British Airways discrimination against cellists

[londonmummy1966]

Before I start I will admit that this is very much a first world problem but it is still really annoying.

My Dds are going on a music tour in Europe this summer and they are flying with British Airways. Dd1 needs to take her cello with her which is not an immensely valuable instrument but as is the way with cellos it is still worth more than the £1000 maximum compensation BA would pay if it went in the baggage hold and got damaged. There are so many horror stories about what happens to cellos on flights. So the only option is to book an extra seat for the cello.

I thought this would be fine as DH has loads of airmiles so we could add Mr Cello to our family account with the BA and use the airmiles to pay for the extra seat. Apparently not - you can't use airmiles to buy a seat for a cello. So then I thought that we could use the airmiles to buy the seat for Dd and pay for the cello. Apparently also not. IF Dd was travelling minus cello that would be fine but apparently BA have a rule that a cellist travelling with their cello cannot book a flight with airmiles . I asked why not and was told it was because it is a faff for the airline to allocate two seats together. However, if Dd was just really fat and needed an extra seat for that reason she could have used airmiles.

AIBU or is BA just taking the proverbial with this? Its not as if dd is a professional cellist or anything - just a school kid who was really excited about being able to play abroad. Also what jobsworth at BA has so little to do they have had time to dream up all these complex rules for the fairly small number of people wanting to travel on airmiles with a cello?

[StrangeLookingParasite]

Oh god, the stuff of nightmares.

Heh, reminds me, I borrowed a friends (cheapish) cello, when I learned for a while. My husband was having a little go one night, I left the room, and heard this horrendous "sproinnnng" noise, ran back, saying (most unfairly) 'What have you done?'
The ageing string holding the tailpiece on had broken, so the whole string set-up, bridge, the lot, was vaguely in the vicinity of his neck.
He really hadn't done anything wrong, and it was easily fixed.

[DumbDailyMail]

😂 at anyone who thought that the OP was serious about the 'discrimination' comment.

I'm sure there was something about flying with musical instruments such as cellos on one of the radio consumer shows (maybe MoneyBox or You and Yours)

OP, YANBU. It does seem dumb that you can't book both seats with airmiles.

[londonmummy1966]

Thanks Sweary - I guess I asked for that joke - although I was expecting something along the lines of what do you call a baggage handler who trashes a viola (a public hero...) - but maybe viola jokes should be a separate thread?

Dumb/Manon - thanks for getting I wasn't entirely serious about discrimination. Having said that someone at BA has actually sat down and made a positive policy decision to prevent anyone traveling with a cello from ever using airmiles - what a waste of space they must be....

On the subject of lifestyle envy we really aren't rich - the tour means that we won't have a family holiday this year and we only have airmiles because DH travels a lot for work. Sadly they are compensation for having to ask DH whether or not to tell him if I went into labour when he was abroad rather than as a bonus for lots of 5 star holidays in the Caribbean................

[situatedknowledge]

Hope you get a workable solution OP.

[AnnieOnAMapleLeaf]

I was deleted?! Wahay!! I feel like one of the MN shit-stirrers! Pass me my feckin crown!

But really, why was I deleted when loads of others telling the OP to get a grip were not?

[StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine]

Lifestyle envy.

Nah. Some of us simply took up woodwind.

[akkakk]

Years ago I took a very large instrument worth c. 50k on a BA flight... Instrument was insured separately and was carried in the hold, we slapped a fragile sticker on it and it was taken by hand the whole way...

Could you insure its value in the hold through household or travel insurance?

[MangosteenSoda]

It's not just a BA thing. Cello discrimination is alive and well here in Hong Kong.

It was recently announced by the MTR (HK underground) that cellists wouldn't be able to travel with their instruments. They went as far as publishing a list of forbidden items. Cellos were on there along with pianos, helium balloons and durians.

Anyway, there was a bit of an outcry. The story made local news and radio and eventually the MTR backed down, allowing musicians (except pianists) to take their instruments on the train out of peak traveling hours. Maybe you need to escalate the story to Classical FM?

Hope your daughter does manage to get to her event with an in tact cello!

[Mummyme1987]

🤔

[BadLad]

YANBU to be feeling a bit down. I too would B flat. Major problems like this are no joke.

[Mummyme1987]

BA also damaged a ladies wheelchair and refused to pay for it. Not the best behaviour from an airline.

[Mummyme1987]

This would suggest get your own insurance as they may not pay out anyway.

[BadLad]

Do this if it breaks

[FullMoonTonight]

DS flew with his cello on a school trip. We booked a seat for "Mr Cello", DS boarded early with his cello (& the spike!) The flight was with Easyjet, and there was no fuss. All very smooth. Perhaps you're not using the best carrier!

[MissElizaBennettsBookmark]

Very much enjoying the puns!!

Don't put the cello in the hold. It will get wrecked...

Come on BA, sort yourselves out. The No Airmiles for cellists rule is rubbish- especially given the amount of travelling professional players do. My OH travels a lot for work and BA are flinging Airmiles at him left right and centre.

Thankfully my instrument is small enough for the overhead lockers. Don't get me started on American Airlines though....

[SandpitDreams]

I have to agree with the fustration op. Now try arranging flights for a cello, a harp and 2 unaccompanied minors. Now that would be fun!

[londonmummy1966]

Thanks for all the advice - insurance with Allianz and a BAM travel system plus fingers crossed seems to be the way forward.... Next time will try to fly with Easy Jet as they seem a bit more clued up generally- I guess they are all most musicians can afford to travel with.

Annieonamapleleaf - I can't see why you were deleted either - not exactly a spiteful comment - although a bit lacking in the sense of humor department perhaps?

[NewLife4Me]

Allianz are brilliant OP.

We have dds instruments insured through them and have had to claim twice, due to no fault of hers, I must add.
Dh also has his insured with them too, but has never had to claim. It is the one most pro musicians use, and the one I'd recommend.

[londonmummy1966]

Thanks NewLife - Allianz have been great with a very modest quote for a year's cover for flying and they also pointed out that she would need insurance for times when the cello is left in the unattended tour bus the other end which they also included. In the past we've been able to cover all the instruments (all 15 of them!) with a generous household contents insurer but this is bit beyond their remit. I'm going to get a second quote from Lark as they also have a specialist insurance that is well regarded and go with whichever is better.

For the various posters who are seeing cellos and aeroplanes on the horizon we have found one of the standard case manufacturers (BAM) makes a flight case to go over their normal cases and a number of the good music shops will hire them out to flying cellists. In fact the shop we bought dds cello from have offered to lend one to us for free...There are also a number of blogs on the internet about how to pack a cello for a flight - detuning the stings a little; padding around the bridge, tailpiece and fingerboard and marking the bridge position with an eyeliner pencil in case it shifts in transit. .... who knew it was that complicated!

[GreenMarkerPen]

are they travelling with the whole orchestra?
when my sister (teacher) travels with the orchestra they hire a container + extra insurance + one teacher and one pupil supervise packing and loading.

[GreenMarkerPen]

the container was one of those shaped plane containers.

[Lovewineandchocs]

Annie as far as I remember you referred to cellists as "rich tossers" albeit with strike through in place-perhaps that's why?

[nicolasixx]

Good luck OP - can totally see why you are fed up with this.

[londonmummy1966]

Greenmarkerpen - no there isn't a full orchestra - all the rest are singers so she is alone in needing a big instrument on the plane so no help with packing etc. Not sure I would want anyone else to pack the cello anyway

Annie - what is is about cellists that gets such a reaction? Are they different in your mind to pianists or fiddle players and if so why?

[ManonLescaut]

I wouldn't trust an instrument to the hold, however well packed. Those hold cases are all very well but however well you pad/prepare it, if it gets thrown around by the crew - and they do sometimes just throw stufff - it will impact it. I'm a violinist (not professional) and did a lot of travelling with groups when I was younger, I honestly don't think it's worth the risk.