How one budget airline makes you fly
mainNorwegian recently agreed to allow stringed instruments on board their aicraft. But they won’t let you store them in overhead lockers.
This is how viola player Asbjørn Nørgaard of the Danish String Quartet was forced to accommodate his instrument during takeoff and landing.
The Quartet’s caption: Asbjørn struggling to find space for his viola case between his legs as he is not allowed to put it in the overhead compartment despite new rules for instruments in the cabin.
Shocking and unsafe.
Why won’t they allow the cases in the overhead lockers if there’s room?
As for the “shocking and unsafe” bit, considering that airlines ask parents to hold their up to two year old child on their lap in a similar fashion if they didn’t buy a seat for the child, I guess Asbjørn was merely asked to hold his “baby” during takeoff and landing.
I suspect many musicians would prefer this arrangement over the risk of having their instrument destroyed by baggage handlers.
This is clearly not ideal though.