Tips for Flying with my '08 4003

[Rickenhands]

Greetings!

I'll be on a short flight next month (~1.5 hours), and it's my first time flying with my Ric. I've flown with my other bass many times (custom bolt-on fretless), but I'm wondering if there's something special I should so with the Ric when flying (adjust string tension, etc...). I have an iGIG case for traveling, which is awesome and fits the Ric nicely (otherwise my Ric is in its Ric case).

Cheers and thanks for the tips! Peace.

[heinpete]

I think your primary problem will be, where your bass is, when you are sitting in the plane???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo[/youtube]

[rickenbrother]

Leave your stings tuned. Make sure your bass cannot move in it's case. Secure it with cotton cloths around the body if you have to.
See if they will allow you to at least walk your bass all the way to the airplane if they won't let you take it in the cabin. Then someone will take it from you on the jetway and give you a voucher for it so you will get it back the same way when you arrive at your destination. Let one of the flight attendants know about your situation during the flight so she can call the baggage handlers so they don't accidentally put your bass with the rest of the luggage.

[Rickenhands]

Thanks much, Joey. Good to know about the strings.

[gibsonlp]

You have to be very assertive with the ground crew, when you are asked how many bags - count only your real luggage so the agent will KNOW you are not going to check in your bass, act as if it's completely natural to bring it on-board with you. From my experience it works in most cases, if it doesn't and the agent asks about the bass just say it fits the overhead bins and that you are not going to check it in as it will most likely will break.
If the agent persists say "It's a $5000 bass, it fits in the bins and I am not going let your throwers handle it, if you wish - I am willing to gate check it". After that just take it with you and DON'T gate check it, if a flight attendant says it's too big - ask to see the purser and tell him/her that it's a very expensive instrument, that the finish will most likely crack from the temperature even if you gate check it and that it should fit the overhead bins while still allowing other passengers to put their luggage on it without any problems and that in the worst case - it will easily fit the business class coat hanger (exists only on large planes afaik).
If the purser still won't allow you in with the bass - this is when you are playing hardball with the purser: Say you are not going to board the plane, your luggage is already onboard and the purser is now left with 2 options: let you in with your bass or delay the takeoff which might be REALLY expensive for his company, depending on how fast will they locate your luggage (not that fast) and in the amount of connection flights they will have to reroute, if they have business class connections they might need to purchase tickets in other companies to let their business class passengers arrive without waiting for their next flight, in other words - a very messy alternative, he is most likely will just let you in at this point. Just make sure it's legal in the country/state you are in before you play this card all the way...
I never got to this point and this is only a theorized escalation, use with caution and be reasonable - if there is really no room for you guitar - there is no room for your guitar...!

Some planes are NOT guitar friendly such as the 777 - each door opens a separate bin, in 747, 737 and many other planes - each bin has 2 doors so you open them both and a long bass would fit with no issues, try to plan your flight accordingly. The 777 DOES have a business class coat hanger and also a separate cabin for the crew for sleeping, if they are nice enough they could put it there. I read that MD-88 and any airbus plane are guitar friendly as well.
Remember, all it takes is assertiveness but always remain calm and nice and smile often! Social engineering is the key.

[johnallg]

Very good advice Gil. Thanks for your wisdom. I'm saving it in a text file.

[gibsonlp]

Np, I am glad my experience could help others.
I flew my 366/12 from LA to NY (economy - jet blue) and then from NY to Tel Aviv (economy - ElAl)
my 4001 from Vienna to Tel Aviv (business - ElAl)
my 4003/FL from London to Tel Aviv (economy - ElAl)
and I had a friend flying over my 365 from NY to Tel Aviv (economy - continental).

When flying business class there is a VERY low chance anyone would argue with you for more than a second, the ONLY time I had issues was my first flight, the ground crew said I couldn't take the guitar with me onboard and we sattled on putting it in a VERY thin nylon case and put it in the overhead bin, I am still thankful my 366/12 didn't get damaged, when I think about it in retrospect I feel like an idiot as I should have followed my own instructions, but they did not exist back then
Later this week when I flew with ElAl from JFK to TLV I had the purser approach me asking me to gate check it, it is then when I understood I need to let him know I am not going to give in, I knew that my luggage is already loaded and he will NOT delay the plane letting me stay on the ground for a guitar so I just played my part, and he allowed me in (I will update my previous guide accordingly, this is an important point I forgot to mention).
I flew 2 more basses myself and had instructed a friend how to carry my 365 without any issues (the basses fitted nicely in the overhead bins and my friend had a stewardess put the 365 in the business class coat hanger which is the best option as it means nothing is "sitting on it")

[Rickenhands]

Excellent stuff. Thanks, all, for the tips.

[whojamfan]

DON'T use the plastic RIC case to check it in as luggage. If you are going that route, spring for an ATA flight case(not cheap) and then check it(not cheap). Gils advice is great, and using a different case is a great move, imho. I had a tour in Europe several years ago where I convinced the bass player to get the 4003 over the Pbass(he was on the fence), and when we arrived in Amsterdam, a big hole had been broken out directly over the bridge. The instrument was ok, but the case was toast. The guy then looks at me like it was my fault
My point is not to slag the RIC SKB cases, just to make people aware not to be fooled in to thinking these are flight worthy. These are fine for loading up the vehicles and going to gigs and such that way, but you're really risking your instrument in using them as check in baggage on commercial flights. Others here may have had better results with the cases in that application, but I feel I should add this to hopefully keep this, or something worse, from happening to someone else.
If you have no other choice, try putting the case in the box(es) it was shipped to you in, as added protection, before going to the airport. You still have those, right?