Rachell Ellen Wong was denied onboard a flight from New York to Paris with no option to bring her violin into the cabin, despite acting within the airline’s luggage policies
A violinist was forced to walk away from a booked flight after being denied boarding with her violin as carry-on luggage, in an act described as ’infuriating’ and left her grounded.
US violinist Rachell Ellen Wong was travelling from New York to Paris on Tuesday 20 May. She had booked a Norse Atlantic Airways flight and paid for priority boarding so that she could bring her violin onboard as carry-on.
Wong, a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2020, believed she was acting within the airline’s policy, which states: ’A small music instrument is allowed on board if not exceeding hand baggage allowance for the fare selected. Larger instruments like violin or viola can be brought instead of a carry-on baggage.
’The instrument must not be bigger than 90 x 35 x 20 cm / 35 x 13 x 7 in and within the weight limitation of your allowed hand baggage.
’To be able to keep the instrument in the overhead compartment we advise you to be present at the gate ready for early boarding. We are going to do our best to let you travel with the instrument in the overhead compartment, but if there is no space left it might be carried in the cargo hold.’
However, when Wong got to the airport, ’the check-in agent smiled and shook her head: not allowed,’ she said in a post on Instagram. Despite showing the check-in agent a copy of the airline’s luggage policy, Wong was still refused.
’I explained that this is a valuable instrument that can’t be checked or it could break. Her response? It would be possibly allowed if it was in a soft case, or pay $175,’ said Wong, who was travelling with her 1953 violin by Carlo de March of Venice.
Wong paid the $175, but was then told she had just paid the fee to check the violin under the plane in the cargo hold. She asked if she could carry the violin without the case in her carry-on bag, but this was also refused. She was told to purchase another seat for the instrument, but with no guarantee it would be allowed when boarding the plane.
’With no safe option, I had to walk away from the flight,’ said Wong. ’And of course, they told me there are no refunds. I’ve never had an issue with any airline before this.’
Wong has another Norse flight booked next month: ‘Guess I won’t be flying that either,’ she said.
Wong informed The Strad that she managed to secure another flight to Paris on Air France.
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