Bad air day: KLM bumps cellist with two kids
OrchestrasThe Dutch flag carrier has lived up to national courtesy standards by refusing to board cellist Maja Bogdanović, her husband, violinist Daniel Rowland and their children aged one and three.
KLM officials said the cello seat had not been booked properly on the flight from Amsterdam to Belgrade.
Maja said: ‘Running through security and passport controls with cello and two kids is definitely no fun – at the end the check in desk let Daniel join us to fly, BUT.. wait, no-no, just before entering the bus, we couldn’t board… they let 6 people from standby list to get in.’
Doesn’t get much worse.
Well, was it booked properly? This is an accusation, not a story. KLM is not a fly-by-night or bucket shop airline.
It was absolutely booked properly, KLM representative even came to us and told us that
Then it sounds as if you are victim of a story known to all too many musicians in the last couple of decades — airline policy adhered to by the traveller (you) but overridden by some ground or flight crew staffer.
It is a common tale around here, and while a few travelling musicians have made errors in the confusing and changing policies of airlines they travel, notably Ryanair, most of the stories have the depressing sameness you report: musicians making painstaking inquiries as to what is allowed, double-checking in writing and sometimes over the phone, often carrying copies of written evidence of said policies, still being refused service by airline staff.
It is all very well to report it here, but with the fullest respect to Mr. Lebrecht and his wide readership, this is still a niche site, unknown to anyone outside the classical music circuit. It is a story that needs to be made public in major media, sourced by someone such as yourself, a professional in classical music.
If you know, or even know of, any reporters who will be able to dig out stories from your fellow musicians who have had trouble travelling with instruments — it would appear to be widespread — I urge you to get on to them. Until a problem is widely known, it is rarely solved.
There is a good story here for a reporter — even one of those consumer columnists — of corporate obstructionism. It will take some public exposure to force airlines into demanding that their under-trained, under-committed and probably underpaid ground staff, or their power-drunk flight crews, accept airline policy when it has been adhered to by passengers.
I’m sure if you got someone interested, they would have no problem finding plenty musicians with stories to tell. They could start by consulting Mr. Lebrecht, whose files are full of them.
Good luck.
You’re right but I haven’t reported this to mr Lebrecht, the strad published full story and Mr Lebrecht copied my complaint which I put on my Facebook. I am not in control of this article.
Thank you for advices and yes we need to stand up and fix these rules ……..
The Strad is much too niche also. It’s mainstream media you need.
This is very much a first-world problem, and you and other musicians may think big operators like the BBC or the major broadsheets are unlikely to be interested. But between 24-hour news cycles and digital publication and the need for media outlets to relieve readers and viewers from the horrors of the Middle East and Ukraine and other unhappy situations, there is room for a vigorous story about the difficulties of travelling musicians.
From simply reading this blog I have heard of dozens of artists who have faced such problems, and in Canada, where I live, I spoke to a few musicians who conformed that there were all sorts of problems travelling with instruments. I heard second-hand, not having met the man, that Pinchas Zukerman was asked to take the strings off his violin in the US somewhere as he travelled to a guest gig– a 1742 Guarneri del Gesu. (No idea if he ended up having to).
I daresay a canvas of some of your friends and colleagues could provide plenty of material, enough to interest a reporter or two. Or, failing that, enough for one of the artist-victims with the ability to write an articulate article and submit it to a publication. But, given the problems of a special pleading article. you’d be better with a pro.
Do national carriers thrive on
BAD PUBLICITY.
6 persons from standby list instead?! So they had at least 6 overbooked passangers! It seems simple, though, they decided to have problems with one family instead of 6. I doubt if it is about the cello, it seems to be only an excuse.