Airline rules and the ukulele

salukulady

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Many of us will be flying with our ukes to UWC this June. I was curious what the rules are about taking my uke on board. This is what is posted on the United Airlines website.

Carry-on baggage policies for all United travel
For worldwide travel on any United flight, you may carry on one bag and one personal item such as a purse, briefcase or laptop computer. Your carry-on bag...
must fit under your seat or in the overhead bin;
must not be more than 9 x 14 x 22 inches (23 x 35 x 56 cm) or 45 linear inches* (114 linear cm); and
may be required to travel as checked baggage if the bag cannot be safely stowed on your flight.
The following personal items are not counted toward your one bag and one personal item limit:

Assistive devices (canes, crutches, etc.)
Child safety seats for ticketed children
Infant restraint devices (infant seat with or without stroller, front pouch or back carrier)
Outer garments (coats, hats, etc.)
Reading material (a reasonable amount)
Umbrellas (one per passenger)
Food and beverages to be consumed onboard
Please note that all items must be stowed in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. They may not be stowed in the seat back pocket.

And I found this from TSA.

Transporting Musical Instruments
You may bring musical instruments as carry-on or as checked baggage. To help passengers who are traveling with instruments, we partnered with musical organizations around the country to understand the challenges of transporting musical instruments, and we recommend the following.

Check with your airline prior to your flight to ensure your instrument meets the size requirements for their aircraft.

Pack brass instruments in your checked baggage.

Bring your stringed instruments, within carrier size limitations, as carry-on items.

If you have an instrument in your checked baggage, include short written instructions, where a security officer will notice them, for handling and repacking your instrument. Make sure these instructions are very clear and understandable to someone with no musical background.

Carrying Instruments Through Screening Checkpoints

You may carry one (1) musical instrument in addition to 1 carry-on and 1 personal item through the screening checkpoint. This is a TSA Screening Policy. Airlines may or may not allow the additional carry-on item on their aircraft. Please check with your airline before you arrive at the airport.

Security officers must x-ray or physically screen your instrument before it can be transported on an aircraft.

Security officers will handle musical instruments very carefully and will allow you to be as involved as possible in any physical screening.

If security officers cannot clear the instrument through the security checkpoint as a carry-on item, you should transport the instrument and checked baggage instead.

So it looks like from both authorities, I am allowed to have my uke as a carry on provided it does not exceed 9 X 14 X 22 inches (united airlines parameters). My question is, the hard case I just bought for my soprano is 23 inches long. Now I know many of you travel with concerts and tenors in cases, how are you doing this? I refuse to check my uke, am I going to be able to take it on board?
 
I have flown Hawaiian Airlines many times from San Diego to Honolulu. I remember the wife and I had 3 ukes on a trip coming back. We have never encountered any probs. Not sure how stateside airlines compare. Hawaiian has always been very gracious. We usually put our ukes in the overhead bins onboard. I would never check my ukulele !
 
I have flown with United 20+ time over the past year or so, and I almost always carry on a messenger bag or backpack and a ukulele (Soprano, Concert or Tenor) in its case. I have yet to have anyone give me problems about its size or carrying it on. I see people carry on guitars pretty often. If the flight attendent is cool they might let you keep it in the closet thing they put jackets and such in.

I wouldn't worry that much about the size, a lot of people seem to carry on suitcases that are bigger then any of my uke cases.
 
Note the cabin humidity in a regular plane is less than 25% which is prob not good for your uke unless you got a humidifier. Then again its only a flight. Im not sure how long til the wood starts cracking...
 
I don't think that will be a huge problem... particularly if you have a humidifier in a hard case. Leave the uke in the case tightly closed up. I haven't flown for a long time, but I'm guessing that other passengers don't want to listen to uke playing during the flight. And then it's only for a few hours.
 
On our trip to Vegas a couple weeks ago I carried my soprano in its hard case aboard. It actually fit satisfactorily under the seat in front of me. We were flying Alaska, and their website specifically exempts "small musical instruments" from their carry on limits - which I THINK means I could've had a carry on, a personal item, AND my uke.
 
Brought a tenor back from Hawaii in a Koolau case and didn't have problems on Hawaiian. However, it is at the discretion of the airlines whether you can bring it on or not. The worse that could happen would be that they gate check it. At least you wont' have to pay for the checked luggage that way. Of course you still have the chance of damage. Also, the cargo holds for planes may not be fully heated so you could have very cold temps in the hold. So I feel that there is a catch 22 situation: you want a hard case in the event you have to check it but you want a gig bag to make it compact so that you can carry it on. What to do?

I picked up a Kala Soprano thinline for this reason alone.
 
Hard case = no problem

I've flown domestically and internationally with a tenor uke with a hard case. Even though it was just above the dimension restriction, the airlines didn't notice or give me any problems (US Airways, Delta, Southwest). They'll really only address the size issue if the case is considerably larger than their maximum allowed size.
 
i recently flew to portland with a backpack and a baritone case (33" long). the case fit fine in the overhead compartment on the flight up which was a medium size plane, and on the flight back which was a much smaller plane. your soprano should be fine.
 
We flew from Maui to Los Angeles on Alaska/ American Airlines with a super concert uke. There was an employee from the airlines walking around the gate area, checking out the hand luggage. Didn't even give he uke a second look. Our flight was not crowded, so there was plenty of room in the overhead compartment. I don't think it would have fit under the seats though. So, try and board early, and get a spot in the overhead compartment. And if you have a black case, maybe put a fragile sign on the handle so people don't shove their luggage into yours.

–Lori
 
In January 2010 we flew with a tenor packed in a hard case on United Airlines without issue.
 
I have successfully flown with a tenor hard case on a number of airlines without a problem. One thing I have noted is if you have a strap on your case you look less conspicuous since it is less visible to the gate agent that way.
 
Bought a uke in Hawaii in September 2009. Flew home 1st on Hawaiian Air..no problem. Next I flew on United and some problem at the gates. The agent tried to tell me that it was a guitar and too big. After some discussion she let me on the plane. Funny though, there was never any problem with the passengers dragging two over stuffed carry on suit cases on board each that weighed at least 35lbs.
That famous letter does no good, it is strickly up to the airlines and more specificaly the gate agents. Good luck and spread some of that Aloha Spirit, it really works!!!
 
That famous letter does no good, it is strickly up to the airlines and more specificaly the gate agents. Good luck and spread some of that Aloha Spirit, it really works!!!
I've flown numerous times (in the western US) and never been questioned. Never anything larger than a concert, but it was in a hard case. And as far as Hawaiian Airlines is concerned, I think they would go out of business if they didn't allow it! I'm never the only one on board carrying an ukulele. I have even been involved in some impromptu jam sessions in the boarding area.

Famous letter = Thomas R. Blank of the TSA to Mr. Thomas Lee, president of the American Federation of Musicians. Again, never needed it, but I still carry it in the case.
 
I've flown numerous times (in the western US) and never been questioned. Never anything larger than a concert, but it was in a hard case. And as far as Hawaiian Airlines is concerned, I think they would go out of business if they didn't allow it! I'm never the only one on board carrying an ukulele. I have even been involved in some impromptu jam sessions in the boarding area.

Famous letter = Thomas R. Blank of the TSA to Mr. Thomas Lee, president of the American Federation of Musicians. Again, never needed it, but I still carry it in the case.
And where might a person find a copy of this letter?
 
There is more than the letter. There is the law. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act PL 107-71 Promulgated after 9-11. Section 135 on page 41 (my pdf page 41) says that the airlines must make every effort to allow you to take your instrument with you in the cabin. That said, I have seen tons of violins on planes and they are about the same size as most ukulele cases. United has not been shown to be particularly instrument friendly in the past (see youtube "united breaks guitars") but often that is the zealous act of someone trying to limit the amount of carry-on baggage in the cabin. Watch out for the folks with the huge bags who think it will fit if they get it going 35 miles an hour into the overhead bin....if your ukulele is there it could be tragic. I know folks who will not get on a plane if they are forced to check their instrument. Best is to be polite, get a pdf copy of the law, and let them read it. The specific text is below.

SEC. 135. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1) the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security
should develop security procedures to allow passengers transporting
a musical instrument on a flight of an air carrier
to transport the instrument in the passenger cabin of the
aircraft, notwithstanding any size or other restriction on carryon
baggage but subject to such other reasonable security procedures,
terms, and conditions as may be established by the
Under Secretary or the air carrier, including imposing additional
charges by the air carrier; and
(2) an air carrier that transports mail under a contract
with the United States Postal Service should transport any
animal that the Postal Service allows to be shipped through
the mail.
 
I would not get on a plane if I was made to check an instrument. An ex of mine had his very expensive Gibson guitar SMASHED when he checked it. There was no saving the thing.

I've never tried to fly with an instrument, but if they told me to check it I would walk away and get a flight with a different company.
 
SEC. 135. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1) the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security
should develop security procedures to allow passengers transporting
a musical instrument on a flight of an air carrier
to transport the instrument in the passenger cabin of the
aircraft, notwithstanding any size or other restriction on carryon
baggage but subject to such other reasonable security procedures,
terms, and conditions as may be established by the
Under Secretary or the air carrier
, including imposing additional
charges by the air carrier; ........

Folks, this is what I am saying, it is up to the airlines and the airlines can set their own conditions. If United says the limit is 45 linear inches, then if your uke in the case is over that limit, they can make you check the uke in!!
 
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