Flying with your acoustic guitar?

[gypsyfeet]

It's my first Song School - can't wait, but....

I just saw "United Breaks Guitars" song on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
and it reminded me that I might want to rethink bringing my Martin.
(Watch this music video about a guy complaining about United breaking his Taylor)

I flew to Ireland with my old Alvarez, it made it in fine shape, but that was several years ago. I'm not sure what to expect now.

I did find a deal on a travel guitar a couple of months ago, but am really disappointed with it after I got it home. Won't stay in tune and sounds pretty awful. (Washburn Rogue). It's definitely not coming this trip.

Acoustic magazine had some suggestions about flying w/your acoustic guitar, and it sounds like I'll need to check it and keep my fingers crossed. Is this my best bet, you think?:

[Flagstaff Jess]

It's my first Song School - can't wait, but....

I just saw "United Breaks Guitars" song on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
and it reminded me that I might want to rethink bringing my Martin.
(Watch this music video about a guy complaining about United breaking his Taylor)

I flew to Ireland with my old Alvarez, it made it in fine shape, but that was several years ago. I'm not sure what to expect now.

I did find a deal on a travel guitar a couple of months ago, but am really disappointed with it after I got it home. Won't stay in tune and sounds pretty awful. (Washburn Rogue). It's definitely not coming this trip.

Acoustic magazine had some suggestions about flying w/your acoustic guitar, and it sounds like I'll need to check it and keep my fingers crossed. Is this my best bet, you think?:

I would at the very least gate check it and try hard to board with it.  I'm going to Rockygrass and considered bringing my Santa Cruz and just can't do it.  If something happened I'd be devastated.  I'm flying Southwest and the best I can hope for with them is that I can gate check it.  But how it gets tossed into the baggage hold makes my heart sink.  No, I'm actually doing a festival sans guitar....just can't stomach the thought of them tossing my baby around.

[Doc Mike]

Any time you let baggage handlers have your instrument, you are taking a big chance.  You can always ask the flight attendants if they will put it in an onboard closet. At least pack the headstock with towels or underwear so it has as muck protection from movement.  Get a professional hardshell case, the regular black ones will offer no protection from the baggage handlers.  Really, though, if you don't think you can carry it on, think about shipping it ground (cold and unpressurized airplane cargo hold are not nice to Martins!) and insured with UPS or the USPS.  If you use the post office, send it general delivery to the Lyons office.  It should be there waiting for you. Good luck!

[Boogiefool]

We're bringing out a couple of mandolins and at least one guitar from the UK and there's no way we'd trust them to be checked. They'll go, as they always do, in either an overhead or one of the wardrobes. There's usually space somewhere.

 Last year I bought two mandos back from NYC and they travelled better class than I did.
The steward took them and put them in empty Business Class bins. Fine man.

 Listening to: Doug Pettibone