Since reporting last week, Air Canada has been on the defensive regarding an apparently discriminatory musical instrument baggage policy, which permits violins and guitars as carry-ons, but not violas.
Air Canada have since responded to our friends at Slipped Disc, saying they are aware of the discrepancy between violins and violas outlined in their baggage policy, and will be correcting the discrepancy soon.
“We are making changes and in the coming days it will be aligned with the policies for violins and guitars; our website will be updated when this is completed,” a representative for Air Canada stated.
This is certainly good news for violists, but what about the other discrepancies in Air Canada’s baggage policy, such as allowing baritone saxophones as carry-ons, but not french horns or trombones? The policy also makes reference to allowing only “folded” bassoons as carry-ons. Bassoons are made of solid-wood, and disassemble into pieces, but certainly do not “fold”.
The question is, has anyone at Air Canada bothered to consult an actual musician before implementing a policy that seems to have no basic understanding of musical instruments?
The Future of Music Coalition, a US-based advocacy group agrees, and has published an article outlining the efforts towards implementing an FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which would mandate that the FAA create uniform standards that all airlines must follow. These include the following:
1: Airlines must permit passengers “to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin, without charging the passenger a fee in addition to any standard fee that carriers may require for comparable carry-on baggage” if the instrument can be safely stowed in overhead bins and if there is room at the time the passenger boards.
2: For instruments that don’t fit in overhead bins (such as cellos), airlines must allow passengers to carry the instrument on board with the purchase of an extra ticket.
3: For larger instruments (still within applicable weight and size requirements), airlines must transport the instruments as checked baggage.
The FAA are still working on a final draft of the regulations.
Until then, it looks like musicians will need to keep resorting to workarounds like this one: (via)
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