I hope this doesn't overflow the copy-post regulations!

British performer Alistair Hulett posted this, about a new £120 surcharge for carrying musical instruments:

The Gallow's Rant

February Update – A Bitter Complaint ON BA'S NEW BAGGAGE REGS

Last week British Airways announced changes to its regulations in regard to checked baggage that will have a significant impact on musicians who use the airline for their professional work. From February 13th, all passengers who are checking in more than one item of luggage will have to pay £120 per extra item, even if the combined weight is under the new weight limit of 23kg.

This means a touring musician like myself, travelling to Australia from Britain on tour will need to add another £240 to our prepaid ticket cost, to carry my instrument and a suitcase, even if the combined weight of these is under the stipulated limit.

Sporting equipment such as skis, golf clubs and surfboards are exempt from this charge but musical instruments are not. At least that is what the BA website currently appears to say. The 'official position' from employees and management alike, however, is divided and confused - as I recently discovered when I sought clarification from British Airways.

On February 13th I rang Customer Services at BA and was told that Terminal 4 desk-staff at Heathrow were divided 50/50 over whether or not to allow musical instruments on without charge, as de facto sporting equipment. Fronting at the check-in desk to try potluck means risking paying the full levy instead of receiving a 30% reduction for buckling in advance and coughing up the charge before arriving at the airport. This was the best information customer services were able to provided at the present time (13/01/07).

The agent I spoke to eventually gave me the telephone number for the London office of Executives Assistants. Initially the response from the person I contacted there was that inconsistencies like this were currently being ironed out, and that the clause in the regulations that lists musical instruments along with wheelchairs and baby carriers as 'allowable outsize baggage' would probably cover travelling musicians till more specific regulations were announced.

Along with a representative from the Musicians Union who had arrived at the same point as me, I asked to have this clearly stated in writing but we were both refused. After several courteous but ultimately fruitless emails had been exchanged between the BA, the MU and myself, the Executives Assistants Office finally referred us back to the Customer Services desk that had put us in touch with their office in the first place.

Several hours of polite exchanges and positive trade union engagement had produced no concrete result whatsoever. I do nevertheless have all these emails on file and will happily pass them over to any interested parties who want to read or distribute them. At very least, British Airways owes professional musicians who bought air tickets from them in good faith, a clear statement on what we will face when we arrive at the check-in desk with our suitcase and instrument.

At present neither the management or the desk-staff at British Airways appears able to do this with any degree of consistency. If a charge is to be levied for two items, on musicians but not on sportspeople, then it should at very least be waived for musicians who bought their tickets before the changes to baggage regulations were announced. Had we been aware of the extra costs involved, we could have negotiated our performance fees accordingly.

I strongly urge all musicians and their audiences to contact British Airways Customer Relations, immediately. Please register your complaint at the disgraceful way professional artists such as we, who have provided the airline with business over many years, are presently being treated by them.
Yours in Solidarity

Alistair Hulett

Singer, guitarist and songwriter

www.alistairhulett.com

Send letters of complaint to

Customer Relations
PO Box 5619
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 2PG

Also complain by telephone to BA Customer Services on 0870 850 9 850

And the BA Executives Assistants Office on 0208 476 0920 and by email via www.ba.com

Musicians Union Members should email or phone their regional branch to express support for the union's ongoing efforts to fairly resolve this matter.

All musicians and those who support them should certainly avoid booking travel arrangements with British Airways for the foreseeable future.
   
Today (15/2/07) I received the following message from the Glasgow Branch of The Musicians Union

"The Musicians Union is advising all of our members not to use BA and to maintain the embargo until such time as BA accept that musical instruments should be added to the sporting equipment exemption."