Editor’s note: No one takes the issue of flying with a guitar more seriously than touring pros, who need to show up at gig after gig with their ax in hand and in one piece. In this article, folk/bluesman Chris Smither shares his highly evolved strategy for getting a guitar on board, relying on a gig bag to fit more easily into overhead bins. It’s worth noting that airline policies and practices for luggage and carry-on bags are unpredictable and forever changing, and that there is no consensus among guitarists on the best strategy—in the April 2009 Here’s How, for instance, Scott Nygaard makes the case for checking your guitar in a heavy-duty flight case. Want to share your views or war stories? Join the discussion on the Acoustic Guitar Community (AcousticGuitarCommunity.com).

Chris Smither doesn’t relinquish his Collings to baggage handlers.

I fly with a guitar a minimum of 100 times a year, and have done so for decades. In the last ten years I can only remember having to check it three times. That is a pretty good batting average, and it doesn’t happen by accident. The purpose of this piece is to share some tips and observations that can make you a major leaguer when it comes to getting your ax on board.

Why Bother?

Why go to all this trouble, especially when a good solid case can protect your baby from all but the most determined assaults? The short answer is threefold: damage, loss, and theft.

Damage. True, a good, expensive case (meaning an Anvil, Calton, or equivalent) will usually stand up to the abuse that the airlines dish out. But there are no guarantees, and since 9/11 you are not allowed to lock the case. Airline baggage personnel are guitar players in about the same ratio as the general population, and a good, expensive case usually means a good, expensive guitar. The possible story lines are obvious; the least alarming is that someone opens the case to take a look and doesn’t close it (and TSA personnel open many bags for security reasons).

Mechanical baggage handlers are another hazard. These systems can have drops of a foot or more, and they often include a feature variously called the tumbler, the spinner, or Attila that spins each piece on every possible axis of rotation in order to get a reading on the luggage tag barcode. Under no circumstances do you want your guitar to go “through the system”—more on that later.

Loss. Anyone who has stood alone at an empty, silent baggage carousel understands this possibility only too well. Loss happens all the time. At best you get it back in 24 hours or less (but still don’t have it for the gig). At worst you never get it back, in which case loss is indistinguishable from . . .

Theft. The airlines deny that this is a problem, but it happens. And the nicer the case, the nicer the guitar, the more likely someone will be tempted.

Keeping It with You

The most important rule is the one that the most people will find most objectionable: Never walk up to a gate with your guitar in a hard-shell case. I can hear it now: “But, but, but . . .” Yeah, yeah, but let me tell you something. When gate agents and flight attendants see you coming with a hard case, they hate you on sight. This is a proven fact, bolstered by years of experience and conversations with these very people. It shows a couple of things about you, neither of them good: 1) You don’t know what you’re doing. 2) You are an inconsiderate creep bent on making a tough job even harder.

The first problem is that you are conspicuous. It is almost impossible to minimize the appearance of a hard-shell case. Second, there are some overhead bins into which a hard-shell case will not fit, even if the bin is empty to begin with. Larger bins can present problems if they have even one bag already in them, because there is no give to a hard-shell.

Now let’s consider a good, padded soft case, or gig bag—a black one with shoulder straps, the longer the better. Every guitar looks smaller in a gig bag, and black makes the case look even smaller, just as black clothes make people look slimmer. And, most importantly, gig bags can be concealed to a surprisingly large extent. Here’s how.

Most gig bags have backpack-style straps, and you can carry the guitar this way until you get to the gate area. The problem is that the guitar rides high on your back, with the tuning-gear end sticking up over your head; so as soon as you get near your gate, sling it over one shoulder instead, preferably the shoulder away from the gate agent. Practice carrying the guitar this way in front of the mirror, taking note of which angles minimize things best. You will be astonished at how effective this can be. Get to a seat in the boarding area and tuck the guitar on its side, neck first under your chair, with only the lower bout showing. It goes without saying that the only other bag you should be carrying is a small personal item, such as a purse or briefcase. So far, so good.

A word about booking your seat. You want to get on the plane as early as you can, so you have more room to stow your pride and joy. If you fly business class your worries are over, because not only will you get on first, but the crew is much more forgiving about carry-ons with people who spend that kind of dough. You’re also in a good position if you’re a medallion-level flier on the airline, or have a small child with you (I have done this). For the rest of us, it is worth knowing that the window seats at the rear of the plane always board earliest, except on Southwest Airlines. Aisle seats almost never board earlier than group 3 and often are group 4. Southwest has its own boarding process, and if you check in online 24 hours in advance you can be in one of the earliest boarding groups (and for an extra $10, you can check in 36 hours before your flight). Southwest is, in my experience, unfailingly reasonable in their dealings with musicians, and indeed with any passenger.

OK, time to board. Do not stay seated until your group is called, no matter what they tell you. Calmly move yourself to an unobtrusive spot close enough to the gate that you can be among the first of your boarding group when it is called. Be ready, boarding pass in hand, guitar slung over the shoulder away from the ticket taker, personal bag in hand on the same side as the guitar. Hand in your boarding pass and move along. Most of the time they will not notice the guitar or say anything about it.

If at this point the agent says you have to gate-check the guitar, take the little tag or let him attach it to the bag and move quickly onto the jet bridge or door. Do not argue. If an argument starts, you have already lost. If your case now has a tag attached, rip it off as soon as you are out of the agent’s sight. No kidding. If you have a tag in your hand, stick it in your pocket. You are almost home.

Before you get to the door of the plane, shift the guitar to your right shoulder if it’s not there already. The flight attendants will always be on your left as you board. Smile and say good morning or afternoon. If they do anything at this point, most flight attendants will, in fact, try to help you. Many will ask if you’d like to put the guitar in a closet. If you have a dreadnought-size guitar and it is a small commuter jet, you should accept the offer; the gig bag probably won’t fit in the overhead. My guitar is a 12-fret 000 Collings and has fit in every overhead I have encountered, so I try not to accept the offer.

If the crew says nothing, just move down the aisle, get your ax packed, and sit down. In larger planes with big bins, even almost-full bins can be used if you are inventive about getting the neck over the top of someone else’s softer bag. This is where a hard-shell case would be a disaster and the gig bag shines.

Gate Checking

Gate checking, when you surrender a bag at the door of the plane and retrieve it at the door when you reach your destination, is not the end of the world. I prefer not doing it, but I don’t really worry about the soft vs. hard case in these situations. If all else fails, I go with it. Remember, your bottom-line goal is to avoid a full-scale baggage check at all costs, and gate checking accomplishes that.

I should point out that the relationship between guitarists and airlines is not entirely adversarial. Most airline personnel, particularly flight attendants, truly try to be helpful. They have a tough job, and anything you can do to fit in, to move within their rhythms like a good sideman, will be appreciated—or, even better, not noticed at all. Good luck.

Chris Smither (chrissmither.com) is a Boston-based folk/blues guitarist.