Airlines & Gear? Nightmare?

[Yoni]

Originally Posted by juicemaster1500

be grumpy and do not tolerate any gay stewards giving you attitude, tell em to go fu'ck themselves.

This part is actually really bad advice. Any flight attendant or ground agent has the power to kick you off the flight with very little cause (obviously before you've taken off). All they have to do is tell the pilot you're causing a disruption and both the pilot and the airline will back them up 100%. You won't get your money back and you will have to pay again for another flight.

Another tip - if you come on a flight stinking of liquor they have the discretion not to let you on. Better to get wasted once you're in the air

[doug_hti]

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

Don't go large with the racks- the heavier it is, the more likely the airline will abuse it. Go with more bags that are lighter. As I said in my first post, I use Pellican cases almost exclusively (as do most of my colleagues in the film world here in LA). I make sure I have about an inch of foam on all sides of the delicate gear and the case can be abused beyond belief with the contents still remaining intact. The cases also have a lifetime guarantee on them so when the airline eventually mangles it, you can get a replacement.

--Ben

Pelican cases is all that I check as well.

You can get a custom polycarbonate rack shell (I had cabbagecases.com make me custom ones) that is very light to put 4-6 spaces of gear in. The shell is very light yet functional. Pelicans are very light. I drop this thin rack case inside the Pelican, surrounded by 1-2 inches of foam.

Once again, as Benjamin said, weight DOES NOT work in your favor. They will continuously drop it instead of lay it down from 6-20 inches on to belts.

Before I started using Pelican exclusively about 4 years ago, I would have more gear get damaged in shock mount cases then in the cheap SKB cases, because the SKB cases would take the blow. They would only last about 20 flights before their latches and frame rendered useless, but gear remained safer in some twisted way. However, I will never use either again.

[ozraves]

Everytime I hear the airline query I think of my old departed guitar teacher who'd check his 1954 Fender Stratocaster prototype which he always put in a tweed case when flying.