‘Air France broke my cello’

The cellist Aristide de Plessis informs us:

A colleague of mine recently acquired a 200-year-old cello. She headed to Zurich from Johannesburg to do an audition. Being a student, she had no choice but to check it in as hold baggage as she could not afford a second seat from one hemisphere to another.

Not only did the airline lose her cello in Paris and deliver it to Zurich two days too late, the case was badly damaged with small chunks missing, and the fingerboard had completely fallen off. A closer inspection revealed a nasty, fresh crack on the top, which will devalue the instrument considerably.

The victim of the accident has asked to remain anonymous.

UPDATE: Credit to AirFrance. They contacted us within an hour and are handling the complaint.