gaggage

February 7, 2003, updates below

But They Said I Could Bring It On The Plane...

This headline appears on page three of the February International Musician:

There follows a short article stating that, due to new policies of the Transportation Security Administration, musical instruments will be allowed as an additional item of carry-on baggage. That is, one may have two carry-ons (one of them a musical instrument) plus a "personal item," instead of one plus a "personal item." The article is accompanied by a reproduction of a letter from Thomas Blank at the TSA confirming this policy .

UnionMuse has learned that although such a directive has been issued,

Airlines do not know about it.

The flight attendants' union does not know about it.

AFM’s main partner in its carry-on coalition does not know about it.

Even though musicians (or, presumably, anyone) may now have a second carry-on, provided it is a musical instrument, that instrument is still subject to all the usual carry-on rules: size, weight, etc. So even a violin case is still too big for either the "size-wise" box or the combined linear dimension test (usually 45" in length plus width plus height). As are bass clarinet cases, bassoon cases (at least in length), etc., etc. In which case (sorry), one is still at the mercy of forgiving (or not) gate attendants, flight attendants, etc. That has always been the situation, and anyone who imagined in the past, or imagines now, that anything above the size of a clarinet case will definitely be allowed in the cabin without its own ticket is, most certainly..........imagining.

The I.M. article doesn't quite say as much, of course; no use diluting the good news, after all. What they do say, distancing themselves from troubles musicians likely will continue to experience, is:

"As each airline has its own security rules, we recommend that you inquire about the plane configuration and space regulations when making reservations..."

Which, loosely translated, means that you still might not be able to get on the plane with your instrument unless you buy a ticket for it, even if the airlines are prepared to let you on the plane with two carry-ons...

...which looks doubtful:

As of February 3, the four airlines we spoke to knew nothing about this new policy. They include three "majors,"

US AIRWAYS
DELTA
AMERICAN

and, because they have been painted as a musician-unfriendly airline in the past year (in the I.M., other media and discussion groups),

ALASKA AIRLINES.

While we waited, all of them checked "higher up" and found no one else who knew about the policy. All stated that their usual one bag and one personal item requirements were still in effect.

US Airways went further. We were put on hold while the agent called the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and spoke with people in charge of baggage. Our story about the TSA directive was a mystery to all: they had heard nothing about it prior to our call.

Probably they still won't know about it by the time the first of us who has read the I.M. article gets to the airport and finds that he or she can't get on the plane with the promised two carry-ons, no matter how small the instrument case is.

At least as interesting as the airlines' lack of knowledge concerning the new policy, is that the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) appears to know nothing about it. Following an initial conversation, their spokesperson checked with other departments at the union. She called us back later in the afternoon of February 4 to say that no one, not even their government affairs department, had heard of such a change in policy.

One of the participating groups in the AFM's 'Coalition in Support of Musical Instruments as Carry on Baggage' (which together lobbied for the musical instrument friendly language in the Aviation Security Act) is the American Symphony Orchestra League. Whether or not the coalition is still active, one would think that the AFM would have contacted its "partners" (especially the ASOL) to let them know of this positive development. Apparently they did not. The news came as a surprise to the Government Affairs department of that organization.

Finally, a few small observations concerning the article and the letter:

The letter to AFM President Tom Lee from Thomas Blank (TSA) seems at first glance to have been dated January 17, except that the date appears to have been applied by rubber stamp (as nearly as we can tell, given that all we have to go by is a scanned image of a fax). It is impossible to know whether this is the result of TSA's crudely dating the letter or the AFM's having stamped it (perhaps on the date that the letter was received?).

The International Musician article states that the Federation "won an initial victory in the quest for trouble-free travel on Friday, January 24, 2003." But the letter from TSA (with the January 17 date of whatever origin) states that it was on December 20 that they instructed airlines that musical instruments (as carry-ons) would be allowed on planes immediately, in addition to the existing limit of one bag and one "personal item." Though it's a minor point, how does this translate into a victory won on January 24? (One would think that the "initial" victory in this campaign was getting an honorable mention for musical instruments in the Aviation Security Act.)

The suggestion in the I.M. article to "download and print a copy of the TSA letter from the afm.org website prior to traveling" is a good one, though it's too soon to tell whether airport or aircraft personnel will accept it in lieu of "official" word on the policy. (As we say, based on our limited survey, it appears that they do not have such word as yet.)

But, good idea or not, there is a real problem implementing the suggestion: the article does not say WHERE on the AFM web site the downloadable file can be found.

It is not on the "HOME" page*. Some detective work is necessary, it seems.

If one goes to the online version of the February International Musician**, linked to from the left hand column of the afm.org home page, one finds a link to the page*** containing the article we are referring to above, but the link to the letter is still elusive. At the end of the article about the TSA regulation, is a miniature, unreadable, picture of the letter. As it happens, THIS is the link to a full size copy of the letter in question, though it is not identified as such. People who spend little time with their computers might not intuit that the tiny image might just be a link to the downloadable document.

To summarize, based upon our survey of four airlines:

It appears that unless the TSA sent the directive in question straight on down to the gate agents and the security screeners, or upon receiving the directive, the airline brass did so, bypassing their customer service, reservations and baggage departments and their onboard personnel, nobody who counts knows anything about this wonderful new thing that the AFM has done.

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		February 7, 2003, updates below But They Said I Could Bring It On The Plane... This headline appears on page three of the February International Musician: AFM Wins Breakthrough for Air Travelers There follows a short article stating that, due to new policies of the Transportation Security Administration, musical instruments will be allowed as an additional item of carry-on baggage. That is, one may have two carry-ons (one of them a musical instrument) plus a "personal item," instead of one plus a "personal item." The article is accompanied by a reproduction of a letter from Thomas Blank at the TSA confirming this policy . UnionMuse has learned that although such a directive has been issued, Airlines do not know about it. The flight attendants' union does not know about it. AFM’s main partner in its carry-on coalition does not know about it. and, of course, as always, Getting onto a plane with an instrument is not guaranteed. *** Even though musicians (or, presumably, anyone) may now have a second carry-on, provided it is a musical instrument, that instrument is still subject to all the usual carry-on rules: size, weight, etc. So even a violin case is still too big for either the "size-wise" box or the combined linear dimension test (usually 45" in length plus width plus height). As are bass clarinet cases, bassoon cases (at least in length), etc., etc. In which case (sorry), one is still at the mercy of forgiving (or not) gate attendants, flight attendants, etc. That has always been the situation, and anyone who imagined in the past, or imagines now, that anything above the size of a clarinet case will definitely be allowed in the cabin without its own ticket is, most certainly..........imagining. The I.M. article doesn't quite say as much, of course; no use diluting the good news, after all. What they do say, distancing themselves from troubles musicians likely will continue to experience, is: "As each airline has its own security rules, we recommend that you inquire about the plane configuration and space regulations when making reservations..." Which, loosely translated, means that you still might not be able to get on the plane with your instrument unless you buy a ticket for it, even if the airlines are prepared to let you on the plane with two carry-ons... * ...which looks doubtful: As of February 3, the four airlines we spoke to knew nothing about this new policy. They include three "majors," US AIRWAYS DELTA AMERICAN and, because they have been painted as a musician-unfriendly airline in the past year (in the I.M., other media and discussion groups), ALASKA AIRLINES. While we waited, all of them checked "higher up" and found no one else who knew about the policy. All stated that their usual one bag and one personal item requirements were still in effect. US Airways went further. We were put on hold while the agent called the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and spoke with people in charge of baggage. Our story about the TSA directive was a mystery to all: they had heard nothing about it prior to our call. Probably they still won't know about it by the time the first of us who has read the I.M. article gets to the airport and finds that he or she can't get on the plane with the promised two carry-ons, no matter how small the instrument case is. At least as interesting as the airlines' lack of knowledge concerning the new policy, is that the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) appears to know nothing about it. Following an initial conversation, their spokesperson checked with other departments at the union. She called us back later in the afternoon of February 4 to say that no one, not even their government affairs department, had heard of such a change in policy. One of the participating groups in the AFM's 'Coalition in Support of Musical Instruments as Carry on Baggage' (which together lobbied for the musical instrument friendly language in the Aviation Security Act) is the American Symphony Orchestra League. Whether or not the coalition is still active, one would think that the AFM would have contacted its "partners" (especially the ASOL) to let them know of this positive development. Apparently they did not. The news came as a surprise to the Government Affairs department of that organization. *** Finally, a few small observations concerning the article and the letter: The letter to AFM President Tom Lee from Thomas Blank (TSA) seems at first glance to have been dated January 17, except that the date appears to have been applied by rubber stamp (as nearly as we can tell, given that all we have to go by is a scanned image of a fax). It is impossible to know whether this is the result of TSA's crudely dating the letter or the AFM's having stamped it (perhaps on the date that the letter was received?). The International Musician article states that the Federation "won an initial victory in the quest for trouble-free travel on Friday, January 24, 2003." But the letter from TSA (with the January 17 date of whatever origin) states that it was on December 20 that they instructed airlines that musical instruments (as carry-ons) would be allowed on planes immediately, in addition to the existing limit of one bag and one "personal item." Though it's a minor point, how does this translate into a victory won on January 24? (One would think that the "initial" victory in this campaign was getting an honorable mention for musical instruments in the Aviation Security Act.) The suggestion in the I.M. article to "download and print a copy of the TSA letter from the afm.org website prior to traveling" is a good one, though it's too soon to tell whether airport or aircraft personnel will accept it in lieu of "official" word on the policy. (As we say, based on our limited survey, it appears that they do not have such word as yet.) But, good idea or not, there is a real problem implementing the suggestion: the article does not say WHERE on the AFM web site the downloadable file can be found. It is not on the "HOME" page. Some detective work is necessary, it seems. If one goes to the online version of the February International Musician*, linked to from the left hand column of the afm.org home page, one finds a link to the page* containing the article we are referring to above, but the link to the letter is still elusive. At the end of the article about the TSA regulation, is a miniature, unreadable, picture of the letter. As it happens, THIS is the link to a full size copy of the letter in question, though it is not identified as such. People who spend little time with their computers might not intuit that the tiny image might just be a link to the downloadable document. February 7, 2003 (minor revisions 2/9, 2/13) UPDATES A clear link to the TSA Letter has appeared on the AFM web site. It is not on the "home" page (afm.org). It does appear on the "AFM.org - Private Members Area" index page. However, it's not highlighted in any way and (due to alphabetical order of the listing) is near the bottom of the "Online Library" section (second group of links on the page). As of Monday, February 10, US Airways was still in the dark about the new TSA policy. However, they say they have done away with sizing boxes, and that as long as the (SINGLE) carry-on item in question will fit in the overhead bins, it will be allowed in the cabin. As the bins vary in size from aircraft to aircraft, however, one should check with the airline to learn the exact specifications prior to booking a flight. 2/12/03 Update #2 As of yesterday afternoon (February 12), Delta, too, was still out of the loop. It remains one bag, one "personal item" on their planes. And, officially at least, anything taken on board must fit into the "Size Wise" box. Buying a ticket for the instrument remains the only way to guarantee boarding with it. Update #3 February 21 Once again we have called three of these airlines, American, US Airways and Delta. The story remains the same: ONE carry-on bag of appropriate dimensions, plus one “personal item” will be permitted on board. No one, at the airlines contacted, has heard of any new policies for musical instruments. Upon reading through his airline’s baggage rules, the US Airways’ representative did say that provided that an instrument case would fit in the overhead bin, even if it otherwise exceeded the size allowance (which happens to be the size of the overhead bin, as stated in the February 12 Update, above), it would be allowed along with another suitably sized carry-on bag (this is not a new policy, but would best not be relied upon as an official position). However, in that instance, the instrument would, in effect, count as the personal item. The limit remains at two items total. Update #4 Monday, March 3, 2003 As of this morning at 11:16 Eastern Time, Delta Customer Service still did not know about the new policy. One bag and one personal item remains the rule. As of 12: 08 PM, US Airways was still allowing one bag and one personal item. The editor checks weekly with the airlines. So far no one in customer service/reservations at any airline is aware of the new TSA directive.If you expect to get onboard with your instrument as an extra item, you make the attempt at your own risk. Update #5 Wednesday, March 5, 2003 This month, Tom Lee reports again in the International Musician on the AFM's "breakthrough." Monday, as we reported above, Delta and US Air still were unaware of any such new privilege for musical instruments. Today we checked with United and drew a blank (not Thomas). This now makes four major airlines that know nothing about the new deal. • • • • • To summarize, based upon our survey of four airlines: It appears that unless the TSA sent the directive in question straight on down to the gate agents and the security screeners, or upon receiving the directive, the airline brass did so, bypassing their customer service, reservations and baggage departments and their onboard personnel, nobody who counts knows anything about this wonderful new thing that the AFM has done. Reports from the field, anyone? 2/13/03 Links: AFM "Home": http://www.afm.org/ February International Musician: http://www.afm.org/member/im/02-03/im_toc.htm **"Breakthrough" article is fifth item on "News" page: http://www.afm.org/member/im/02-03/NEWS.html "AFM.org - Private Members Area" http://www.afm.org/private/ "TSA Letter for Airline Traveling Musicians" http://www.afm.org/member/im/02-03/LETTER.pdf
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