Flying with a Cello

My brothers and I have been trying to sell our deceased mother’s cello on consignment with a luthier in the Portland area since 2020, but we’ve had no offers. Our luthier says the market for string instruments fell because of the Covid-19 pandemic. (This was not the case for dogs and guitars, both of which experienced huge demand beginning in 2020 when people stuck at home decided to adopt a pet and take up an easy musical instrument.)

Since I live near Boston, a city with a very active music scene, my brothers and I decided that I should bring the cello here and list it on consignment with a luthier.

The sinister-looking shiny black cello case

I decided to pretend I was Yo-yo Ma and bring my cello to Boston by buying a seat for the cello on an airplane. Alaska Air has nonstop flights from Portland to Boston, and its website stated that I had to call to book a ticket for the cello. When I called, the booking agent was very helpful. I booked two one-way first class tickets on a nonstop redeye flight, which had cheaper fares, one for me and one for “Cello Halling“. There was an extra fee of about 6% for cargo tax. The tickets were about $700 each.

I asked one of my brothers to drop me off at PDX three hours early (8:30 p.m.) so I would have plenty of time to get the cello through security. But I sailed through security using TSA PreCheck. I was surprised that the bulky case and cello went through the x-ray scanner. I was not asked to open the case. TSA didn’t ask about the endpin, which is long, pointy, and sharp. (I was mentally prepared to transfer the endpin to my carry-on bag and check the carry-on bag.)

Since I had first class tickets, I was able to board early and immediately capture the attention of a flight attendant. As recommended by the booking agent, I asked the flight attendant for a seat belt extension. The attendant asked me to strap the cello in the window seat with the bottom of the case on the floor, and he checked that it wouldn’t move around during the flight.

The cello strapped into its first class seat

I slept about two and half hours during the flight. I woke up at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, surprisingly alert, possibly because the sun was shining through the plane’s windows. The flight arrived on time at 7:50 a.m. I wanted to take the airport shuttle bus to the MBTA Airport Station, but they were all very full, so I ended up rolling the cello a mile on the airport’s sidewalks. I took the Blue Line and Green Line to Gilman Square and carefully rolled the cello home from there.

I don’t know if I could have booked a regular seat since I wanted the convenience of flying first class. (I don’t normally fly first class, but I wanted to avoid potential obstacles.) I don’t think there is enough space for a cello case to sit on the floor in the regular cabin. The priority of the flight attendants is safety, not convenience, and they can refuse to accommodate large baggage if they think it’s not secured properly (think air turbulence or a crash).

Alaska Air is my favorite airline, and I flew Alaska about ten times a year for fourteen years to visit my parents in Portland during their declining years. Alaska Air provides good information about carrying musical instruments. See Alaska Air: Special baggage: Musical instruments and Alaska Air: Special baggage. Cellos do not earn frequent flyer points.