American Airlines breaks guitars

American Airlines breaks guitars

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norman lebrecht

July 31, 2019

It’s not just United.

Read this from classical guitarist Jonathan Dotson:

Coming home from Madrid yesterday I witnessed a young man, probably no older than 15, in tears as his brand new, handmade classical guitar was destroyed by the airline on its maiden voyage home. I had to catch my connection and get through customs so I couldn’t stick around to find out the outcome but I did advise the boy’s father to be persistent, and that there are federal laws protecting us from this type of disaster. Buena Suerte!#AmericanAirlines

Comments

  • anointed says:

    I feel for this young man. United Airlines did it before American. Not sure if it is a hard case. I would insist on taking it in the cabin.

    • Mr. Knowitall says:

      Insisting often doesn’t work. In spite of an attempt at insisting, I just flew Europe to the USA with my (traveling) concert guitar in the hold.

  • Jim says:

    Was the case adequate ? Its always easy to blame someone else

  • Mr. Knowitall says:

    That’s not the actual instrument, is it? The instrument in the photo is a flamenco guitar in a cheap foam case.

  • Kolb Slaw says:

    I wonder if, being new, it might have blown itself apart due to changes in air pressure because the glues were not properly dried… It doesn’t look like impact to me, but blowing out from within. If the glues failed, the pressure on the sounding board would cause it to separate in such a fashion.

  • Mr Martyn B Smith says:

    Was it in the hard case, locked? And was the case damaged? ?

  • Eazcar says:

    Buy and extra seat to accommodate your guitar, that way u dont occupied other passanger bin space!!

  • Fro says:

    If I was him I would want the airline company to pay for a new guitar to be made

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