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Hello, all!

I'll be flying to Germany at the end of this summer, and it looks like the two airlines I'll be choosing from are Lufthansa and United. Does anyone have experience with either of these two airlines? I know there have been some rumblings about United not dealing with instruments all that well, but it seems like a crap-shoot either way. I'll be checking my tuba in its flight case for the trip. If you have any experience with these two airlines, please let me know!

Thanks,
Aaron H.

I fly extensively (I'm a United 1K in their frequent flyer program) although usually not with tuba in tow. Your main areas of concern when flying with a horn are as follows:

1. Will the ticket agent charge me for overweight/oversize? (This can be substantial as it's each way.)
2. At what points during the travel process is my horn most likely to get trashed?
3. What about ME? Besides my horn, what kind of experience am I going to have on the 10+ hour flight to Germany?

Maybe there are more, but those are my top three. So, you can look up lots of threads on here about avoiding the OW/OS issue - check at the curb, bribe the agent, etc. Since checking international luggage at the curb is basically never allowed, I can tell you that you will less likely be hassled by Lufthansa about this than United - unless you have a high status.

The real concern about your horn getting damaged is by the "rampers" - the guys handling the luggage. They could throw it, drop it, slam it, etc. The loading and unloading of your horn to/from the plane is the most likely point to incur a problem. Unfortunately picking United or Lufthansa will make NO difference here. Why? Lufthansa is a German airline - their main partner here in the US (through the Star Alliance) is United. That means all of the ramp people here in the states are…United people. Lufthansa doesn't have their own. So basically you are at their mercy no matter which you choose.

As for your experience up above the cargo hold? I think you would enjoy Lufthansa a lot more. Their planes are bigger than most United planes. They have nicer interiors. Better service. They have the primo gates at the German airports. Oh, and most of their flight attendants are 6' tall blondes (if that matters to you.) Plus, you can still earn United miles while getting all of that better service.

Anyway - here's hoping you and your horn travel safely.

I likewise have no idea how they would handle a tuba, but I have said for years that American carriers better hope Lufthansa never takes a notion to start flying domestic routes in the US. They would eat everyone else's lunch because they are so good at helping passengers have an enjoyable experience. My guess is that they wouldn't let a tuba interfere with that.

I flew Lufthansa in February 2013 to Munich from Chicago. As was already stated, it is basically the same company. I felt like I had better service on the return leg fyi.

I was charged $200us each way to check my Nirschl. It arrived safely both ways. Flying with a tuba is always a risk, no matter which airline. Make sure you pack it well. In my experience, having a case which allows the tuba inside a gig bag also helps.

D.

Air canada.