Rob Bennion

Over the years I have travelled all over the US and abroad with my saxophone, from London to Tokyo.

I would never in a million years check my $3k saxophone in to be tossed and squashed by the airline’s baggage employees.  As you know now all the major airlines charge a fee for your checked bag, which means everyone is bringing oversized carryon bags, which means that getting on board and finding a spot to place your instrument in the overhead bin can be nearly impossible.

Here is my advice to anyone traveling with a saxophone, guitar, or other expensive instrument that they want to have intact when they arrive in their destination:

1. Check the specific airline policy.  Often this can be found on their website.  It will probably tell you that your instrument case is too big to fit in the specific size allotment on the aircraft.  Don’t let that stop you from bringing it on board!

2. Take it to the gate anyway.  Even if your airline tells you the instrument case is too big for the overhead bin (they are allowing each person to take up only 1/3 of the available length) your instrument will fit in there sideways, as long as the overhead bin has enough room and isn’t taken up by other passengers yet.

3. At the gate, they will either let you on board with your instrument, or they will make you gate check it, i.e. check it for you at the gate.  Either situation is much better than checking your musical instrument at the counter, where it will be tossed, squashed, dropped, and otherwise banged up repeatedly before it even makes it to the airplane.  A gate checked item will be placed at the forward part of the cargo hold along with strollers and car seats and will be there for you at the airplane door when you get off the plane.

4.  Try to get priority boarding somehow . . . or arrange your seat so that you board first.  Choosing a seat further back on the aircraft will allow your “zone” or boarding area to be called first, in which case you will be getting on the airplane when all the bins are empty: perfect to sneak you saxophone in before there’s no more room in the overhead bins.

5. As you walk past the agent taking tickets, try slinging your sax/guitar on the opposite shoulder from the agent, to see if you can make it past without them noticing it is bigger than the size allotment.  I have never been stopped in all my years of traveling.

6.  If they do stop you and tell you to “gate check” the musical instrument, have no fear.  They will put a little tag on it, and you leave it with the strollers and carseats at the aircraft door.

7. Some aircraft still have a small closet in the first class cabin which they use to place coats and items for the first class passengers.  As you board the aircraft you may be able to sneak your sax into the closet or ask the flight attendant to put it in there for you.

A big key to all this is that you want stay under the radar, don’t attract attention to yourself or your instrument.  9 times out of 10 if you ask someone whether or not you may bring on your instrument they will tell you no, because technically your musical instrument is probably larger than what they allow on board in their overhead bins.  Just check in, wait, and board as you normally would and nobody will probably notice a thing.  Happy flying!

Traveling with your saxophone can be tricky . . .