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Few situations are more stressful for guitarists than flying. As uncomfortable as flying usually is, adding an instrument to the mix can raise the stress levels through the roof.
Many airlines are notorious for damaging or outright destroying guitars in transit — and even if your instrument does survive unharmed, you'll still feel incredibly anxious until you know its fate for sure.
The good news is that musicians fly with instruments all the time. Guitars are becoming more common on planes by the day, and airlines today are better equipped to deal with fragile instruments than ever before.
If you're preparing for a flight and need to take your guitar with you, follow these tips to maximize your chances for a safe, uneventful trip.
As you might instantly assume, carrying on your guitar is the easiest way to ensure it stays safe throughout your flight. Not only does carrying your guitar onto the plane ensure that you're the only person touching it — keeping it out of the hands of baggage loaders who might toss it around or rough it up — it also allows you to find the best possible spot to keep your instrument stable and secure while you're in the air.
Before your flight, check with your airline to see if they allow guitars as carry-on items. Many major carriers allow you to store reasonably sized guitars in the overhead compartment. Solid-body axes and thinner hollow-bodies are generally fine.
Depending on the airline, you may also be able to store a bulkier axe in the plane's coat compartment. It generally requires some help from the flight attendants to pull off, but it's a great option to keep your guitar safe if there isn't space in the overhead compartment or your instrument won't fit under your seat.
The size of your guitar's case may also impact your ability to carry it onto the plane. Gig bags are smaller and lighter, which could help you convince skeptical flight attendants to let you carry the instrument on — but if they do force you to check it at the gate, you might as well kiss your guitar goodbye.
Hard cases give your guitar a better chance of survival whether you end up getting it onto the plane with you or end up checking it. If you're planning to carry your axe on, look for a hard case that's not overly thick or weighty to help you fit it in the overhead compartment.
Of course, there's always a guaranteed way to ensure your guitar stays with you for the whole flight: buying a second seat. If you have the money and want the peace of mind, this can be a great option. However, the cost is often prohibitive, and finding two adjacent seats can be difficult on popular flights.
Checking your guitar may seem like a death sentence, but provided you have the right gear you should generally be fine. Solid-body guitars will hold up much better than semi-hollow or fully hollow-body models; the simpler construction is more durable than the thin panels found on more complex instruments and leaves fewer seams to break in transit.
As mentioned above, a hard case is absolutely essential if you plan on checking your guitar. If you're traveling with an expensive hollow-body or acoustic, you may want to consider investing in a full flight case — they're bulky and not cheap, but they provide the best protection possible for delicate instruments on long flights.
Packing your guitar properly can go a long way to get it off the plane in one piece. Taking even 10 minutes to adjust your guitar before locking up the case can secure it much more effectively and help give you some precious peace of mind.
If there's any empty space in your guitar case, fill it with soft material. Many hardshell cases have small cavities below the neck and headstock; fill these spaces with spongy items like socks and t-shirts to help insulate the guitar against any rough treatment. If you use clothes you were going to take anyway, this can save you some serious space in your other luggage!
Always loosen the strings on your guitar before sending it up in the sky. The massive tension that strings place on your guitar's neck — often over 300 lbs — can lead to serious damage if anything goes sideways during the flight.
Keep the strings slack to ensure this doesn't happen; tune them back up or put a new set of strings on when you arrive at your final destination to avoid causing long-term problems with the neck.
Whether or not you plan on checking your guitar, a humidifier for the case is also a good idea. The unpressurized hold can wreak havoc on fragile tonewoods and dry out your guitar's body and neck. Even in the pressurized cabin, the dry air can cause some negative side effects.
A humidifier is doubly important if you're traveling with an acoustic guitar. Keeping your guitar case regulated for temperature and humidity will make sure your instrument is ready to play as soon as you get out of the airport.
Even if you don't have the money to buy an extra seat for your guitar, there are a few things you can do when booking your flight to increase your chances of getting the guitar in the main cabin. Springing for priority boarding, for example, will guarantee there's more space in the overhead bins for you to place your guitar.
Another strategy is picking a seat at the back of the plane, which generally boards first. While this often makes for a long wait when it's time to get off the plane, sitting towards the back allows you to get on the plane before all of the overhead compartments have filled up.
Certain tips for the day of your flight can also help you navigate the airport safely with your guitar. Most importantly, you should avoid checking your guitar at the conveyor belt at all costs.
Even if you plan to check the instrument anyway, take it to the gate first — this will keep it in your hands for longer and save it from rough treatment on the conveyor belt with other checked luggage. Before you do this, make sure there's nothing in your case that security might confiscate.
If you want to carry your instrument on, try to make it appear as inconspicuous as possible. The smaller and lighter your guitar looks to airline staff, the less likely they are to pull you aside and ask that you check it with other luggage.
Once you make it on the plane, you can politely ask a flight attendant if you can leave your instrument in the closet space at the front of the aircraft. That is usually space reserved for the use of the crew, so it's essential to ask nicely and keep your cool. Leaving your guitar upfront ensures you don't have to fight for space in the overhead bins or try to stuff your guitar into an unstable position to keep it in the cabin.
In the event that a flight attendant does require you to check the instrument, a bit of politeness goes a long way. Keeping your cool and explaining your situation to the crew (especially if it's a particularly valuable or delicate model) can help you change their minds and get your guitar in the cabin anyway.
Even if an attendant does tag your guitar to be gate-checked, some players will hide the tag under their hand and try to carry the instrument on the plane anyway. It is, obviously, a strategy you attempt at your own risk — but playing dumb and taking the chance may pay off and allow you to keep your guitar in your control for the duration of the flight.
If you don't want to risk damaging your main guitar in a flight-related mishap, you can always choose an alternative strategy instead.
For short-term vacation or business trips where you won't play gigs with your guitar, a traveler's guitar can be a great way to keep your musical chops up without the hassle and stress of traveling with a full-size instrument.
Whether you choose a 3/4 size beginner's guitar that you don't mind damaging or go for an even more compact travel guitar that you can carry in a backpack, flying with a backup model keeps your main model out of harm's way. Check out our list of the best travel guitars for plenty of options.
If you do need your main guitar on your trip, you can always ship it via services like FedEx or UPS. While this might sound just as scary as flying with your instrument, shipping services have much more experience handling guitars than airline workers do, and ground travel is often less stressful on your axe itself than bringing it on a plane.
Shipping your guitar also gives you more opportunity to package it and ensure it will arrive at its final destination safe and sound. While this may cost more than checking it on a plane and will take longer to arrive, the peace of mind is easily worth the extra cash in many scenarios.
Flying is stressful enough for regular travelers; for guitarists, it's one of the most anxiety-inducing situations imaginable. Unfortunately, there's still no way to completely guarantee your guitar ends up untouched when flying — the nature of traveling involves certain risks, particularly for delicate musical instruments.
Following a few basic tips to safely package your axe and strategize your seat selection to get your guitar on the plane with you, however, can save you much of the headache flying with a guitar would normally cause.
While it may be a scary experience, flying with instruments is simply a part of life for many touring musicians. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to relax and try to remain as calm as you can throughout the experience.
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