Klarinet Archive - Posting 000181.txt from 2006/08

From: "George Huba" <ghuba@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] TSA and instruments
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 08:47:54 -0400

Keith,

Be prepared to long lines, hours of waits on the runway, and plastic bags
for your carry on luggage (confined to your wallet, passport, currency, and
just enough medications to take on the plane, so long as they are not liquid
capsules). I flew from London to the US on Friday and there was a 4 hour
wait on the runway (tarmac) after loading the plane and sealing it up while
the US Transport Security Agency did an official "security clearance" of the
plane's occupants; I interpret this to mean that they were computer checking
everybody against databases and also matching all of the luggage loaded in
the hold to passengers. Our 7 hour flight took 16 hours including the
security wait in London and the time sitting on the runway. And, you could
not bring magazines and newspapers on board, so be prepared to watch some
bad movies or TV shows 6 times in a row.

I noticed, upon arrival, that a number of folks who had had to check things
normally carried as carry one luggage, and had heavily wrapped them on the
outside with many inches of bubble-wrap, available in large rolls at office
supply stores, as well as heavily taping the outside of the bubble wrap. In
most cases, the wrap and tape improvisation appeared to have worked well, as
evinced by the lack of damage to the outside of the wrap.

One suggestion. They are opening and removing anything in checked luggage
that looks like a gel. Women's lipstick is a big item for removal. I would
throw away all tubes of cork grease!!! Otherwise, your carefully packed and
bubble-wrapped instruments might get opened to remove this and your
clarinets rewrapped by somebody who does not know the difference between a
clarinet and a kazoo.

Or, just pack everything super carefully and FedEx it to yourself so the way
you pack the instruments in the way they remain during transit.

All passengers and staff on our flight and in the security queues were
exceptionally polite and helpful to one another at a time of stress for all.

George

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Bowen [mailto:bowenk@-----.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 4:59 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] TSA and instruments

The only real risk is the low temperatures in the luggage hold. Like Forest,
I have had to check both my bass and my Bb before and they were OK; sopranos
are less liable to crack anyway, If they crack they crack. I shan't have a
choice about it anyway, and I am not leaving them behind!

Bear in mind that almost all the French-built clarinets in the USA were
shipped in the hold when they first came over!

I'll let you know on Tuesday what happened.

Keith Bowen

-----Original Message-----
From: klarinet-return-88253-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org
[mailto:klarinet-return-88253-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org] On Behalf
Of kurtheisig@-----.net
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 6:40 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] TSA and instruments

What about cracking????

-----Original Message-----
>From: Keith Bowen <bowenk@-----.com>
>Sent: Aug 10, 2006 10:43 AM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: RE: [kl] TSA and instruments
>
>I am returning to the UK with two clarinets and basset horn on Monday.
>Apparently it is only flights out of the UK on which hand luggage is
banned.
>But if I can't carry them on, I would trust my Wiseman case in the hold
>anyway.
>
>Check with your airline what their policy is.
>
>Keith
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: klarinet-return-88236-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org
>[mailto:klarinet-return-88236-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org] On Behalf
>Of Reedsoaker@-----.com
>Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2006 6:34 PM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: Re: [kl] TSA and instruments
>
>
>
>Jason,
>I would suggest putting your mouthpieces in your luggage. Then pack your
BC
>
>very well in a box and ship it to yourself in Amsterdam. Make sure they
are
>
>insured, of course. I don't know which carrier to suggest, Fed Ex,
perhaps.
>I
>know road musicians who have had to do this. They ship their instruments
>directly to the theater they are to work in. Place your laptop in between
a
>lot
>of soft clothes. This way you can travel with no carry-on.
>
>Take care,
>Phil Feather
>For anyone following the news, specifically travel news, a plan to blow up
>a
>plane in the UK bound for the US was stopped. Travel security is extremely

>high at the moment, specifically in regards to carry-on luggage... and I
>move from Detroit to Amsterdam on Tuesday. I'll have 2 large suitcases
with
>
>all my "stuff" and was going to be carrying on my bass clarinet,
clarinets,
>
>and my laptop backpack. I've had no problems carrying on the backpack and
>BC
>before, and with the musician's union agreement in regards to instruments,

>figured I could get my sopranos on without much problem. But now, I have a

>feeling I'll be hassled, and I really, really, REALLY don't want to check
>my
>horns or computer. Any suggestions for a course of action?
>
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
>Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
>
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
>Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org