Things that airline staff want you to know...

[FlyMayBe]

If you bring the wrong passport to the airport, you will not be allowed to fly on an international flight.

No, the captain will not hold the aircraft for you while you wait for your relative to bring the correct passport in a taxi.

Lost your passport in the airport? Nope. You still can't fly - unless it is a domestic flight and you have reliable photo ID.

I took baby wipes and domestos wipes in my last flight as I need to wipe seats down as dd has a nut allergy. No one said anything. I assume they are allowed. They were travel size packets.

All those who don't fly often and seem unaware of the security rules... how???

yes, how?
when you book a flight you receive clear instructions in the confirmation email (or the info pack from the travel agent).
and numerous email reminders.

my conclusion is that some people are just stupid.

I think people who get to the front of the queue unprepared should be made to go to the back of the queue rather than hold up everyone else.

No, oh I'll miss my flight or my kid needs changing/entertaining I couldn't possibly.

If its that important you'd have read the signs/known what to do already.

If they miss their flight as a result, then its an expensive lesson but they might pay attention next time.

I flew on 3 different aircraft on Saturday/Sunday. Security each time wanted different things in/out/on/off.

Fine for the confident and not hard of hearing. Not so for the people who aren't.

If you're hard of hearing or have other issues there is a scheme in many airports worldwide being adopted. They give you a green lanyard with a sunflower on. It's meant to alert airport staff that you have a hidden disability or many need assistance.

@FlyMayBe,
LOVE the 'Mr Cello' thing. We're looking into double cases.. Problem has arisen as she plays both violin and viola.

I've never considered wet wipes a liquid and never put them in the plastic bag.

What is it about airport security that makes you think you have a ton of drugs on you even though you dont take them and no one has been near you

@MidniteScribbler

Hi again,
Not asking for freebies, just how best to transport two instruments. If extra space in addition to the airline's allocation is required we will of course be paying. Oh, and also, NOT a hobby. DD flying to professional engagement. That's all.

@Bunchofparsley I'll admit that I'm a bit sensitive. I fly with dogs a lot, and of course, I always have to pay extra for them to be flown. The day that I paid over $800 extra for my dogs to travel on my flight (plus the extra $1400 for new crates I'd had to buy three months earlier because the airlines changed the rules about what sort of crates you can use), then got to the boarding gate and was told that I have to check my laptop bag because there was an orchestra onboard with their instruments taking up the locker space, was a pretty dark day for me. I can't understand why I have to spend a fortune for my live animals, whilst some musicians think their instruments means they should take up valuable cabin space without paying for it.

Those scanners don't exactly 'see you naked' though. I've been through those.

*Midnite
*
To be fair, it's not poorly-paid musicians that make up the rules. They just do their best to abide by them. Not always easy when staff on some airlines don't know their own rules, something I know only too well.

(Disclaimer - I trained at a conservatoire and still tour professionally with orchestras when I can get the time off. )

I can report that I had no problems with Delta, KLM, Turkish Airways, China Southern and EasyJet. Flybe are argumentative about instruments in the cabin.British Airways? Forget it!!

Last time I flew to China there were 2 full orchestras aboard. One British and one Hungarian. You can imagine the chaos...

But near enough for some people not to like them and to have caused concerns about people of the opposite sex monitoring them.

Re the dogs - if there are live animals in the hold, the pilot has to turn on the heating in the hold so that the poor animals don't freeze

@MidniteScribbler
Ah, I did wonder why this seemed to irk you. No worries.
If it's any consolation, literally no musician I know has EVER been able to use more than their allocated space without paying for it. . My DD is in a couple of ensembles and the cellists always have to pay for an extra seat which they do at the time of booking. If there's a problem with checking violins/violas, musicians will generally put the case in the hold and sit with the instrument on their lap. This may seem extraordinary, but it's not only the fragility of the instrument and cost which makes it so valuable to the performer, the instrument itself, at least for string players represents all the expenses one might associate with running a small business over a lifetime... start up costs, premises etc.
Sorry about the rubbish treatment you received from your airline - definitely name and shame?!
And I can imagine things were a bit squished on your flight, you have my sympathies there!

Another tip....

When boarding, have your boarding pass and your passport ready, with the photo page open. Boarding pass on your phone? Have it ready, don't get to the gate then spend ages farting around scrolling through various screens. Paper boarding pass? Please open it ready, don't hand it over folded

My own personal bugbear? The lead passenger who hands over 29 unopened passports and one phone. Aaaarrrrggghhh!! (This happened to me last week)

Re the dogs - if there are live animals in the hold, the pilot has to turn on the heating in the hold so that the poor animals don't freeze

Yes, after twenty years of flying dogs all over the world, I'm quite aware of making sure the pilot remembers to turn on the air in the hold. I've stood my ground at the boarding gate many times until I get confirmation of the air being turned on. I've also stood at the gates arguing when I've been told that my dogs were going to be offloaded because someone had bought musical instruments that were going to take up the hold space. I've stood there and argued when I've seen my dogs left on the tarmac in hot weather, and when I've seen them handling my dogs roughly. I've spent hours standing at airports waiting for animals to be arrive because they have been offloaded because of baggage.

What pisses me off is that an instrument is considered so precious that it can't possibly travel in the hold, but a live animal isn't as important and is charged at additional freight costs. I'm sorry, but your inanimate object should never take precedent over a live animal.

Midnite - disgusting that your poor dogs were offloaded to make room for baggage or instruments. If I had my way, domestic animals would be in the cabin too. But fragile instruments still can't go in the hold. The glue freezes and unsticks, cracks open up in the wood, and catastrophic breakages happen. 'Fragile' stickers don't count for anything I'm afraid.

My airline doesn't transport live animals in the hold. Service animals only, in the cabin.

an instrument can go in the hold. whenever I travelled with an orchestra we hired a shipping container. extra cost of course... and we supervised packing and loading. some instruments are very sensitive to temperature changes, and care needs to be taken or a livelyhood might be ruined.

baggage handlers often are rough with luggage. to drop a suitcase/pram/instrument from plane door to tarmac happens all the time.

@FlyMayBe
Arrgh don't! No alternative but British Airways this summer for one gig... hence my original question!
Already dreading the gate....

@MidniteScribbler I think (but maybe wrong) the precedent - if there is one-is decided by the orchestras needing to have their instruments to play professionally in a public concert. Its just their job. As Fly says, they really didn't make the rules.
Also, no-one is advocating animal cruelty.

Anyway, I'm sure you've thought of this but any rough handling if animals and I'd contact the airlines to complain - Twitter is your friend!

@greenelephantscarf
Not sure madam's quartet can quite stretch to hiring a shipping container. Not yet anyway, but we live in hope

Currently sat in T2 Manchester departures lounge... so far all staff.. check in, security, duty free... have been absolutely lovely and friendly... even though my husband stupidly forgot to take his liquids out of his hand luggage (I have no idea why he forgot, he flies several times a year 🙄) 😄

Crikey, just reading the thread back, you'd think that the sky was swarming with dark clouds of arsey violinists...

@honeyroar I wear the hidden disability lanyard and I fly twice a month solo with toddler DS. They make no allowances for me unfortunately. I have problems with my joints so I'm slow at picking up things in the trays etc.