Louise Dubin
3 comments By Louise Dubin
A similar thing happened to me on a small plane (Delta code share) from Charleston back home to NYC. I had bought three seats in a row for pianist, myself and my cello (which was in a small Accord case, fitting easily into the window seat). They asked me to get off the plane after cello was strapped in, and I refused since I had to return to a gravely ill parent. I was given the same story about taking the next flight but was worried it would happen again. Some law enforcement officer boarded and I still refused. I stood in the aisle receiving glares from many passengers while the flight was delayed for about 30 minutes because nobody would exchange their bulkhead seat for the cello (Delta charges extra for these seats and nobody was offered a refund or points as a bribe). Finally somebody did exchange their seat with my cello and we got to NYC on that flight.
PS I hope Alitalia will pay for her gamba repair; the photo is truly heart-breaking!
A check-in agent at United tried to get me to sign a release of liability form recently on a trip from Paris to NY, when my cello was going in cargo in a Kolstein travel case. I refused, but it required the extra time of discussing with 3 people, including the check-in manager. I recommend, in cases when a seat on the plane is too exorbitant, getting to the airport early enough to have extended discussions, and getting a really great travel case (there is still the fear of their losing it though, so don't sign the waiver form!) In United's small print, it turned out that agents were told to "ask passenger to sign damage waiver form" but, despite what the first agent told me, it did not say "passenger must sign damage waiver form"--at least not in the French version.
Commented on: 16 August 2018
Cellist 'humiliated' and removed from American Airlines flight – despite having booked second seat