Gretchen Menn: gives inside knowledge on which planes to fly!

World of Flying: This is one question I have always wanted to ask a professional musician...when you have to fly commercial airlines to a gig, how to you ship/transport your equipment?
Gretchen Menn: Oh, I could really go off here. I have a major issue with how the airlines deal with musical equipment, and I've made many a phone call to tell different airlines that whichever airline would implement an instrument-friendly policy would have a stranglehold on musicians as customers. Even with crew tags on my guitar, I found my case horribly abused after one flight on my own airline! So, I make it a point to fly Southwest, as their 737s have plenty of room in the overheads for a guitar. I make it a point to be in the A boarding group, and to never, never be rude to a gate agent or flight attendant. They are the people who determine whether you get to carry on your precious instrument. I also have good cases in the event of the horror, the horror of having to check something, and insurance for the worst-case-scenario.

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