Flying with your beloved PRS

[cags12]

Hi, I have bought my first PRS guitar in the US which I want to take with mine back to Europe. I am super worried as to the best method to transport it to avoid any damage.

I have taken other lower valued guitar on flights with their hard case thankfully without any inconvenient. However, my PRS is too valued to risk it and not take all possible precautions.

• Is there any advise as to what airline, method or anything that comes to mind would be the best approach?
• Is there any courier-like service for sending musical instruments without all the hassle of import duties, etc?
  
• How touring musicians normally do in this cases?
  
• I also wonder if the PRS case is flight-worthy or is it worth investing in anther heavy duty case?

I was planning to play my chances and take it with me in the Cabin (thanks to the new regulations), however, if for some reason I need to gate check it, I will not be able to packaged it as good as I would if I knew I had to check it from the very beginning.

I will fly from Miami to Dublin - Ireland. I normally have to layover in Philly, Chicago or NY.

Any help I would be very grateful!

Christian

 

[Elliot]

Does it have a rosewood fretboard?

Only advice I can give: If they mark your gig-bag/case to be gate-checked. Just rip the tag off in the jetway and take it on the plane anyway.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

It’s been about 5-6 years... but I always went through 1st class check in and if anyone asked why, I’d just randomly point and say “somebody over there told me to go through this line” and act clueless. Then I’d carry it on board and ask to stow it in the 1st class closet.

It always worked, but I’m a white guy so... yeah.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

The PRS SKB case looks “bullet proof”!

 

[cags12]

Does it have a rosewood fretboard?

Only advice I can give: If they mark your gig-bag/case to be gate-checked. Just rip the tag off in the jetway and take it on the plane anyway.

It’s been about 5-6 years... but I always went through 1st class check in and if anyone asked why, I’d just randomly point and say “somebody over there told me to go through this line” and act clueless. Then I’d carry it on board and ask to stow it in the 1st class closet.

No rosewood at all thankfully.
Yes, I would do something like that. The thing is: If I try taking it with me on the cabin, I believe it will have to be in a gig-bag. I do not believe they will allow me at all to bring the hard case with me. or I am wrong?

Imagine if they force me to gate check and I do not have the hard case with me... The Horror!!!

 

[shinksma]

No rosewood at all thankfully.
Yes, I would do something like that. The thing is: If I try taking it with me on the cabin, I believe it will have to be in a gig-bag. I do not believe they will allow me at all to bring the hard case with me. or I am wrong?

Imagine if they force me to gate check and I do not have the hard case with me... The Horror!!!

I'm not sure how carry-on baggage rules apply to international flights, but in the US, airlines must accommodate musical instruments if they can fit in the overhead bins or other available storage (like the first class coat rack) and there is room when that passenger boards. Of course, some airlines do not honor their obligation, but most of them are getting much better than they were say a decade ago.

So the trick is to find out if your PRS hardcase can fit in the overhead bins of the airline you want to fly, or find out if there is a reasonable amount of first class storage. As long as there was available room, I can't imagine a PRS guitar in a soft gig bag not fitting in the overheads.

Maybe call potential airlines and see what they say?

If you are really concerned, get a true ATA flight case - it might cost you more to check it because they could consider it oversize or overweight, but that is how most professionals check their instruments. Hmm, does anyone make an ATA case that you can fit a whole PRS hardshell case into? That would really be a protected, but heavy, method of transport.

 

[Elliot]

I'd get one of those harder rigid gig bags. Like "mono" or the "gator" ones I think? Refuse gate checking/rip the tag.

if it gets elevated to a serious point, at least you have the rigid gig bag if they have to gate check.

 

[DaveDaveDave]

I've had 3 "mishaps" with guitars in checked baggage, and each one was with hard case. So far no issues with gate-checked guitars in gig bags. I used to try to bring it as carry on as per DOT regulations and keep a printout of DOT-OST-2014-0231. I'd whip my copy of "the law" at the gate, but the the gate crew would just laugh and say "We're too busy for that. ". I really like the "rip off the tag" idea! Either way, I use a Mono Vertigo gig bag, and it's REALLY worth it. However, I specifically bought a PRS SE just for vacations and really awful dive-bar gigs. I don't think my Modern Eagle 1 is ever gonna fly in the sky.

 

[cags12]

Thank you all, very useful tips.

Just one last question. I have never had to Gate Check anything. Does Gate Check mean that they also return your thing back to you in the Gate at your destination? If that is so, I would not worry that much. What I do not want is to leave the guitar unattended going to Baggage claim.

 

[László]

Thank you all, very useful tips.

Just one last question. I have never had to Gate Check anything. Does Gate Check mean that they also return your thing back to you in the Gate at your destination? If that is so, I would not worry that much. What I do not want is to leave the guitar unattended going to Baggage claim.

Gate check is a crapshoot. I’ve flown with guitars in gig bags, and was lucky, however I’ve heard horror stories as well. On one occasion, I had some gear gate checked, and made arrangements to pick it up at baggage claim, where it wasn’t put on the luggage conveyor. Blind luck, it worked out, but I had a very worrisome flight after I saw it piled under a load of other luggage on a baggage cart through the window.

If it was a guitar I cared a lot about, and I was told I couldn’t board with it, and it was in a regular case or even a sturdy bag, I’m not sure I’d get on the airplane.

 

[Srini]

Gate check is a crapshoot. I’ve flown with guitars in gig bags, and was lucky, however I’ve heard horror stories as well. On one occasion, I had some gear gate checked, and made arrangements to pick it up at baggage claim, where it wasn’t put on the luggage conveyor. Blind luck, it worked out, but I had a very worrisome flight after I saw it piled under a load of other luggage on a baggage cart through the window.

If it was a guitar I cared a lot about, and I was told I couldn’t board with it, and it was in a regular case or even a sturdy bag, I’m not sure I’d get on the airplane.

I'm going to be faced with a similar situation in April next year, although I'll be flying business class. Hopefully they'll let me take it in with me.

 

[Callan]

My custom 24 was checked baggage London -> Melbourne. Not a risk I want to take too often, but it did survive just fine.