Ryanair Musical instruments carrying

tomsidebottom

Hi, I'm part of a band and we have a gig in Lithuania this summer and need to get there as cheap as possible.

I'm trying to find out whether we can check our musical instruments but have them just treated as normal baggage so we don't have to pay the extra musical instrument baggage charge? (£30 each way per instrument)

I was hoping that the reason for the charge was so that musicians could get there instruments placed in the part of the hold that gets loaded just before the plane takes off - just making sure they don't get a 30kg hard suitcase thrown on top of them. If this is the case, then I was hoping that us musicians would also have the choice - if we had a good enough case - just to check it in at the check in desk with all the other luggage, so not paying an extra fee. Seeming as we're only away for a couple of days, we could just take our personal stuff in our hand luggage.

It's too much of a risk, however, just to turn up and hope this is the case.

I'd call Ryanair, but it's over £1 per minute. Does anyone know the score on this?

Thanks

Tom

Michael_MUC

Hello Tom,

have you read the FAQ carefully?

Ryanair Website -> (yellow Top Menubar) -> Travel Questions


As I understand you can also check in music instruments as normal baggage.

Greetings from Munich,
Michael

tomsidebottom

Hi, yeh I've read them.

These are the only two bits I can find.....

A checked bag, priority boarding, sports equipment, musical instruments, baby equipment or airport check-in can be added after to your booking flight purchase using one of the following methods:

* At a discounted rate via the Manage My Booking section of the website up to 4 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure at a discounted rate. Please note: This method can only be used if a customer has not already checked in online.
* A Ryanair call centre (subject to opening hours) can add these services up to 4 hours before the scheduled flight departure time. Full rates apply

An airport ticket desk/(self service kiosk where available) can add these services up to 40 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time Full rates apply



AND....


Large musical equipment including but not limited to harps, double bass and drums are inherently unsuitable for carriage by airlines operating fast turnarounds such as Ryanair. However these items may be carried in the hold of the aircraft in addition to your personal checked baggage allowance upon payment of an additional discounted fee per item, per one way flight if booked online. If the item is not booked until arrival at the airport or through a Ryanair call centre the full fee will apply ...... Smaller musical items such as a guitar, violin or viola which exceed our cabin baggage dimensions may be carried in the cabin if a seat for it has been reserved and the appropriate fare paid. There is no checked baggage allowance associated with the purchase of an extra seat.
Due to space restrictions, we recommend that all musical equipment is pre-booked online or through your local reservation centre, as not to do so may result in the item being refused carriage at the airport. If the fee is not paid at the time of booking or on your outbound it will still be imposed on your return journey.


In these paragraphs, I can't find anything that suggests that I can check musical instruments as normal baggage. Am I missing something?


Tom

ailuro2

tomsidebottom wrote: »

Hi, yeh I've read them.

These are the only two bits I can find.....

A checked bag, priority boarding, sports equipment, musical instruments, baby equipment or airport check-in can be added after to your booking flight purchase using one of the following methods:

* At a discounted rate via the Manage My Booking section of the website up to 4 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure at a discounted rate. Please note: This method can only be used if a customer has not already checked in online.
* A Ryanair call centre (subject to opening hours) can add these services up to 4 hours before the scheduled flight departure time. Full rates apply

An airport ticket desk/(self service kiosk where available) can add these services up to 40 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time Full rates apply



In these paragraphs, I can't find anything that suggests that I can check musical instruments as normal baggage. Am I missing something?


Tom

Looks like they will go in the hold as normal baggage, doesn't mention any special treatment.

tomsidebottom

Yeh, you're right it doesn't. I think they do normally offer that service though - taking it off you at the plane and placing it under then.

The thing is, how do they justify charging for musical instruments. If it falls within my baggage allowance of 15kg, and it's an allowed item, surely it could be anything. All it is to them is another bag; the contents - so long as they're allowed - are insignificant.

I don't get it.

madeineurope

Hi
Been battling Ryanairs constant rule changes continuously.. I book bands travelling into Europe from UK on a regular basis.. and if seats are cheap, I book an extra seat for an instrument... if not I have always gone through the instrument baggage purchase really just to be safe.. (if it was me travelling, I would just book as normal luggage and fight it out myself at the time) but cant ask others to do that!!

But now I'm in two minds due to updated f&q's fpr checked baggage.(Since the new baggage prices and options started few weeks ago) Highlighted in red.

• Know your baggage allowances and be aware of restricted items. Checked Baggage is any item accepted for carriage in the aircraft hold, including bags, infant, musical, sports and mobility equipment. (mobility equipment and childrens' pushchairs are carried free of charge)
  Each passenger is permitted to check- in up to a maximum of 2 bags with a maximum weight of 15 kilos per bag (subject to the payment of the applicable checked baggage fees). Checked baggage can be purchased online at the time of booking or via the ‘Manage My Booking’ section of our website. Checked bags can also be purchased via Ryanair reservations up to 4 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure (subject to call centre opening hours) or up to 40 minutes prior to the scheduled flight departure time at the airport.

So if a musical instrument is classed as checked baggage, and is an accepted item as checked baggage, then instruments therefor (As long as within weight allowances) should be able to be counted as a piece of luggage like any other, and having the need to purchase the higher rate 'instrument charge'

Instrument charges now gone up to £80 for a return flight... One piece of luggage (Up to 15kg) now up to £30 (So cheaper to do that by far if within weight)... but they have now placed an option of checking in 2 bags per person, so can have an allowance of 30kg (15kg max each bag).. but that costs £100 for a return flight... extra leeway.. but absolutely ridiculous...!
Goes without saying, ive only booked ryanair in no choice situations, or when the flights themselves are cheap enough to book extra seats to cover instruments....
I have just managed to find/get an electron card now, so least we save on charges now aswell!!

Would love to hear if anyone has travelled with instruments as standard luggage.. like a previous post said, simply refuse to line their phone call profits out of principal, charging these prices per minute to allow them to give their customer service?

Happy Juggling!!!

madeineurope

Sorry, just also to add.. Obviously cymbals are still 'instruments', and I have always booked them as normal luggage with no probs (sometimes even pass as hand luggage.. only just), but of course this isnt as obvious, as say a guitar/cased guitar or bass or alike..

Pee

By the way I have a friend who is a musician and has a very valuable violin that he didn't want to travel in the hold. He was due to fly - not with Ryanair shortly after the 9/11 incident and they refused to let him take it on board, presumably in case he garotted comeone with a string. Hopefully we won't have another security clampdown, but if we do, you may be in trouble.

Would DHL be able to help?

madeineurope

If that situation arose again, i would just do as I did last time, and either check all in as needed, or book extra seats, which they didnt change that available option last time, so that still was fine to do if extra seats are booked... The MU (Music union) got involved with that anyway, and any MU member could pass through fine with their card anyway.
Not really an airline issue though, as if that became an issue again, it wouldnt make any difference which airline was being used, so not alot we can do about that!.. Cant really go by situations that could be, just getting the allowed normalities of everyday regulation.

Many airlines have various different policies regarding instruments and charges/normal luggage accounting etc.. But believed this thread was really just aimed at the ryanair issues i think, and just generalising with the options available with them specificaly as their standard regulations. All airlines would change in unexpected situations such as that, if, of course, required by the authorities above them!
Must say though, in fairness to ryanair and their anti-musician like travellers.. in all the flights I have booked for artistes over the years, we have never had any lost luggage, and only one drastic flight delay (5 hours).. no other delays at all. Easy jet very similar statisticaly in our books! (Although a mishap with one flight when they mislaid the instruments.. found at the departure airport unloaded!)
Britishairways, .. I have had quite a few delays with them, and two cancelled during baggage strikes (Ryanair still on time over that period!).. Aerlingus used only a handful of times, no problems, although prior to flying they changed departure times... and no problems with others, apart from higher price flights! but all in all, when totting up totals, not that much different in cost between all of the flights we use with those above, so really, just love to use ryanair because of their track record for us, which is crucial to us... and when using in quantity, even the slightest unessesary costs mount up when we could be using those extras more effectively elsewhere..

Just for the record though, all airlines will allow a violin (And others that size) as one piece of hand luggage, of course in your friends situation and without an MU card, that would have been why, but normal circumstances it will be accepted as hand luggage, so wouldnt need to check it in to the hold.

Instruments that I'm refering to would generally be the oversized/non handluggage i.e guitar/keyboard/snare etc.. so not a handluggage issue, just a checked baggage issue or extra seat purchase.