Pilot throws cellist off his flight
NewsThe Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia is feeling aggrieved after the captain of a Copa Airlines flight refused to let his instrument into the cabin – even though Santiago had booked business seats for himself and the cello.
The soloist, a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, was flying from Bogota to Caracas at the weekend to perform a Saint-Saens concerto.
Hours later, he messaged: ‘Unfortunately Copa Airlines airline has dropped me off my flight this morning. Sadly all my activities in Venezuela are postponed, thanks to the ignorance, disrespect and stubbornness of this airline! I don’t recommend any musician using it!’
Copa Airlines is a Panamanian budget carrier, a member of the Star Alliance. I’d take it off your bucket list.
Airlines have learned nothing since Covid.
I agree that the airlines have learned nothing from COVID, although I’d not limit the lack of learning to airlines, I’d opt for a much larger circle of businesses. They all are denying that people want to, need to, and ought to be treated differently, not reverently, not condescendingly, but in a more humane way.
My goodness, he had tickets for himself and his cello. Unless he was a complete a** at check-in or troublesome in the cabin then this should not have happened.
Airlines have been nasty to musicians who have the right to take their instruments on the plane Especially ifthey paid for the seat.This is not the first time it’s happened .I recommend do not use these airlines.
Copa is NOT a budget airline It is the flagship Panamanian airline I have flown with them for many years I am sure there is more to this story They are a great airline
There must be more to this story. Maybe he was rude or drunk?
That’s a little presumptuous, Dietmar.
As a cellist myself, this is the kind of treatment we routinely receive from airlines. Copa airlines almost kicked me and my cello off a flight, this is despite having 2 seats according to their policies. The staff and captain were unaware of their own rules – which are clearly displayed on their website. It took a long and stressful conversation to convince them to let me stay. I’m sorry to hear that Santiago was less fortunate.
There’s ALWAYS some moron here who puts the “burden of proof” on the customer. I’d hate to be YOUR customer. Do you also blame rape victims for dressing a certain way, etc.?
I’ll bet there’s more to the story than just that.
Nope, people enjoy being a holes to musicians, probably jealousy.
Check out his Bach During Lockdown videos on Youtube. He is a fantastic cellist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MPLlfXi5h4
Of course there is more to this story, otherwise all he would have had to do is point to the company rules. In these cases it is almost always the musician who has not read the small print but feels entitled to be treated differently.
One possibility is that Copa stipulates that the seat booked for the instrument has to be a window seat.
Clive, I guarantee you that Santiago knows the rules better than any airline employee he may have come into contact with. He travels with his cello on airplanes all over the world all the time. What an arrogant comment… I am a cellist who has flown many times. It’s always a shit show, and always because the airlines don’t know their own policies.
Yes, you are quite right Clive. There’s always another side of the story isn’t there? What about the possibility that his cello was stuffed full of cocaine? Maybe he had been groping one or more of the flight attendants. Perhaps the cello case contained a couple of machine guns. Maybe he had forged tickets. Perhaps he was the subject of an international arrest warrant. Maybe the cello, or at least the bow, was stolen. Maybe he hadn’t washed for three weeks and smelled so foul that other passengers objected. Perhaps he was travelling on a false passport. Anything other than the fact that a snotty jobsworth (whose wife may have left him for a cellist?) wanted to throw his weight around and make Santiago’s life a misery.
Are you a travelling cellist, Clive? I am, and I can assure you that professional cellists are extremely diligent about checking the rules regarding bringing our instruments on board.
All cellists know the instrument needs to be in a window seat.
Despite following all the rules we often still encounter obstruction from cabin crew, who at times don’t understand their own policies. Some airlines are much better than others, I have had positive and negative experiences with Copa – depends on the crew that day.
Flying with our instruments is an expensive and stressful part of the job – I empathise with Santiago as we cellists have all been there.
Insinuations from commentators that Santiago was drunk, rude, or entitled are neither fair nor helpful.
To all of you saying there must be more about the story: Yes, there is. He was already sitting inside the plane with his cello on its seat and got expelled because the captain just wanted to, he showed the company rules to him as well but even so, he was denied travel.
Santiago is one of the most respectful and calm people you would meet and what the captain did to him was just arrogance and ignorance impulsed, and not only a concert but a masterclass was also cancelled due to this irresponsible decision. You can go to his social media to get to know the story, and also check Copa’s social media to see its comment section when it’s attitude to customers critics. Shameful!
At least someone told the whole story on this thread. The only other detail to add is that he actually showed the company rules to the attendants, not the captain; the captain refused to speak with him about the matter and just stayed in the cockpit.
So glad I only play(ed) the piano and was never reduced to submitting to a window seat for it.
Not sure what Covid has to do with this, airlines have been doing this to cellists for quite a while. Remember how Lynn Harrell got banned from Delta’s frequent flyer program?
To those who begin (or end) their comments with “there must be another side to this”:
Why are you so eager to take the side of petty authority? And find it so easy to be disrespectful to musicians?
Why must you be a priori suspicious of a cellist’s word? And, in the same breath, imply that small bureaucrats and an authoritarian airplane captain must be right all the time?
Authority-worship, I guess? How sad (and dangerous).
I’m fortunate such a thing has never happened to me; if I have purchased a seat for the instrument and followed the rules, the airline has also followed the rules and allowed me to travel. Even budget airlines. So I’m curious in such cases what happens afterwards. Does the airline reimburse your money? Ban you from flying with them in the future?
The EXACT same thing happened to me when I boarded with my Steinway D.
Absolutely unacceptable, these airlines have no idea whatsoever on how to treat passengers. If I sound discriminating, I apologize , but I do believe a Cellist is definitely not the type of person who could be accused of ill manner or drunkenness, the Cello paid it seat, it must have been seated. I flew Avianca from San Jose Costa Rica to LA and was served WATER IN FIRST class, these airlines must disappear!
Publicity stunt? Or perhaps the pilot was merely tired of insipid, schooled playing. Maybe he was making a statement against the now ubiquitous, entitled, metrosexual classical fartists like this creature who have never lived other than coddled, meaningless lives sipping lattes and looking pensive. That’s it; the pilot was saying to those who, like Santiago, have nothing to say musically (other than glib regurgitations of actual artists or aping what their little teachers told them to do): “No. This will not fly any more.”