Woman Denied Boarding as Violin Too Big for Carry On
- Thread starter Jester
- Start date
We don't know, because the FA and the pilot refused to let her demonstrate that the violin would fit in the bin. Non-A-Hole FA and pilot would have let her place the violin in the bin to show that it fit. That's why they're A-holes in my book.john john said:
Did you not read the multiple links to this story?
You don't sound very familiar with the E-175; its overhead bins are 10" tall, 14" deep and 60"+ wide. Plenty big for a violin case.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #23
For those interested in Ms. Barton-Pine's perspective, she (or at least, someone using her name) posted within the Comments section of the aforementioned link:
PART 1
"The American Airlines statement regarding the incident is misleading, at best.
It is unclear to me what factual basis was used by the captain to “determine” that my violin case “could not be safely secured in an overhead bin or under a seat.” I was the first passenger to arrive at the door of the airplane, and the overhead bins were empty. My violin case was never permitted aboard the aircraft and the captain and flight attendant denied my request to demonstrate that it fit. In fact, they told me “it doesn’t matter if it fits” and that “it’s not going on because I say so.”
The American Airlines agents and representatives at the O’Hare ticket counter were exceptionally helpful in rebooking me. However, the only consideration was my arrival in Albuquerque in time for my obligations. The size of the aircraft was never an issue. The first leg of my flight was a 737, which is significantly larger than the CRJ-700 on which I was originally booked. The connecting flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque was a CRJ-900, which is only slightly larger than the CRJ-700."
PART 2
"I have flown both CRJ configurations, storing my instrument in the overhead, on many occasions in the past. A photo of my violin in the overhead of the CRJ-900 can be seen on my Instagram account. My violin case would have fit without any problem into the overhead of my original flight (incidentally, its dimensions are 32.5 x 11.25 x 6.75 and the dimensions of the CRJ-700 overhead bins are 52.5 x 14 x 9.5 according tohttps://www.americanairlines.cn/i18n/aboutUs/ourPlanes/crj700.jsp).
Thank you to those who have suggested purchasing a seat for my violin rather than using the overhead bin. The federal law and the American Airlines policy recognize that the safest place for a small instrument like a violin or a guitar is in the closet, in an overhead bin, or under a seat. I suspect that these rules exist for both the safety of the instrument and the safety of other passengers. A violin case would be even more difficult to secure in an airplane seat than a rollerboard suitcase and could dislodge and injure someone in an emergency situation."
PART 3
"It is important to remember that American Airlines is not the issue – this happens on other airlines. This issue also extends beyond me – this kind of thing happens far too often to other musicians traveling with their instruments. And the issue is definitely not the value of the violin – a $50 violin is just as breakable as the antique violin which I borrow. The issue is the awareness of and adherence to Federal laws and airline polices established to ensure the safe transport of musical instruments on airplanes. Employees of all airlines must be educated about these policies and must abide by them. "
PART 1
"The American Airlines statement regarding the incident is misleading, at best.
It is unclear to me what factual basis was used by the captain to “determine” that my violin case “could not be safely secured in an overhead bin or under a seat.” I was the first passenger to arrive at the door of the airplane, and the overhead bins were empty. My violin case was never permitted aboard the aircraft and the captain and flight attendant denied my request to demonstrate that it fit. In fact, they told me “it doesn’t matter if it fits” and that “it’s not going on because I say so.”
The American Airlines agents and representatives at the O’Hare ticket counter were exceptionally helpful in rebooking me. However, the only consideration was my arrival in Albuquerque in time for my obligations. The size of the aircraft was never an issue. The first leg of my flight was a 737, which is significantly larger than the CRJ-700 on which I was originally booked. The connecting flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque was a CRJ-900, which is only slightly larger than the CRJ-700."
PART 2
"I have flown both CRJ configurations, storing my instrument in the overhead, on many occasions in the past. A photo of my violin in the overhead of the CRJ-900 can be seen on my Instagram account. My violin case would have fit without any problem into the overhead of my original flight (incidentally, its dimensions are 32.5 x 11.25 x 6.75 and the dimensions of the CRJ-700 overhead bins are 52.5 x 14 x 9.5 according tohttps://www.americanairlines.cn/i18n/aboutUs/ourPlanes/crj700.jsp).
Thank you to those who have suggested purchasing a seat for my violin rather than using the overhead bin. The federal law and the American Airlines policy recognize that the safest place for a small instrument like a violin or a guitar is in the closet, in an overhead bin, or under a seat. I suspect that these rules exist for both the safety of the instrument and the safety of other passengers. A violin case would be even more difficult to secure in an airplane seat than a rollerboard suitcase and could dislodge and injure someone in an emergency situation."
PART 3
"It is important to remember that American Airlines is not the issue – this happens on other airlines. This issue also extends beyond me – this kind of thing happens far too often to other musicians traveling with their instruments. And the issue is definitely not the value of the violin – a $50 violin is just as breakable as the antique violin which I borrow. The issue is the awareness of and adherence to Federal laws and airline polices established to ensure the safe transport of musical instruments on airplanes. Employees of all airlines must be educated about these policies and must abide by them. "
eolesen
Veteran
- Jul 23, 2003
- 15,988
- 9,428
Exactly. In this case, the Envoy gate agent did the right thing and exercised common sense by permitting the passenger to carryon the violin. The problem arose when the FA and pilot did not respect the gate agent's determination and would not let the passenger attempt to fit the violin in the overhead bin (where it would clearly fit).nevergiveup said:
Everyone needs to work as part of the same team - employees should not ignore the common sense and good judgment displayed by their co-workers to the detriment of the customers.
