Klarinet Archive - Posting 000268.txt from 2003/06
From: "Thiel, Mark" <mark.thiel@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] The low-C bass clarinet as carry-on, or Yes, you can take it with
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 11:39:55 -0400
Here's another take on the recurring theme of what to do with your bass
clarinet when you travel by airplane.
Last weekend I attended the Oklahoma U Clarinet Symposium. I wanted to take
my BC along and I _didn't_ want it bouncing around in the hold (or more
likely, bouncing around in the hold of the plane to Duluth or Saskatoon),so
I did some investigation of carry-on regulations. American Airlines specify
that carry-on luggage must have length + width + height less than or equal
to 45 inches. Can a Buffet 1193 fit in this space ? Well yes, just barely.
I made a simple plywood carry-on case with exterior dimensions 7" X 6.5" X
31". It worked well and I had no hassles, though I did get the full
treatment by security in St. Louis and unpacked it -- though they didn't let
me play it.
Some caveats:
A case this size can't provide the protection of the original case - there's
just not enough room for padding.
A case this long probably won't fit under a seat, so you need to get an
overhead bin.
Airlines and the security people don't necessarily pay any more attention to
rules than passengers do. I printed off the web page that said the l+w+h <=
45" was allowed though I didn't need to argue with anyone. The regulations
do also state that they can take carry-on bags away from you for just about
any reason they feel like.
The l+w+h <= 45" allowance only applies on American Airlines and a couple
others. A more typical restriction is a maximum size of 22" x 14" x 8". An
impossibility for a low-C bass? Well, if you remove the left-hand pinky
keys my BC's lower joint is about 26" long, which would theoretically fit
diagonally in a rectangular parallelepiped of those dimensions, though not
in fact in any of the "standard size" carry-on bags that I own. A bit
extreme, but something I considered.
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