Topic: accordion in carry on luggage (Read 6214 times)

Jimbo · « **on:** January 28, 2015, 03:03:05 PM »

Hey Folks
I am planning to fly United from Canada to the U.S. and bring my Cajun accordion with me in my carry on luggage. I have reviewed the airline's baggage policy and this seems like it should be ok since the accordion meets the size restrictions. Anyone know anything I'm missing or should be aware of? Thanks in advance. Jimbo

chris obrien · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2015, 03:19:07 PM »

I have taken a hohner pokerwork to Thailand as hand luggage ,and back again,i had no problem,i just told them,
what was in the bag,
and I will be taking it with me again next month
traveling with eva air

TomB-R · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2015, 03:28:36 PM »

Never had any problems through Birmingham (UK) and Dublin airports with one or two concertinas in my carry on bag. B'ham sometimes have a look, Dublin normally recognise the x-ray (with a bit of head-tilting!) The only other thing I can think of is that it might be good to be confident about taking an end off in case they want to look inside the bellows.

squeezy · « **Reply #3 on:** January 28, 2015, 03:42:04 PM »

I've always managed to get my box on the plane as hand luggage provided the case is the right size ... taking it through security can be a bit tricky sometimes if the people on the scanner don't understand what all the metal bits inside are.

Also - I once had my concertina checked at Birmingham airport as a random check soon after it had been fettled at Steve Dickinson's ... the substance scanner alarm went off and the security guards began to get quite flustered ... apparently it registered as containing TNT ... possibly one of the cleaning thinners? Anyway ... they finally lent me a screwdriver and let me dismantle the concertina to show them it wasn't full of explosives - but I nearly missed my flight.

Graham Spencer · « **Reply #4 on:** January 28, 2015, 03:56:21 PM »

I've taken my box over a good deal of Europe as cabin luggage with no problems. It occasionally gets pulled out at the X-ray and whizzed over with the "magic wand", and once or twice I've been asked to play it, but never any real issues.

Graham

ocajun · « **Reply #5 on:** January 28, 2015, 05:57:58 PM »

Some German airports have a device that "hoovers" your bellows to detect something or other - possibly the explosive fettling substances mentioned above. This takes time but has only been a problem once when I had to get from one end of Frankfurt to the other for a connection.
Rod

pikey · « **Reply #6 on:** January 28, 2015, 06:43:13 PM »

Graham , did you play 'coming in on a wing and a prayer ' ?

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #7 on:** January 28, 2015, 08:03:14 PM »

.
Never put one in the hold. If you don't know why just watch them
unload a few and count how many bags miss the conveyor or trolly!

Cheapo airlines can have very small size limits. but most melodeons
including 2 of my 3-rows fit(ted) in there when in soft over shoulder
gig bags. You can get a weekend's shirts in there too

I've only been asked to open up twice. A quick once look in Helsinki
and a thorough «c'est que c'est?» in, believe it or not, Paris

syale · « **Reply #8 on:** January 29, 2015, 03:17:05 AM »

I do it all the time. I flew from Newfoundland to TX 3 times last year. The 2nd time I had a 2915 and a HA-114 in carry on luggage via United. Normally I just take my HA-114. Last time they asked for volunteers to check their carry-on's because of a full flight. I refused and explained I had musical instruments in the case, she nodded and I walked on. Never in the last 2 years have I had to open the bag after the scanner.

Stephen

Rob2Hook · « **Reply #9 on:** January 29, 2015, 03:49:28 PM »

I used to work on a system that did analysis like that. The problem is that the machines do a sort of triage, indicating that they've found something that might be explosive. We found that using liquid soap on your hands could contaminate a sample and give indications - nothing at all to do with the thing being sampled!

I've also flown quite a few times with a box and it has caused some hilarity when going through the x-ray machine. Never yet been asked to strip one down, but have been asked to make it sound. My limited understanding of quick fire German discussions suggested that the Customs officers were placing bets as to what it was - money changed hands at the end. Typewriter seemed to come out tops.

Rob.

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #10 on:** January 29, 2015, 04:32:12 PM »

I have been leapt on by two (very) burly Special Branch men, and searched everywhere (and I do mean 'everywhere') when my motorbike keys set off an alarm after going under a strange square door like thing into what was (as it happened) the first party congress after IRA's valiant attempt to blow up Mrs Thatcher (AFAIR 1985). I didn't even play the bloody melodeon at the time!

Modern airport stuff is, well, mild in comparison … and you don't have the fun of watching your ordeal on the 9 o'clock news that evening

Graham Spencer · « **Reply #11 on:** January 29, 2015, 07:21:28 PM »

Quote from: Rob2Hook on January 29, 2015, 03:49:28 PM

Typewriter seemed to come out tops.

Oh, yes - many times......

Stiamh · « **Reply #12 on:** January 29, 2015, 09:06:19 PM »

Probably not relevant to Cajun accordions but you never know... do NOT take an instrument, or indeed any object, across the US border if it has any components made of ivory. You will probably lose it.

Not long ago my friendly local luthier sent out a circular warning customers not to try to take fiddle bows with ivory tips at the head (which almost all old bows will have) into the US. This is due to president Obama asking customs officers to strictly enforce existing prohibitions on the import of materials on the CITES list of endangered species. There have been quite a few unfortunate misunderstandings, including one involving some lads travelling to a Scots piping competition whose valuable antique pipes were confiscated and, presumably, destroyed.

alexalexander · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2015, 06:56:55 PM »

Quote from: Stiamh Jones on January 29, 2015, 09:06:19 PM

Probably not relevant to Cajun accordions but you never know... do NOT take an instrument, or indeed any object, across the US border if it has any components made of ivory. You will probably lose it.

Not long ago my friendly local luthier sent out a circular warning customers not to try to take fiddle bows with ivory tips at the head (which almost all old bows will have) into the US. This is due to president Obama asking customs officers to strictly enforce existing prohibitions on the import of materials on the CITES list of endangered species. There have been quite a few unfortunate misunderstandings, including one involving some lads travelling to a Scots piping competition whose valuable antique pipes were confiscated and, presumably, destroyed.

It's not just the ivory. Some woods that were used for old bows are also on the list and unless you have a certificate showing that it is antique and already acknowledged as importable you could end up losing it also.

Ebor_fiddler · « **Reply #14 on:** January 31, 2015, 10:22:15 AM »

Potty, completely potty.

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #15 on:** January 31, 2015, 10:40:35 AM »

These links are interesting and provide some guidelines and waymarks through the murk of understanding (and mis-understanding) of the issue of old ivory, especially in antique instruments.

http://americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/travel-with-instruments/endangered-species-material/ivory-ban-impact-on-orchestras.html
http://americanorchestras.org/images/stories/adv_gov_pdf/SYMPHONYIvory.pdf

It is clear that all the issues affecting musicians have not been thought through. It is further compounded by different rules in different countries.

Matthew B · « **Reply #16 on:** January 31, 2015, 12:20:32 PM »

I travel across the Atlantic for work regularly and so far have not had any issue. I usually have a laptop as my carry-on and the melodeon as my "personal item". No issues with security or the airline, though I do have to play a bit sometimes to demonstrate what the instrument does. Last year I played a bit for the security people. Then they went off to get some other security people and the security supervisor and I had to play a bit more. It was a slow day at security I think.

Johnniez · « **Reply #17 on:** May 16, 2016, 05:37:40 PM »

Hi all

With all you folks going on planes with a 114 in a bag you all sound experienced so where better place to ask this question , right?

What makes of case or bag do you folks use ?

Fairly thick padding?

anything else.

I don't plan on traveling on a plane but do what a safe comfy padded box or bag to transport from place to place..

tnx
Johnnie

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2016, 06:50:47 PM »

Simple thin walled, I don't intend to drop it!

You can get a weekend's shirts in front of the keyboard too, and have no luggage at all. I did this for the recent Scandi squeeze in, undies socks and toothbrush in my Berber pockets.

But the BIG ISSUE in this is not to consign your precious box to the hold, and the gorilla crew who move the bags. Be aware that some airlines have very small test cages, eg Ryanair

Also that paying £15 for priortiy boarding , including bigger carry on space may be a good idea. It depends on the airline.

Something in my [edit 2012 vintage!] van der Aa triggers a pop up on the sniffer/Xray. it's been swabbed as ?explosives twice. The other box - no problem except it won't fit Ryanair's budgie size cage.

Jack Campin · « **Reply #19 on:** May 17, 2016, 01:19:50 AM »

Some old boxes have shells made of nitrocellulose.

For those, if they set off a detector, it's doing its job, and you should NOT be trying to take them on a plane in the first place. They're as dangerous as an incendiary bomb if they meet a source of ignition.

News:

Author Topic: accordion in carry on luggage (Read 6214 times)