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How is this news? The FAA regulation reads as follows: “ An air carrier providing air transportation shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin, without charging the passenger a fee in addition to any standard fee that carrier may require for comparable carry-on baggage, if …

(A) the instrument can be stowed safely in a suitable baggage compartment in the aircraft cabin or under a passenger seat, in accordance with the requirements for carriage of carry-on baggage or cargo established by the administrator; and

(B) there is space for such stowage at the time the passenger boards the aircraft.


If you book an economy fare and it’s a full flight you may not be able to find room in the bins. The same goes for all the other passengers. As a violist it’s sometimes stressful but it’s the rule and I certainly don’t expect the airline to penalize another fare-paying customer to specially accommodate me. I expect the airline to follow the rules and I will do the same.

I might ask someone if they’re willing to check their bag to help me, but I’m better off paying for early boarding or asking politely to pre-board. If I had a $6 million violin you wouldn’t find me in a late boarding group under any circumstances.

The airline literally did nothing wrong. They just gave her a bag tag to facilitate a gate check if she would have chosen that option. She was not obligated to take that option and clearly did not have any trouble finding an accommodating employee on the plane.

It’s not particularly helpful to the cause to turn a properly followed protocol into a negatively spun news story. A United employee saying “we don’t go with federal law” is a story. A delta employee doing their job is not.

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