Airline destroys $13,800 viola

[stopbush]

Yes, I know all the "how to destroy a viola jokes" out there, but this is becoming a serious problem for solo artists in the classical field
who own instruments that are often worth millions of dollars. In the past, they have simply purchased a seat for their instrument and strapped it
into the seat next to them. With the new "water is a terraist bomb" restrictions, they are being forced to check their instruments with the rest of the cargo.

This story - sadly - shows the result:

Airline destroys $13,800 viola

Matthew Sekeres and Steve Mazey, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, September 01, 2006

Paul Casey returns to class at the University of Ottawa next week, minus his prized instrument and with a gigantic grudge against the country's largest airline.

The 20-year-old music student says he is contemplating legal action against Air Canada after his $13,800 viola was damaged beyond repair in the baggage compartment of a trans-atlantic flight this July.
Mr. Casey was one of a handful of Canadians selected for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, a student-training orchestra, which performed across Europe and worked with opera legend Placido Domingo.
But what should have been the experience of a lifetime turned into immense disappointment when he arrived in Belgium and found his viola with a snapped neck, a broken back and sporting about 12 cracks on its front.
"I didn't start crying or anything because I expected that would be the outcome when they made me check it," Mr. Casey said yesterday, noting the instrument's case bore three "fragile" stickers.
Mr. Casey said he was told at the check-in counter that the airline had a strict policy about carry-on items but noted, "one month earlier, I travelled with my viola, so it obviously isn't that strict a policy."

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=2b8d8168-3abe-4d7f-b076-875c835a032e//A//k=87115

[Fierce]

1. Very said.

That poor kid. Is there a collection for him?

[sofa king]

2. Airline plays world's smallest viola for musician passenger.

[wakeme2008]

3. picture this thing is smallllll WTF

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

6. That's One Large Viola!!

What's the problem? I can understand why they would require that to have a seat of it's own. Almost as large as he is. And clearly too dangerous to take inside the cabin. Maybe he would strangle someone with the strings.

:sarcasm:

[Exultant Democracy]

16. Perhaps he would use it as a sonic weapon

just as likely as my ice tea being a bomb.

[gkhouston]

21. have you heard a viola lately?

much more likely than your iced tea being dangerous. And if he played a rebec... :scared:

[leftyladyfrommo]

4. I wonder what they will do? Its not like they can just drive

wherever they need to go.

[unblock]

5. well if terrists could use box cutters to pull off 9/11,

just imagine what they could do with a few violas.

i for one am grateful that the classical instruments of terror are not permitted in the flight cabin.

:sarcasm:

[InkAddict]

7. The day that music died......n/t

[MazeRat7]

8. Oh Man that sucks... If you fly with instruments use Anvil Cases.

Avoid std hard shells and certainly soft shells.

MZr7

on edit: I would suggest transport cases for all your gear - here is just one of many suppliers.

http://allcases.com/apppage.asp?id=121&parentid=121&utm_id=2

[GliderGuider]

9. I can't help myself...

Q: What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline?
A: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.

I'm from Ottawa myself, so it's OK for me to make jokes about this. Of course, my father is a violinist, so it's inevitable that I'd make jokes about this.

[alarimer]

10. Airlines should be liable for damaging luggage

I don't know if they can be sued for this. But he deserves to be compensated. And anyone whose luggage is damaged deserves to have it and its contents replaced. Maybe that would provide incentive for the airlines to train their employees to treat luggage better.

I am assuming that the damage is caused by the baggage handlers or the way it stored in the baggage compartment and not from takeoff or landing when things shift. Having seen people THROWING luggage around I am not surprised this happens.

[Karenina]

11. This is so very sad...

and is an old story. Instruments are damaged and stolen from baggage with ever-increasing regularity. Money cannot replace an instument one loves, no matter what it cost originally. An instrument one loves is an alter-ego and these incidents are just as traumatizing as a physical or psychological attack.

[Howardx]

14. very true

i had a treasured gibson sg stolen from me years ago, i still miss it!

[immoderate]

12. Is this now standard practice for the airlines -- no instruments?

I have a small (Steinberger type) electric guitar that I take for travel. It's about the size of a viola, fits nicely in the overhead, and has never been challenged by the airlines (pre-liquid ban.) Is it now banned from the cabin?

Indeed, most of the airlines were allowing full-size instruments in the cabin if there was room. This is getting pretty nuts.

--IMM

[radwriter0555]

13. It is sad BUT... the solution is to transport the fragile instruments in

"road" style cases; hard cases with the appropriate padding. They're not cheap, but if you're protecting an instrument worth thousands of dollars, you obviously should provide the proper crush proof packaging for it, even if it costs a couple hundred dollars.

[KansDem]

15. I had an instrumental damaged on an airline before...

Not nearly as bad as this kid's viola..

But bad enough I couldn't play it and had to have it fixed. The airline said it wasn't responsible for damage to musical instruments. OK, I learned my lesson, but I'll always remember that in order to damage this particular instrument you'd have had to drop it on a hard surface from 30 feet up, a completely irresponsible thing to do. I often wonder if it was done on purpose as a kind of "sport" among baggage handlers...

[Karenina]

17. Yes, it is...

I haven't flown in some years but when I did I ALWAYS forbade the "handlers" from touching my instrument. I opened it, allowed them to inspect the case, its parts WHILE I HELD THEM and insisted it not be "nuked" (double-reeder superstition). They destroyed the instrument of a colleague by dropping it, another received his priceless cello from baggage with the neck sheared off THROUGH THE HARDENED CASE. That was intentional, NO OTHER EXPLANATION.

[KansDem]

20. Come to think of it, I did have "Handle with Care" stickers on my case...

Probably like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

[alarimer]

18. Why are the airlines not responsible for damage?

It is their employees that do the damage after all.

[KansDem]

19. Good question...(eom)

[truebrit71]

22. I hope he sues the shit out of the airline...

..I would be FURIOUS if this were me....I had a guitar totally destroyed by an airline once, and it was a monumental pain in the ass getting them to pay for a replacement....