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I was just at the International Society of Bassists site, and a few of the staff members of ISB are hard at work negotiating with airlines about traveling with basses. In one of the articles, a particular person working with the International Air Transport Association said it "felt oddly comforting that we’re not the only ones ignored by the airlines."

That sparked an idea in my head. The two large instruments in the orchestra should be working together to make it easier for instruments to fly. I do wonder what the hell I'm going to do when I decide to fly with my bass. I am either going to have to get a trunk and pay overweight, or buy an extra seat. Both would probably cause trouble AND cost a bunch. Heck, if I catch so much crap with the euphonium, it's going to be so much harder with a bass. Maybe this is something that should be suggested to the chair of ITEA after elections are over.

Nick

One of the bass players at the Sacramento Jazz Festival this past weekend came from Vancouver, B.C. The bass was denied passage, outright, at the airport in Vancouver. The airline would not accept it as baggage under any circumstances. (Several other basses arrived easily and safely in Sacramento on the same airline.) This happened during check-in for the flight. That meant renting a storage locker at the airport for the bass, and finding another bass to rent sight-unseen upon arriving in Sacramento. Nice way to spend your day.

The people behind the counter are eventually the ones who enforce or create the policy for the airline, and even if you print out a webpage containing the official policy and bring a tape measure to prove your case, you can find yourself out of luck. I fly with a smallish tuba in a less-than-ideal-for-flying case. This keeps my horn far under the limits set forth in most airlines' checked baggage policies. It's far enough under that I don't get charged for oversized all the time, I never get charged for overweight, and I hopefully won't have to endure the above nightmare.

Certainly, pooling our efforts with the string bass community could only help our efforts in improving the traveling situations for our instruments. The situation affects all instrumental musicians to some degree, and would benefit from cooperation from all involved.

Maybe coordinating with the harpists as well could help.

Just a thought

Tom Holtz wrote:I fly with a smallish tuba in a less-than-ideal-for-flying case.

Tom, How small is that? I ask, because I am planning on coming over to the US next year.

Thanks.

Jonathan

Neptune wrote:Tom, How small is that? I ask, because I am planning on coming over to the US next year.

Besson 983 eefer, MTS 1207 hard case, Wilson basketball in bell, rolled-up towel along one side.
Total weight approx. 47.5 lbs. Not perfect, but it works.

How long before the ITEA voting is over? This would be a good subject to talk to the new president about. I am not yet a member of the ISB, and I don't know if I will ever be, since it's double the cost of an ITEA membership, so I don't know if I should contact their president.

Nick