with a ‘soft-appearing’ dreadnought-sized case made by Mono for about eight years incident free. The great thing about these cases is that you could be fooled into thinking they are fragile; in fact, they are exceptionally well-padded with loads of pockets for your bits and bobs.
Many peers travel with heavy-carbon fiber guitar cases on their backs but wrap them in material to make them appear soft. Smart, but I like the flexibility that the Mono cases provide. I also like my back. Regardless, you should keep a humidipak (I use D’Addario ones) in the case to help regulate the potential changes in climate – oh and an AirTag!
In the rare instance you are forced to check it, you have your humidipak. Remove your hand luggage items (I keep a small bag within the case if I’m asked to decant) and insist on gate-checking the guitar. This is where staff take it from you at the gate and put it under the plane after everyone else’s stuff. Zero conveyer belt worries!
There’s a myth about loosening your strings which is kind of nonsense. If you do that and it takes a knock, you’ve just removed a serious amount of stabilization. Keep the strings at tension. The guitar is strong; it used to be a tree.
The three stages
There are typically three stages of employees who you should be prepared to talk with about your guitar at an airport.
The first, often the trickiest, is the check in agent. If I’m asked about the soft-appearing guitar on my back I usually tell them that I fly often and it fits in the overhead (which is true).
If the agent is persistent then I ask, politely, to gate-check my fragile instrument. Typically they will agree, tag the bag, and I will head to security. BE NICE to these people. They work hard and don’t need more abuse than they already get from stressed flyers.
The second stage, usually after ‘play us a song mate’ at security, is the gate agent. They may wave me through without a word, or they may insist on taking it from me. At this point I ask politely if I can talk to the cabin crew when I board and see if it can fit.
Fun fact for Americans: there was an Obama-era policy within the domestic USA where you are allowed to do this and visually check for yourself. Thanks, Obama.
Again, be NICE. Don’t be an idiot. Insist politely with genuine concern for your beloved guitar. Maybe tell a little white lie (I once told an agent in Belfast I was travelling with Ed Sheeran’s guitar for repairs. ‘Do YOU want to be the one to tell Ed!? Janet?’)
The third and BEST stage is the crew on the plane. They are always so cool and kind. Bring them some chocolates. If the overhead bins are legitimately too small politely ask if it will fit in the closet. Planes have vertical closets where the crew keep their jackets and bags. More often than not there will be space and if there’s not, you’ve made it all the way to the plane and your guitar is prepared for travel.
I would say out of 500 flights I’ve maybe checked a soft-appearing case a dozen times, and that’s usually a small plane which by definition is doing a short and pretty low altitude journey. Zero incidents. Touch wood. Pun intended.
The overall theme here is to prepare your case well but more importantly, be nice to people at the airport. The unfortunate situation is that although various airlines have various policies, they are so rarely enforced with any consistency, so you can be fine one way and have to do a whole song and dance on the way back. If you’re cool, they’re cool. Don’t be entitled – you are asking for a favour at the end of the day.
Or you know, buy another seat for it.
Or a ukulele.
- Mike Dawes is on tour in the USA and UK – see MikeDawes.com for full dates.
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