Just in: Musicians Union urges Government to force airlines to accept instruments

Just in: Musicians Union urges Government to force airlines to accept instruments

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norman lebrecht

February 10, 2012

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s change in US policy, the Musicians Union in Britain has called on the government to change the rules by which airlines can refuse to carry instruments, or put them in the hold.

‘For a working musician, the fee can mean the difference between a concert or gig making or losing money – and that’s without even counting the potential cost of a damaged instrument, said General Secretary John Smith.

No word yet from Ryanair. No printable word, that is.

Comments

  • Michael Scott says:

    That looks suspiciously like a screen grab from Dave Carroll’s wonderful set of videos on YouTube — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo — giving what for to United Airlines for breaking his guitar on the tarmac right before his eyes and then, not surprisingly, if not actually blaming HIM, denying culpability!

    Just giving credit where credit is due. But if it’s NOT a grab from United Breaks Guitars (or the subsequent two videos), my apologies. But while this blog mostly concentrates on “classical” music matters, it’s always nice to hear what the folkies in Canada are up to.

    MPS

  • I certainly would not like to have my precious instrument put into the hold of a plane where it could be damaged or sent on to a destination other than mine. Surely an instrument should be counted as a piece of hand luggage and not subject to extra charges?

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