Flute Police
Oct 6, 2015, 3:46 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 574
Flute Police
http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/...utist-airport/
But today a power-hungry agent decided to mess with me and said my flute headjoint needed to be removed from its case and run thru the X-ray LOOSE in a bin.”
“I said this was absolutely not an option, despite three supervisors assuring me my flute made of gold ‘would be fine’ rattling around in a bin. And when I insisted that this was not, in fact, 'standard procedure' and closed the case so they wouldn’t damage it, they called the Chicago Police department to have me removed from the airport.”
Schmitz was then fully searched by the police, while the flute itself was wrapped in nothing more than paper towels as it was scanned.
But today a power-hungry agent decided to mess with me and said my flute headjoint needed to be removed from its case and run thru the X-ray LOOSE in a bin.”
“I said this was absolutely not an option, despite three supervisors assuring me my flute made of gold ‘would be fine’ rattling around in a bin. And when I insisted that this was not, in fact, 'standard procedure' and closed the case so they wouldn’t damage it, they called the Chicago Police department to have me removed from the airport.”
Schmitz was then fully searched by the police, while the flute itself was wrapped in nothing more than paper towels as it was scanned.
Oct 6, 2015, 4:10 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 461
I like this whinny story about the Guarneri. I wonder if that's the same fiddle Maurice Minnifield hired Cal to give the once over.
Put your kazoo in the damn dog bowl and get out of my way. You're blocking the bloody line.
Put your kazoo in the damn dog bowl and get out of my way. You're blocking the bloody line.
Oct 6, 2015, 4:16 am
#3
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Blimey, musicians, TSA, valuable instruments, well it's just asking for trouble isn't it. Every violin player is like their instrument in my experience, highly strung ! 
Oct 6, 2015, 7:51 am
#6
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If the instrument needs to travel with you in the cabin, then you need to either get it a seat, or, alternatively, at very least pay a little bit extra to get priority boarding, to ensure there's space. Also, I'm almost certain that any violin case is going to be too large for the sizer, so anytime she's carrying it on, she's technically getting an exception.
ETA: As chollie correctly pointed out, the last sentence is simply wrong. Not deleted for purposes of posterity.
Last edited by cestmoi123; Oct 7, 2015 at 7:33 am Reason: chollie pointed out the error in my last sentence
Oct 6, 2015, 8:29 am
#7
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I can certainly understand why someone wouldn't want their instrument to go into checked baggage, but to demand that the flight attendants try to rearrange bags and inconvenience dozens of other passengers is absurd.
If the instrument needs to travel with you in the cabin, then you need to either get it a seat, or, alternatively, at very least pay a little bit extra to get priority boarding, to ensure there's space. Also, I'm almost certain that any violin case is going to be too large for the sizer, so anytime she's carrying it on, she's technically getting an exception.
If the instrument needs to travel with you in the cabin, then you need to either get it a seat, or, alternatively, at very least pay a little bit extra to get priority boarding, to ensure there's space. Also, I'm almost certain that any violin case is going to be too large for the sizer, so anytime she's carrying it on, she's technically getting an exception.
Wrong. The rule enacted in 2012 says otherwise. If a musical instrument can fit somewhere in the cabin, the airlines must try to accommodate it - assuming the space is available. In this instance, the only thing the musician did 'wrong' was try to board too late, after all available cabin space was taken.
Priority boarding (or first class) do absolutely nothing for you if you arrive to the airport late or your connection is delayed.
Oct 6, 2015, 10:21 am
#8
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(bolding mine)
Wrong. The rule enacted in 2012 says otherwise. If a musical instrument can fit somewhere in the cabin, the airlines must try to accommodate it - assuming the space is available. In this instance, the only thing the musician did 'wrong' was try to board too late, after all available cabin space was taken.
Priority boarding (or first class) do absolutely nothing for you if you arrive to the airport late or your connection is delayed.
Wrong. The rule enacted in 2012 says otherwise. If a musical instrument can fit somewhere in the cabin, the airlines must try to accommodate it - assuming the space is available. In this instance, the only thing the musician did 'wrong' was try to board too late, after all available cabin space was taken.
Priority boarding (or first class) do absolutely nothing for you if you arrive to the airport late or your connection is delayed.
https://www.transportation.gov/sites...nstruments.pdf
Oct 6, 2015, 10:51 am
#9
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A musicians tools are important to them and in many cases extremely valuable. Without them no performance. No one should ever place valuable things in checked luggage. Here's a case where the performer did and the outcome.
Results from the video on United's stock price?
http://www.fastcompany.com/1320152/b...ne-180-million
There are two later videos by Dave Carroll worth watching found at:
http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/music/ubg/
For a TSA screener to require a traveler to place the headjoint of a flute in an unprotected bin is unacceptable. A visual inspection would have satisfied any security concerns.
Results from the video on United's stock price?
http://www.fastcompany.com/1320152/b...ne-180-million
According to the Times of London, "...within four days of the song going online, the gathering thunderclouds of bad PR caused United Airlines' stock price to suffer a mid-flight stall, and it plunged by 10%, costing shareholders $180 million. Which, incidentally, would have bought Carroll more than 51,000 replacement guitars."
http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/music/ubg/
For a TSA screener to require a traveler to place the headjoint of a flute in an unprotected bin is unacceptable. A visual inspection would have satisfied any security concerns.
Oct 7, 2015, 7:28 am
#11
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Oct 9, 2015, 8:06 am
#12
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I like this whinny story about the Guarneri. I wonder if that's the same fiddle Maurice Minnifield hired Cal to give the once over.
Put your kazoo in the damn dog bowl and get out of my way. You're blocking the bloody line.
Put your kazoo in the damn dog bowl and get out of my way. You're blocking the bloody line.
Oct 9, 2015, 2:07 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: KSUX
Posts: 906
Yeah sometimes the hypocrisy here makes me shake my head and laugh. I have sympathy for the musician for the same reasons why I refuse to check my electronics and camera gear.