We're going to France next week and are staying in our own house, so if I could take my violin with me there's no reason why I couldn't practise. However, we're flying Ryanair and to take an instrument in the cabin you need to buy it its own seat (yes, even for a violin, it says so on the website). My case will fit into our largest suitcase and we could pack clothes around it and stick "fragile" stickers on the case.

Do you think this is risky, and if so is it worth the risk? It's not a hugely important time for me to practise as I don't have any imminent exams or performances, but I have had enforced breaks dues to work experience and school trips lately, so don't feel I need the time off - and will probably find myself with lots of spare time in France, so having the violin would be nice.

Opinions please.

I put my violin in the hold once and never again! I was also flying to France and when I got there the bridge was squashed so that shows how badly my violin had been treated!

You might be ok if you have one of those hard shell suitcases and can pack clothes and stuff like that around it but if you can't take it on the plane as hand luggage and don't have a proper flight case I would leave it at home.

If your violin has a good hard case and it is going in to a good hard suitcase then...perhaps.

If not, just don't. Don't. Even if you packed it all round with soft stuff. Imagine it being at the bottom of the hold with all the other bags shoved on top. Imagind the suitcase getting damaged (I had that on a short flight, arrived in Verona with a six-inch square missing from the side my case...but luckily nothing else missing).

Even if it all goes well, imagine having to sit on a flight - TWICE - worrying about what may be going on in the hold. Eeep, imagine getting there and it all being fine and lovely, relaxing, and then getting home and it got hurt on the way back. I'm having right panics here on your behalf...and I'm not even a violin-player

Heck, imagine if there were snakes on the plane

My first teacher took hers with no probs. She wrapped the instrument itself in bubble wrap, then put it in its case, which was liberally coated with 'fragile' stickers and had it put through special baggage handling. No trouble with it at all, she said.

If you are going to try it, I strongly recommend you let it be obvious what it is, else you really risk it being thrown around as normal cases are. If it's hidden in a spare case, no-one will know what it is.

I usually just put my fiddle case on my back when I'm flying with Ryan air, then walk through with it at security - I've not had a problem with them letting me take it on as hand luggage.

There is an option to pay 30 euros on the website to let you take cumbersome instruments with you - but the violin doesn't real fall into this category and paying the fee doesn't allow you to take it on the plane - it only guarantees it a place in the hold.

I don't know about Ryanair, but I've flown many times (and will do again tomorrow) on easyjet with a violin and nothing else as hand luggage. Fingers crossed for no problems tomorrow. I wouldn't want to risk the hold.
x

I've never flown with Ryanair but I've flown several times with my violin in the hold with "fragile" stickers on it. It was only for an hour flight though...

Rosie, please take your fiddle as hand luggage. Quite apart from it getting damaged, what if you put it in the hold and it got lost? My hold baggage has got lost twice in the last two years, and although I got it back (eventually) you don't know how it might have been treated in the interim.

That's an excellent point, Misterioso.

Whilst there's no danger in putting a fiddle in the hold from pressure and suchlike (people who tell you otherwise know nothing about planes), the danger of it going missing is really present.

Aircraft holds are not directly heated, unless they are carrying live cargo (a dog for example). The only air that circulates in the hold is the residue pumped down from the cabin, but bearing in mind that on a long flight the outside air temperature will be downwards of -40 celsius, the temperature within most of the hold is unlikely to be much above freezing.

Put it this way, when my luggage arrives off the ramp after a long flight, it's always very cold and that's even when arriving in temperate climates in mild weather.

However, loss and damage are the two real problems with putting musical instruments in the hold.

If you fly with BA, they will let you carry any musical instrument (violin, viola, oboe etc.) that will fit in an overhead locker, as an extra piece of hand luggage. It will need to go through the x-ray scanners at security, so make sure anything sharp that you might normally carry in the case (chinrest keys for example) or cleaning fluids/pastes of any sort have been removed and put in your main luggage, otherwise such objects will be confiscated.

For larger instruments such as a cello, some airlines will let you buy an extra seat for the instrument.

It's best to always check the airlines own policy on the carriage of musical instruments before buying your tickets!

Also to add - despite what Ryanair say on their website, it might be worth contacting them directly. Ask them if you can take a violin as hand-luggage. Email them, for preference, because then you can print out the reply and take it to the airport with you in case anyone gets stroppy on the day.

And another thing, I travelled a while back when there was the 'one item only' handluggage rule in place. My laptop bag met the rules, when it was expanded out fully. So inside my laptop bag I put my handbag, and another bag which is about A4 size but quite thin. Once I was through security, I unpackaged it all and merrily got on the plane with my three pieces of handluggage. Plus I could have had loads more bags from shopping if I'd wanted - it's getting through security that's the issue, not getting on the actual plane, once you are cleared they don't much mind how much junk you are carrying!
Also, on take off, the last time I flew was with BA and they insisted on all handluggage going in to the lockers during take off. The time before that was with American Airlines, and they let you put stuff under the seat in front of you, which is great!

We are also facing this one piece of hand luggage policy as my daughter is touring on the weekend. She has been told she can take the Viola as hand luggage but then no other piece not even a handbag. We were wondering about b-u-m bags (it thinks that a rude word!) or something similiar that can clip on to her waist belt. Anyone tried this.

Big jackets, coats, etc, get past. I know it has been recommended for photographers If you get a waistcoat with lots of pockets (like this) you can fill up with stuff and none of it counts as 'hand luggage'!!

Whilst not directly heated, the temperature is always considerably above freezing. People transporting drinks etc in their cases would be discovering frozen (and smashed) bottles if this were the case.

My other half (aircraft engineer) informs me that the air in the cargo hold is recycled from the cabin, so typically the temperature can be anywhere between 5 and 10 degrees celsius less in the hold than in the cabin - additional heating is used if there are animals on board.

I'm another 'violin on the back on a shoulder strap' passenger on Ryanair who travels fairly regularly without problems. I also have a sheet I printed off (from the MU website I think, but can't remember offhand) explaining that smaller musical instruments are permitted an extra piece of hand luggage but have not (yet) needed to show it either at Stansted or in France. In the last couple of years musicians have occasionally had problems with pernambucco bows going through customs as it is apparently an endangered wood and there are, I believe, some import/export restrictions in place although again, I believe that bows for personal use are an exemption.

I keep a copy of the invoices for my violin and bows with my travel documents, together with a copy of my instrument insurance so that I have proof of ownership, purpose and value with me in case I am ever stopped at customs and have to prove to them that everything is as it should be.

Email and try to check with Ryanair by all means, if you can get a message back, printed off, it will give you extra 'amunition' should you be stopped by a fussy, grumpy airport official.

Have a good holiday!

My daughter and I flew back from Italy yesterday on Ryanair. She had an extra seat for her cello but their were around 15 other children on the flight with instruments - violins and cellos. The violinists all carried their instruments as hand luggage.