Cost of checking your flight case going up?

joshwirt · Post by **joshwirt** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:42 pm

WOW! That sucks to hear, Karl. When I flew my two Johnson cases to the UK last Sept from Washington Dulles (B&S in med and Hirsbrunner CC in large), I got hit with oversize charges of $105/tuba. Each one was also packed with clothing and right at 70 lbs.

Skip to last week.....

I was able to fly from Manchester to Dulles......with same 2 tubas....plus a Yamaha EEb.......plus 2 huge boxes.......and paid $0!!!!! Same airline...same policies!! I was actually overweight on 2 packages and could have been slapped for that as well. That would have put me up to $650 in extra fees that I was prepared, but not happy to pay.

I have found it's worth calling ahead and speaking to someone so they know you're coming. Also, get there VERY early and be SUPER polite to the person behind the counter. You just never know.

Best of luck at the Open....wish I could be there. The concert hall is amazing and Birmingham isn't a bad place to spend a few days either!

-Josh[/url]

NeilMacQuarrie · Post by **NeilMacQuarrie** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:06 pm

chhite · Post by **chhite** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:32 pm

I flew Iberia Airlines from Frankfurt, Germany to Madrid, Spain with the Rudi F in a Johnson case and there were no extra or overweight fees. There was even a baggage handler that came to the check-in counter and took the case to the baggage cart that delivered it to the plane. I watched it being placed in the hold and when I got to Madrid, there wasn't even a scuff on the case. The return flight was another story. I had to place the case on the oversize item conveyor belt. Not sure what happened after that but the horn was lost for 24 hours and the case was destroyed when I got it. Good news is the horn was not damaged at all and the horn barely shifted inside the case.(Plug for Walt here) Best news is the airline will pay for a new flight case, but I'll withhold my applause until I see the check.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:47 pm

I survived several gigging tours to Germany, England, and Scotland over the last five years. Last year I borrowed a tuba from a chap on this board. As an amatuer I can't see flying with a tuba any more. I sympathize with pros who HAVE to fly with a horn. It's gonna get worse!

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:28 pm

Karl,

What did you end up with for cases?

Just curious...we were in touch about them a while back and I just wondered how things worked out.

~Tom

cjk · Post by **cjk** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 8:29 am

When somebody asks something like "Is the cost of [insert basically anything here] going up?" The answer is guaranteed to be Yes.

sinfonian · Post by **sinfonian** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:03 am

This has been an interesting thread but I have not heard any anwsers to the last question that Karl asked.

For those that have flown as part of an organization, who picks up the extra cost for taking large instruments? The individual or is the cost paid for by the organization (thus all members travel for approximately the same price)?

When traveling as an amature group who does normally picks up the cost of the oversized instruments? Is is the individual or is it divided up amoung the group so that the Tuba player and the Piccolo player are paying approx. the same costs? My band is planning a trip to Germany in 2007 and it would be good to know what the normal practice for amature groups is.

bort · Post by **bort** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:43 am

I just went to Austria (on Air France), and the tour organizer (also a music professor) had a friend who he was able to borrow a horn from.

On the other hand, the big case with all the miscellaneous percussion stuff (stands, sticks, etc.) was "oversize/overweight" and carried an extra charge - now that I think of it, I think it was something close to $600 as well. And on top of that, that case got lost, and when it was found and delivered, some of the things inside had been broken. Based on this, I think I'd favor buying the extra seat if I were flying with my tuba and had the $$.

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 11:50 am

sinfonian wrote:This has been an interesting thread but I have not heard any anwsers to the last question that Karl asked.

For those that have flown as part of an organization, who picks up the extra cost for taking large instruments? The individual or is the cost paid for by the organization (thus all members travel for approximately the same price)?
When traveling as an amature group who does normally picks up the cost of the oversized instruments? Is is the individual or is it divided up amoung the group so that the Tuba player and the Piccolo player are paying approx. the same costs? My band is planning a trip to Germany in 2007 and it would be good to know what the normal practice for amature groups is.

It has been my experience that all extra charges (oversize, overweight, etc.) were paid by the group as a whole, with everyone paying in just about an equal share of the total cost. However, this has been the only group trip I've ever done with a horn though, so perhaps that is not the norm. In addition the trip was a college/university tour.

I've been hit with fees more times than not when flying with them personally, and I've tried everything to avoid them...skycaps, arriving early, etc., etc., etc. I agree with the person that said that oversize and overweight charges were a money maker for the airlines. In some cases, I've had the charges inch up to just short of the ticket price.

Monty · Post by **Monty** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 11:55 am

This isnt quite on topic but maybe worth noting. Amtrak used to let you take your horn on the car and put it in the oversize bag area- which is ideal. That stopped last November- just in case anyone uses that option.

bort · Post by **bort** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 2:07 pm

I agree with the person that said that oversize and overweight charges were a money maker for the airlines.

Absolutely. In fact, in reviewing Air France's frequent flyer program rewards, one of the first benefits is to be able to check more (and heavier) luggage. I wonder how many flights you'd need to be able to put your tuba on for free...

Bandmaster · Post by **Bandmaster** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:29 pm

Since you are traveling with your whole band, why not get all the instruments packed together? A friend told me that when his group traveled across country by plane the airline allowed them to rent a cargo container, like the ones UPS and FedEx use, and pack all their gear into it so it was loaded and unloaded all at once. Horns, drums and all the other accessories in one box. That sounds like a good deal to me for a traveling group!

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 12:54 am

Bandmaster wrote:Since you are traveling with your whole band, why not get all the instruments packed together? A friend told me that when his group traveled across country by plane the airline allowed them to rent a cargo container, like the ones UPS and FedEx use, and pack all their gear into it so it was loaded and unloaded all at once. Horns, drums and all the other accessories in one box. That sounds like a good deal to me for a traveling group!

What you describe is similar to how many of the top U.S. symphony orchestras pack and travel via air with their equipment. Although they end up having a lot more than one case, the idea is to have as few cases and bags to keep track of as possible. However, major symphonies have A LOT of cargo and often times have made arrangements for the cargo in advance because it ususally will not end up being on the same flight, in fact it is usally arranged through totally different people. It is not something that can be done or arranged at the passenger terminal. In addition, passenger terminals and cargo terminals are usually at opposite sides of a given airport, and are usually not too "people friendly."

This plan can come back to bite you though...poor storage and care during transit could mean damage to multiple items, and if the container goes missing, you're SOL.

Based on what I've read in this thread so far, I think the best thing that can be done for a brass band sized group in your situation is to have everyone deal with their personal gear, but only what absolutely needs to go, check it through as regular baggage so it ends up on your plane and is in your care as long as possible, and mark each piece with a tag that easily identifies it as being part of a group, just in case some pieces end up going a different direction. I would also try to arrange for a group check in, which often times will result in either a price break or no fees at all for oversize and overweight pieces.

Good luck...keep us posted on what's going on.

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Cost of checking your flight case going up?

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