Having just returned from a few plane trips on my vacation to California, I am perhaps a little extra sensitive to carry-on luggage woes. Which is why I perked up when I received an e-mail today from the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada  rejoicing that Delta airlines has eased its restrictions regarding musical instruments, and will allow small instruments and guitars to be carried on, and extending allowances for checked luggage.

Here is the release:

New York, NY – The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, AFL-CIO (AFM) today applauded Delta Airlines’ recent decision to allow small musical instruments and guitars on board all flights.  The AFM urged all other airlines to immediately implement formal policies that allow musical instruments to be carried on board. Restrictions on carry-on items were tightened following 9/11. 

In response, the AFM lobbied Congress and the administration, seeking support for carry-on rules that reflected the value of musical instruments and the importance of allowing them on board.  The AFM’s efforts were successful in winning a formal statement from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allowing passengers to carry one musical instrument through security screening checkpoints in addition to the standard allotment of one carry-on and one personal item.    

Ultimately, most airlines allowed musicians to carry on their instruments.  But each airline is free to impose its own restrictions, and Delta continued to be the most restrictive. In 2006, AFM instituted an internal boycott that asked all of the union’s 100,000 members plus all local and international leadership not to fly the airline. 

Upon Delta’s announcement of its new policy allowing instruments on board, the union’s International Executive Board today voted to lift the boycott against Delta. “We’re extremely pleased that Delta has finally responded to the needs of our members and has instituted this policy,” AFM President Thomas Lee said.  “Delta’s refusal to allow people to bring their very delicate and often very expensive and irreplaceable instruments on board instead of having to check them has been a tremendous hardship for AFM members and all musicians.  We’re pleased that Delta recognized that these instruments are valuable possessions and should be treated that way, and we applaud their decision.”

In addition to its carry-on policy, Delta also improved its checked baggage policy.  Previously, Delta only accepted checked baggage that measured 80 linear inches or less with a weight limit of 80 pounds.  Checked items can now measure up to 120 linear inches and weigh up to 100 pounds, good news for musicians traveling with large instruments. 

“Other airlines have been more tolerant and helpful to musicians, and have been more lenient in allowing them to bring their instruments safely on board,” Lee continued.  “Our union now asks the other airlines to take a further step and adopt Delta’s carry-on and checked baggage policies for musical instruments.”

It never crossed my mind that this had been a problem, and the band geek in me is ashamed of that. I played the sousaphone in high school band, and among several excursions, we flew to Florida my senior year. I vaguely remember some instruments being allowed on board in that simpler time, as well as my band director's rather vivid warnings against playing instruments like clarinets in moving vehicles. (He painted a scenario in which a sudden stop of the band bus could send a clarinet mouthpiece through the roof of the hapless player's mouth and into her brain.  

Thankfully, that never happened on any of our trips. But for those of you who may scoff at the band geeks, bear in mind this peril.)

Having only just had this issue brought to my attention by its resolution, I have to join the musicians union in applauding Delta. A musical instrument is more valuable than its price tag might even indicate.