Advice: Accordions and airplane travel

Subject: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: GUEST,Jeff
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 09:52 AM

Looking for some advice on traveling with an accordion. I am going to be picking up an accordion that is in the family when I fly home in a few weeks. I have been told that it is "full size" but really don't much else about it. I assume that it will be too big for carry on, so I'm wondering if there are any problems with putting them in baggage. I know that wih guitars it is sometimes suggested to stuff the case with extra padding if necessary and am wondering if there are similar considerations for accordions.

Jeff

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 10:31 AM

Skipjack K8 travels by airplane with his accordion from time to time. I'm pretty sure I've seen him talk about it in the Mudcat before, but I can't remember what thread it was on. If he doesn't post to this thread, you might want to consider sending him a PM.

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: GUEST,mgarvey
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 10:48 AM

I would take it on anyway as a carryon and then ask my fellow passengers for requests...mg

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: GUEST,Tracey Dragonsfriend
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 11:08 AM

I'd carry it on if you can - all that cold and low pressure in the hold might not do it any good, and the baggage-handlers with their big iron hooks certainly won't do it good either!

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From:
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 12:05 PM

I am not an accordian player but: Don't forget that no matter how well padded it is, and no matter how impervious it is to dry and cold. There is still the danger of theft.

This sounds like it it irriplaceable. Carry it on if you can.

Murray

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: bill\sables
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 02:20 PM

Skipjack is in Italy, Sam Pirt is in Whitby and Denmark so I don't think either will be able to respond to this thread. When Sam flew to the USA in May this year he carried his accordion in a metal flight case so large that we had to rent a Toyota Camrey because we couldn't get the case into a Mercury boot (trunk). He did also take the front off and put a layer of foam over the pads to protect them. There was no problem with baggage handlers this trip, they would have needed a lot of heavy machenery to damage it through the flight case.
Bill

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 02:26 PM

Hardi carried on a violin with these words: "Do you want to be responsible for this (antique, valuable, etc.) instrument or shall I carry it on?" The flight crew usually has a last-resort space on board they can direct you to if they like you, for skis, guitar cases, other odd items. *G*

If you MUST check it, carry it to the gate and let them check it right from there, last thing before buttoning up the baggage area. They will offload it at the destination gate and hand it right over as you get off the plane, at the gate. Thus you have available at least ONE of the people who just handled it, to look it over with you, to see if it's all OK.

Other good ideas in threads about flying with fiddles.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 03:27 PM

Dig around the profile section here and dig up Len Wallace's email addy... ask him!

I'm sure he'll have some damn good advice...

;-)

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From:
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 08:35 PM

I will only add that my wife was a violinist and she had to argue sometimes, but she always suceeded in taking it on. It makes me mad that people are allowed to carry on duty free purchaces and "brief cases" that are bigger than a violin with no argument.

I have usually suceeded in getting my guitar on too; but I haven't tried very many times. I usually carry a SoloEtte. The guitar has even ridden in a Business or first class clothes locker while I was in tourist. The nicest people seem to be JAL.

Murray

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 01:17 AM

Flight cases are hugely expensive here. They just aren't usually necessary, as we don't have that many internal flights to make it worthwhile.

Manitas pads his out with towels and t shirts (extra clothing = useful), and carries it on as handbaggage (when we went to Canada via British Airways), which meant that muggins here, had to have all the stuff we would have had in our hand baggage. We then got place 14 rows apart (HA HA).

It doesn't work trying to take small children with the melodeon, they take up 3 people's allowances by themselves! Unless you put the child in the flight case and have the melodeon on your lap......

Oh, and you can never have enough 'Fragile' stickers, warning tape or breakable signs. They'll mostly be ignored, but you have some comeback if they do mash it, by pointing out that it does actually say on the box. Having given them due warning, you may get some cash out of them. Oh, and GET IT INSURED SEPARATELY!!!

LTS

Subject: RE: Advice: Accordions and airplane travel
From: GUEST,JeffB
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 02:25 AM

Here's a link with information regarding transporting a piano accordion... or any squeezebox...

http://www.hmtrad.com/wendy/sbx-ship.html

JeffB