Chicago!

[Helen]

Post 9-11 the world of flying with horns has become so different: Things are much more variable from flight to flight, depending on the counter check-in staff you get. I've found that you can talk to AC 4 different times, and get 4 different answers, depending on who you talk to. That's why I mention the violin policy. It is one of, if not the only, policies governing musical instruments on board aircraft.

I used to fly 5 to 6 times a year cross country with my sax. It was the CRJs that were problematic because of the lack of space. The Dash 8s, and the big planes that did the TO to Vancouver flights were generally fine. Security on the other hand, didn't really know what to make of the neck of my alto (looked like a gun they thought), or my Dukoff mouthpiece (looked suspicious because of the composition of the metal on the X-ray).

If the gig pays well enough, you might consider getting a proper airline case, like an Anvil, to hold everything. It wouldn't have to be very big (since you're not playing your big horns), and then at least you knew your stuff would be safe. Added bonus would be you would have it for the future.

Perhaps I'm sounding a bit over-the-top with regards to this stuff, but I've had Air Canada destroy and replace more pieces of my luggage than I can remember... So given my personal track record with them, I would never trust them with my horn. YMMV of course.

 

[Merlin]

I should have mentioned - all of the flying I've done with horns has been post-911.

The only thing I've ever checked was a bari in a large Anvil case. I've been able to carry on everything else.

When I went to Italy, I had my alto, flute, and soprano sax. I put everything in the overhead.

 

[SOTSDO]

I feel the same way. I have a way sturdy Walt Johnson tenor case which as a consequence is gawd-awful heavy. But the way some baggage handlers treat luggage I don't think it'd be safe enough.

You also need to keep in mind that a quality, professional grade saxophone can often be its own source of destruction, given the right circumstances.

The metal used is often soft enough to allow very small amounts of force, properly applied to the body of the horn, to cause it to "fold up" in some very creative ways. I've witnessed the demise of a Mark Vi tenor from a fall from a slowly collapsing three-leg collapsible sax stand, one where the instrument only fell six to eight inches once the stand completely collapsed. (It was bumped by a famous Hollywood "name" breezing through the orchestra "pit", located next to the stage in the wings.)

(Conversely, I've had a Selmer Series 9 clarinet literally fly down a very long flight of stairs, landing on a wooden floor, come through it all with nothing more than a single bent key. Go figure.)

Saxophones can deform from their own weight if not handled carefully. Particularly on a long horn like a baritone, bringing the bell to a stop (as in a carelessly set down gig bag, where the horn is not supported over its entire length) will allow the downcomer from the crook to continue moving and flexing for a very short distance. Any flexing combined with soft metal is a prescription for problems ranging from binding rods/posts to out-and-out misaligned pads and tone holes.

I've used a Yanigisawa horn that was usually kept in a gig bag and was "always out of adjustment" until I had it regulated and then returned to its original case (still in the instrument room of a local college). It remained tight and correct for the duration of my use, but the week that the usual user returned to his gig bag, the problems returned with a vengeance.

Gig bags may look cool, and they certainly are a lot lighter to carry around. However, I'd never use one on a bet.

Aftermarket cases may have more overall "protection" built into them, but if the instrument- and maker-specific horn cavity is not carefully fitted to the particular instrument that you are using, it may allow just enough "drop space" within that, combined with less-than-painstaking airline handling, may be all that it takes to damage a horn. And, the time to find out about this is not when you open your horn at the job.

If I ever had the need to fly anywhere with an instrument (and I generally drive distances up to a thousand miles, just to avoid all aspects of the flight experience for a number of reasons, so that's not very likely), the only way I would travel would be the extra seat route so familiar to 'cellists and double bass players. A tenor or a bass clarinet is right at the edge of "not cabin sized" 'luggage', and taking a chance with placing a large horn so easily damaged as a baritone sax into the hands of "ignorant" (i.e., I doubt that they would damage anything intentionally) baggage handlers would simply not be an option.