[fortyearspickn]

Al Italia Airlines trashed a 17th century viola belonging to an internationally acclaimed musician traveling from Rio to Tel Aviv. Valued at $200K, she was forced to put it, in the cargo hold and was assured it would be hand carried and coddled. When she arrived - they didn't bring it up to Baggage Claim. Embarrassed, I guess. It looked like it had been skewered by a fork lift. Or a rhinoceros.
So - yeah, you take risks when you fly.
I guess statistically - a certain number of baggage handlers are always 'in training'. And another percentage are WUI (working under the influence). And then, there are those who were forced to take piano lessons by their parents and were hurt and angered when it was revealed they had less talent than ... a rhinoceros.


http://www.foxnews.c...instrument.html

[Murph]

I read that yesterday.

Personally, I also blame her. If it was that precious, she should have bought it a seat, or bought a backup for travel. I bought a J-15 so my J-45 could stay home when it was 5 degrees, or I had a weird situation where I couldn't guard it every SECOND.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY

[blindboygrunt]

Murph, on 10 January 2018 - 07:05 AM, said:

I read that yesterday.

Personally, I also blame her. If it was that precious, she should have bought it a seat, or bought a backup for travel. I bought a J-15 so my J-45 could stay home when it was 5 degrees, or I had a weird situation where I couldn't guard it every SECOND.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY

Yes I agree with this

Still sucks though
But yeah. If it was me it wasn’t going in the hold

[MichaelT]

I've flown with my '81 Gibson V twice. Los Angeles to home and home to Los Angeles. Each time it was put in the "suit closet" on the plane, near the entrance/exit. If that wasn't going to be acceptable, I wouldn't have taken it with me because those gorillas just don't care about luggage or if something is marked fragile.

I don't understand why she didn't have a much stronger case for such an expensive instrument, regardless if it was going on a plane or not. They'd complain about the vault I was carrying around my $200,000 Les Paul, if I had one. They'd probably have to get a forklift.

[blindboygrunt]

Maybe she’s trying an insurance pay out

[rct]

If you use a 200k instrument and you don't take advantage of the Seat Requirement that musicians "fought" for in the 70's and buy it a seat and your Unobtaniumcaster gets mushed by the guy that handles yer bag*, you deserve it.

rct

*"...has anyone besides yourself handled your bag today Mr. T?" True question, early 2002 or so after the buildings fell down. I almost pooped from laughing.

[AnneS]

Geez, guys-perhaps we are reading into this a little much. The OP says she was “forced” to do it and was assured of the instrument’s care. On its face, maybe we can assume she needed to be on that plane with her instrument, but that’s about it.
We’re blaming her for what happened. Interesting.

[blindboygrunt]

AnneS, on 10 January 2018 - 10:22 AM, said:

Geez, guys-perhaps we are reading into this a little much. The OP says she was “forced” to do it and was assured of the instrument’s care. On its face, maybe we can assume she needed to be on that plane with her instrument, but that’s about it.
We’re blaming her for what happened. Interesting.

Well , yeah. It’s her violin !

[kelly campbell]

I generally agree that there would be no way I would leave its well being to the airlines. I would have had a much more "secure" case and it would not be checked. But that is me I am sure she has had plaenty of time to second guess herself unless it is an insurance deal.

[fortyearspickn]

Article says she 'was unable to purchase a seat' for her viola.
I'm assuming, since she partially dis-assembled it and apparently travels a lot with her career, she would have purchased a seat if she could have - but there were no seats available.
The ultimate 'victim' is obviously the viola. But she is a co-victim when it comes to lawsuits. I doubt she put the 17th century instrument in the baggage hold, hoping to make money on an insurance settlement. Keep half the proceeds and buy an Epiphone Viola !?
Insurance companies tend to low-ball EVERYONE on claim settlements - even musicians !
May not even actually belonged to her - often instruments like this are owned by a billionaire collector who loans it out for the prestige factor. And, I assume, to increase it's value.

[ChristopherJ]

Dumb. No one forced her to do anything. She could have taken another flight and booked another seat for her $200K 17th century irreplaceable instrument. The fault lies entirely on her IMO. Never check anything you can't afford to lose or are unable to replace.

[FZ Fan]

rct, on 10 January 2018 - 09:51 AM, said:

If you use a 200k instrument and you don't take advantage of the Seat Requirement that musicians "fought" for in the 70's and buy it a seat and your Unobtaniumcaster gets mushed by the guy that handles yer bag*, you deserve it.

rct

*"...has anyone besides yourself handled your bag today Mr. T?" True question, early 2002 or so after the buildings fell down. I almost pooped from laughing.

My doctor and wife handle my bag.

I think if I had a 200k guitar. I would use it to record, but for performances and travel maybe I would get a good sounding affordable one.

[rct]

FZ Fan, on 10 January 2018 - 11:05 AM, said:

My doctor and wife handle my bag.

I think if I had a 200k guitar. I would use it to record, but for performances and travel maybe I would get a good sounding affordable one.

If she works for an orchestra arrangements can be made for similar instrument in the city she is performing. None of this is hard, the airlines didn't just begin smashing stuff since the internet was invented. This was fought about and over for a long time, Roy Buchannon was big on this in the early 70's. There have been methods in place for lowly guitar players, there have always been ways to not travel a Strad through the baggage mis-handlers.

rct

[j45nick]

A viola is just a bit larger than a violin, and is smaller than a guitar, even in a good case. Why didn't they let her put it in the overhead? That's the most basic question.

[AnneS]

j45nick, on 10 January 2018 - 02:47 PM, said:

A viola is just a bit larger than a violin, and is smaller than a guitar, even in a good case. Why didn't they let her put it in the overhead? That's the most basic question.

I had the same thought, until I clicked through to the article. This one is actually just smaller than a cello—there are pics on the link.

[rct]

The article clearly states that the airline clearly stated that they offered her a seat, because that is the best way to handle that item, that she declined.

Her GoFundMe page will prolly net her halfa mil from the other morons on social media.

rct

[mz-s]

What gets me in cases like these are the people who jump on the bandwagon as if they really know what happened. Look at all the twats from twitter in that article.

People have no personal responsibility anymore. "Somebody should have saved me from myself!"

[BluesKing777]

Before I head to the airport for a quick trip, I must say the baggage handlers here are just superb and masterful, caring people groomed and trained to exacting standards set out in the Baggage Handlers Club handbook. If I don’t get time for our normal chat, I will leave my late, sorry, sorry, sorry, Christmas gift for my dear guitar handlers attached next to the case.

Now, I have Hiscox cases for my most precious and irreplaceable guitars to live in, at home, with Humidipaks, plus guitars of similar sizes can share the use of one, if leaving the house. Only trouble is, now and again I have to take the guitars out of the Hiscox to......play them..... But as the jockeys say as they file past to their room after the race: ‘Every chance’.

That said, the Viola case in the article is, well, asking for damage to the instrument, unless she keeps it in a humidity controlled room with no visitors, children or pets! Exactly the same damage that has been done to the viola could be done by the most common guitar damage and repair, according to my luthier - sitting on the instrument and case by mistake.....on the extra airline seat she should have purchased.

The other point to consider - considered long, long, long and hard - would I take my Lowden S35 in its Hiscox stuffed with t-shirts, or would I take a ‘beater’? Or something in between high end and beater, but nicer sounding and playing than the ‘beater’?

BluesKing777.

This post has been edited by BluesKing777: 10 January 2018 - 04:39 PM

[fortyearspickn]

rct said:

1515617729[/url]' post='1908035']
The article clearly states that the airline clearly stated that they offered her a seat, because that is the best way to handle that item, that she declined.

Her GoFundMe page will prolly net her halfa mil from the other morons on social media.

rct

Yeah. This is clearly a case of "she said / he said ". That's why we have lawyers, judges and juries. I would guess, in a case like this, the airline will stonewall but finally settle. Juries tend to be biased against "business" , especially certain industries.And if the musician is hot, the airlines might as well forget stonewalling and settle up quick. Ironically, the airlines insurance company's lawyers don't actually have a dog in this fight. They're probably not employees of the insurance company, are on retainer and know the insurance company will just increase the airlines premiums if they lose. So, yeah. There is no personal responsibility anymore.

[j45nick]

AnneS, on 10 January 2018 - 02:50 PM, said:

I had the same thought, until I clicked through to the article. This one is actually just smaller than a cello—there are pics on the link.

I didn't realize it was a viola da gamba. That is more like a bass guitar, and won't necessarily fit in the overhead. You would never check an instrument like that, any more than you would fly with a 1937 D-45.

Let's face it: airline baggage handlers couldn't care less. They're handling thousands of piece of luggage daily, and anyone who thinks a "fragile" label on something means anything are kidding themselves.

Delta baggage handlers did damage to my old J-45 back in 1968 that set off a strange chain of events over time. At least it was only a late 1940's J-45. There are plenty of those around, and if it were not for the sentimental attachment to a guitar I've owned for more than 50 years, I would have replaced it with another one a long time ago.