This mirrors my own experience on flying in smaller planes. I have done most
of my flying with my horn out of the Dayton airport and it nearly always
requires a connecting flight to a bigger hub via a smaller plane, causing a
little conflict with those that want me to check my horn.
When it comes to cases specifically, as has been mentioned in the thread, the
case with the unzippable bell piece can make dealing with small planes a lot
easier. I personally have not owned or travelled with such a case but a number
of my colleagues have used them extensively and said that it allowed them to
store part of under the seat and another part in the smaller overheard.
Another thing to consider, though, is that when you do NOT have one of these
cases, is that the flight crew can often accommodate your instrument in another
ways. I have used empty seats and buckled my case down as if it were a
passenger and also have had the crew place the case in the crew's closet in
lieu of an empty seat. One of my former teachers once told me his default
Yamaha cut-bell suitcase-style case was placed in between the pilots in the
cockpit even. This is definetly easier said than done but calmly and
courteously asking the attendant for this special request will end more
favorably than angrily demanding.
I will admit that on my first trip with my horn, I actually did check my horn
under the bug squasher only if it was placed on top of the other luggage and
would be strapped down so it didn't move. They assured the safety of my
instrument despite honestly having no idea how they would handle it. When the
plane landed my horn placed in the beastly Thompson Edition cut bell
case(shameless plug) came out unscathed. Since then I have never had to check
it under the plane.
Feigning ignorance and surprise at the expected size of the overhead
compartment for which your case was specifically designed as well as politely
explaining the fragile, costly and sometimes irreparable nature of instruments
has worked well for me in obtaining special accommodations for your horn on
small planes. Interestingly enough, the smoothest time I have had was on a
connecting flight from Malpensa to Catania, Italy on Alitalia in which the
pilot himself helped me find a place for my horn and let the crew know to keep
the drama down.
One thing I haven't quite understood is why the attendants act like they have
never seen an instrument on a plane before.(ZOMG HORNS ON A PLANE) Nearly
whenever I fly, I see others walking around the airport with instruments so I
would imagine it's more common than you think and thus would be a fairly
frequent occurance for the flight attendants to handle. Nevertheless, their
often appearant and visible annoyance or perceived crisis at my request for
instrumental safety is why I insist on being calm and polite with requests
because... they seem a little stressed out already. (Not that I would
necessarily blame them based on how rude many of the passengers are to them)
Chris
----- Original Message ----
From: Nicholas Hartman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: horn list <horn@music.memphis.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 6:48:04 PM
Subject: [Hornlist] Is there a universal flight case?
I just finished a day of travel headaches with Delta airlines. They had me on a
tiny twin engine connection jet, and they tried their hardest to get me to
check my Marcus Bonna MB5, but I told them that the case would fit, that it had
been designed to fit on airplanes, and that I had done it all before with no
problem. Skeptically, they let me board. The seats on the plane were set up so
that there was a line of single window seats, then an isle, then a line of
double seats, one on the isle, one by the window. My seat was one of the single
window seats, and to my horror, my case, the case that I bought specifically to
fit on these darn things, did not fit under those single seats! The only thing
that saved my horn from the claws of the trained monkeys was the fact that it
BARELY fit under the double seats, so when nobody was looking I snatched one of
the roomier seats. The point of this lengthy anecdote is I was wondering if
there is a better flight case
than the MB5? I've heard that the MB3 clamshell style fits, even though it's
not technically a flight case. I have to fly back in a couple of weeks, and I
just hope that there is another open seat that I can sneak into. Oh, and they
lost my luggage too. Not that I'm bitter or anything...
Thanks for the help,
Nick Hartman
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