jsinjin - Posted - 04/26/2026:  13:51:11

I am flying with my banjo for the first time traveling from DFW to the Midwest banjo camp near Ft Wayne IN. Fortunately it’s a direct flight. I’ve never flown with an instrument before. I purchased priority boarding and I bought a used but very sturdy crossrock air carbon case that fits the instrument very well. I’m going to get on as early as possible and I know that the OH bin space is limited but that there is some federal rule that instruments can’t be removed from OH bin space if they get it. Are there any other strategies. I’ve seen a couple of videos that scare me with baggage handlers and music instruments

Owen - Posted - 04/26/2026:  14:03:20

Apparently there's 7 pages of strategies (?) here: banjohangout.org/topic/281603

Disclaimer: I don't fly much [with or without a banjo], so I haven't read ^^.

jsinjin - Posted - 04/26/2026:  14:57:52

This video just scares me

m.youtube.com/watch?v=JhUcLetJ...ydW1lbnRz

Alex Z - Posted - 04/26/2026:  15:38:45

I believe there was an extensive discussion of this video.

So why is there a cart full of guitars?  All going to or coming from the exact same flight?  And why is the handler throwing them on the ground and not on a conveyor belt into the plane or into the terminal?  Someone would have to pick them up and put them somewhere else?  

The full video shows another person walking by at the beginning, with only a casual look.  But the photographer describes that the handler is "looking around to see if anyone is watching."

Suggestions are that the video was created via Artificial Intelligence methods.

banjoboyd - Posted - 04/26/2026:  17:28:16

quote:

---

Originally posted by Owen

Apparently there's 7 pages of strategies (?) here: banjohangout.org/topic/281603

Disclaimer: I don't fly much [with or without a banjo], so I haven't read ^^.

---

And if there was actually one thing that works reliably and that won't ruin your trip and/or instrument, it wouldn't take 7 pages to discuss it.



I've flown domestically and internationally many times with my banjo checked in a relatively cheap (<$200) hard case. I pack the case tightly with laundry so that the banjo can't move around. Up until now, I've never had the case fail (although it does get quite beat up) or the banjo inside it get damaged. The banjo I travel with isn't worth much, so it's a risk I'm willing to accept. I've never tried bringing a banjo into the cabin because...what if they say no? You'd better hope it's in a hard case (which to me, not being able to bring it in a soft/foam case kind of defeats the whole purpose of carrying it on).



All the problems I've had flying with a banjo come down to:

1. Confusion regarding whether or not the case counts as "oversize" luggage, and if so, where does it need to be dropped off and/or picked up (this depends on the airport).

2. Security/TSA issues; most recently, I was called back to the initial check in area as my flight was boarding because some genius couldn't figure out how to open the case. I had to go through the entire security procedure again and would have missed my flight had I not ran through the terminal. 



If you want to try bringing a hard case into the cabin, I think you are going about it the right way. It wouldn't hurt to call the airline in advance and get their specific policy. You can also inform the boarding desk people that you will be bringing an instrument on with you. 

jsinjin - Posted - 04/26/2026:  17:32:30

Thanks so much for the point to the article and the specific suggestions. I have only one banjo and it was and is not a lower cost one.

Owen - Posted - 04/26/2026:  18:04:50

.... and further to, "If you want to try bringing a hard case into the cabin, I think you are going about it the right way. It wouldn't hurt to call the airline in advance and get their specific policy. You can also inform the boarding desk people that you will be bringing an instrument on with you."  the space in the overhead bin that's above other seats is first for those passengers' luggage, IMNSHumnbleO.

[Too bad airlines don't consult me re. such policies.  ]

Edited by - Owen on 04/26/2026 18:06:52

mrphysics55 - Posted - 04/26/2026:  18:52:53

If you cannot slake your concerns, then pack your banjo like you are shipping it to the seventh level of hell. Take a cheap banjo with you. Drive to your destination. Or don’t take a banjo … or stay home.
Too many variables that are out of your control.
Good luck making up your mind.
I wish you and your banjo the best.
MrP

mrphysics55 - Posted - 04/26/2026:  18:54:26

P.s.
Don’t take your beloved banjo on a plane trip.

pinenut - Posted - 04/26/2026:  21:36:12

quote:

---

Originally posted by mrphysics55

P.s.

Don’t take your beloved banjo on a plane trip.

---

+1

Take a banjo; take one that is replaceable.  

martyjoe - Posted - 04/27/2026:  02:10:08

I’ve taken a tenor banjo on international flights a good few times. Mine fits nicely into a fairly cheap mandola soft bag. I just put it in the bag and check it in at the desk. Usually they send me down to oversize with it. On one occasion the team leader at check-in refused to take any responsibility for it and insisted that I carry it on. I argued that the banjo was unbreakable and that even if it did get lost or damaged I would just make myself another one, but it fell on deaf ears. I had no choice but to put it in the overhead and carry it around Dohar airport for 3hrs between connecting flights. Luckily it has a woody tone ring.

corcoran - Posted - 04/27/2026:  08:54:58

I have found that the safest way to fly with a banjo, particularly a valuable banjo, is to remove the neck and pack it securely in a flight case such as a Calton or a Hoffee. The neck weighs very little, and without the heavy drum to damage it, and with it secured in the case with bubble wrap or wedged in with clothes, the neck is safe. I check the case with the neck in baggage, and I place the drum in a backpack with wheels and take it as carryon. This has worked for me numerous times, including on international flights, without any problem. There is of course always the possibility that the airline will lose the case (i.e., checked baggage)! Life is full of risk.

jsinjin - Posted - 04/27/2026:  12:09:34

I think since I bought a flight case, if they won’t let me carry it on with early boarding despite the federal rules (however those are interpreted) I’ll choose to skip the event. I have only one banjo and it’s a customs and i spent an X multiple on it and i love it as an instrument. So I think I’ve hedged pretty well. This is one of my few vacations annually from work so I didn’t want to take time driving. I may look at first class as an upgrade to the flight to see if that helps.

dbrooks - Posted - 04/27/2026:  12:40:27

Other suggestions:

Check with Ken Perlman and the event about an option to rent a banjo locally.  Elderly Instruments is involved in the camp and may rent you a banjo.

Post a new message on BHO to ask if other attendees may rent you a banjo.  Put that question in the message title.

The instructor lineup is outstanding.  And I think you have had some online instruction with Hilarie Burhans who will be at the camp.

David

jsinjin - Posted - 04/27/2026:  12:52:46

Yes Hilarie is my weekly instructor. She suggested I attend. I think I’ll take every precaution I can. I already intend to go. Lukas Pool is also there as an instructor and his style is one that I truly appreciate as a player.

in the meantime I upgraded the flight to first class.  Hopefully that helps.  I can probably use the closet at the front like they do with suit coats.

Edited by - jsinjin on 04/27/2026 12:54:02

rvrose - Posted - 04/28/2026:  22:11:19

I agree with David, call Elderly and see if they will have rentals. I've been to the camp twice. It's very good. Enjoy.

Rick

Pix5String - Posted - 04/30/2026:  06:09:12

I’m a retired Captain for a major airline based at DFW. I have carried my banjo while working and as a passenger for almost 30 years all over the world. I probably have a few posts on the 7 page discussion from the past. It is federal regulation that musical instruments be accommodated in the cabin if physically possible, though I realize fed regs and airline policy lack total credibility when taking your precious instrument. I use an Access soft side case and have never had to check it (more on that in a minute). It’s wise to purchase early boarding to be able to get to available overhead space, HOWEVER, the smaller regional air carriers fly smaller planes that have SMALLER overhead bin space that are not big enough for a banjo especially one in a Crossrock case. They will check it on the smaller planes and you will pick it up on the jet bridge on gate arrival (fewer hands handling it and less equipment processing it).

There are 2 reasons I like the soft case, first, the vulnerable part is the neck, in a hard case the energy of a drop or a slap, energy is transmitted directly to the neck even if it is padded (to some extent). The nature of the Access case is that energy is not efficiently transmitted through the case and the instrument Second, it’s easier to make the argument with the cabin crew of the vulnerability of the instrument in a soft case and typically they will go the extra mile to find a place for it in the cabin. If necessary don’t hesitate to ask to speak to the captain. I frequently see the cabin crew deal with this issue and they have always found a satisfactory place for it and generally leaving it in the OH bin. They have closets and cart spaces fore and aft in the cabin that can be used if necessary.

Regarding the hard Crossrock or the soft Access cases, the latter is not as vulnerable to “slap” damage as the hard case but more vulnerable to crush damage (which I think is less likely).

Loosen the strings and flatten the bridge. Though taking the neck off is more of a sure thing, I would not do that. My rule is to check a hard Crossrock type case or carry on the soft side case.

Lastly, if you’re going to a special event like you are, you should take your favorite instrument. You will enjoy it SO much more. The likelihood of having your instrument damaged is small (though the stories of damage are always dramatic). Life is full of risks and rewards, only you can decide what’s best for you. Enjoy the Midwest Camp!

Edited by - Pix5String on 04/30/2026 06:12:32

Pix5String - Posted - 05/02/2026:  04:52:27

Hey John, Let us know how you’re trip went when you get back.
Thanks,
Willie

Owen - Posted - 05/03/2026:  19:35:04

Willie: "...energy is transmitted directly to the neck even if it is padded ...  ."

I don't anticipate having to ship a banjo, but based on my common  sense (?) and my experience in farming and moving our household across the country [twice], and plenty of packing for 10+ years on fly-in reserves, coupled with my high school physics ["voluntarily withdrew" from first year  ], if I ever do, I'll probably pad the neck about 1/3 or maybe 40% of the way from the heel to the peghead, and leave the space around the peghead empty.  Guys with 'way more banjo-shipping experience than me [and 'way better physics credentials], apparently see things differently.  

martyjoe - Posted - 05/03/2026:  23:23:49

Just take the peghead off altogether. No padding required. I always check it in in its soft case. Easily fits into the overhead if they refuse.

 

Owen - Posted - 05/04/2026:  06:05:50

Martyjoe, ^^ inspired a [i.e. just one] brainwave:  A two-piece neck that fits/screws together like the sections of a pool cue????

Owen - Posted - 05/04/2026:  06:59:50

With the benefit of time/coffee, I can see how a truss rod might complicate (?) that ^^ .    

martyjoe - Posted - 05/04/2026:  09:53:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by Owen

Martyjoe, ^^ inspired a [i.e. just one] brainwave:  A two-piece neck that fits/screws together like the sections of a pool cue????

---

Yep. You could run a bolt down from the nut end that fits loosely into the neck, thread it into the fixed lower part and then have a lever tightening system to hold it snug in place. The bolt running down the entire length of the neck would act as reinforcement but without the adjustment of a truss rod. 

5stringjim5 - Posted - 05/20/2026:  14:53:29

I didn't read the entire thread, but I'm in agreement with most; don't take a pricey banjo or your favorite one on a plane. Send it ahead, fully insured by a reputable carrier, well-packed and sealed to someone where you will be traveling to if possible. Or, do take a lower end banjo on the plane and see what happens. I've worked at airports. No, the bag handlers don't really care what happens to your bag. They're being whipped to git it done and move on to the next plane load. You can hear bags being body slammed at any given bag belt on any given day. Or, 3, drive there with your banjo intact.

writerrad - Posted - 05/20/2026:  18:10:53

I first flew with an acoustic guitar, a Gibson J 45, in 1966.  I have been flying with 5 string banjos since around 2007, both inside the United States and to as far away as St Petersburg Russia.  In general the principle is the closer you get to persons who work on the actual airplane, the more you can trust people involved.   Also,  most crazy stories about instruments being destroyed are untrue.  But also stories that people will put on here about flying before say 1990 or 2000, are not applicable.  IIt takes special care.

First, get a good case.  I have a cross rock fiberglass case, and  I usually use it if I am taking one banjo.  I gate check the banjo.  I not trust the airline to get the banjo from where I check in to the airplane.  I carry the banjo to the gate and when I arrive at the gate,  I explain I want to "gate check" the instrument.  This means when preboarding starts,  I carry the banjo onto the plane.  Just before you actually go on the plane there is a little area usually with someone waiting who will take the instrument by hand and place it in the cargo area of the airplane.  You will see people doing this with people's wheel chairs, or with baby strollers and such.  When I started doing this 20 years ago I still had friends who worked on the ramp (where you load and unload planes) or as fllght attendants who said this is the best thing.  It has worked pretty well.

They will put the instrument in a special area and when the plane lands it will be taken off the airplane by a person not a machine and usually will be handed to you right at the gate or just before .  Some airports especially in Europe like London Heathrow,  Frankfurt Germany, and Amsterdam have special areas to get stuff like this. Most American airports they either have an area where such items will be right as you go out the door of the airplane or will bring it to the desk.  Some airpprts in Europe have a special area where such things are brought.

Over the past 10 years, planes have gotten too crowded for them to have the space to put even a small banjo in the overhead rack for luggage which have gotten smaller and smaller.   I am 78 and have a handicap that entitles me to preboard the plane even fif I was 17.  But now the overhead racks  are no longer big enough to fit a full sized banjo the way they used to be.

It is quite surprising how many people who work on the planes in various capacities are friendly, how many are pickers, and how helpful they are.   On the other hand this is an industry where management has really put the work force under a lot of pressure over a lot of things.    I so have a fiberglass flight case, but I have traveled alot across the US, to Mexico. to Europe including Russia with just TKLs before the relatively inexpensive fiber glass cases became available.

I would also advise you to pack your banjo securely inside the case so that everything is snug.   Towels or pieces of foam that keep things snug are useful.   This is a place where having as many decals and bumper stickers that makes your case look distinctive is important. 

Again, most stories about banjo being pulverised at airports are crazy.   Your biggest fear is someone who is not trained to load the plane putting the banjo rudely on the conveyer belt behind the ticket booth.  Take the banjo to the airplane yourself.  If you are old and infirm or both as I have become, the airline will assist you getting to the gate.  Gate check the banjo.   Have a good strong case.  A special flight case is the best, but if you  dont have one a TKL: packed snug will do.   Take the tension off the strings.

Dont listen to crazy people who talk about banjos being pulverised.  Take the banjo to the gate yourself, pick it up at the gate.

And will the person who started this threat PLEASE WRITE BACK TO US ABOUT WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DID AND HOW IT WORKED.   i have spent decades now typing in answers to questions like this on BHO  but unless I know the person posting.  I never know what they did and what worked.

Thanks

.

writerrad - Posted - 05/20/2026:  18:23:26

quote: That is  a little extreme and quite expensive unless you are a pro and can make that tax deductible.  My wife is from Germany and 20 or so years ago we started having to go over to Germany to attend to family matters and sometimes had to stay for months..  We considered doing what you propose and try to figure it out with DHL, since it would be tax deductible since I was giving workshops and classes i wrangled in Germany, Sweden, and England as part of the trip.   In the end back 22 years  ago we flew business class all the way to St Petersburg Russia which and there was ennough room to to put a big monster tubaphone.  But those days are over.

 A simpler solution which is buying a flight case, making sure you gate check the instrument, which means you take it to the gate, a person carries it onto the airplane and puts it in a special area for stuff people do not want broken.  In some airports they hand you the instrument when you get off the plane, and in other airports especially it sees in Germany and Holland, they have a special area at the airport to pick up such items..    

---

Originally posted by 5stringjim5

I didn't read the entire thread, but I'm in agreement with most; don't take a pricey banjo or your favorite one on a plane. Send it ahead, fully insured by a reputable carrier, well-packed and sealed to someone where you will be traveling to if possible. Or, do take a lower end banjo on the plane and see what happens. I've worked at airports. No, the bag handlers don't really care what happens to your bag. They're being whipped to git it done and move on to the next plane load. You can hear bags being body slammed at any given bag belt on any given day. Or, 3, drive there with your banjo intact.

---

writerrad - Posted - 05/20/2026:  18:30:39

quote:  Amen.  The pressure that is on people working at airports now is tremendous.  I would never check a banjo at the front desk or baggage load area.   When I guy a ticket, especially for an international flight,  I ask to "gate check."  This means I carry the instrument to the gate,  when I carry it on the plane someone meets me at the door and takes it by hand to a special compartment.   On some airlines and some airports they will have it for you when you get right off the plane, at others especially in Germany, they have a special area where you pick stuff up.

The people working loading the planes are really overworked and sped up and busy.  The general rule is the closer you get to the airplane especially to the people who work on the plane, the more leewaythere is to do things right.  The ramp and front desk on airlines there are getting overworked and driven beyond belief.

jsinjin - Posted - 05/20/2026:  19:33:31

I was able to get an upgraded seat at the front and first boarding. A bit more expensive but worth it I think. And only a 2.5 hour flight.

5stringjim5 - Posted - 05/21/2026:  05:20:47

To me extreme is arriving at your destination only to find the banjo didn't arrive with you, or it arrived damaged. Take the risk. It's up to the individual. If it was a low-end banjo, I'd say go for it. If it's your favorite, go-to banjo you paid a fortune for, then no. Find another way. Pros have their own planes. Semi-pro players use charters, much safer and more reliable.

jacksass - Posted - 05/21/2026:  07:08:21

One way to travel with a banjo is to take it apart and carry it on board, Making absolutly sure no one places any bagage on top of it or too close for comfort in the overhead bins right above my head as i like an isle seat and am ready to bite anyone using that bin . You could also keep it close to your seat by the window. This all takes time and knowledge on how to put it back together . the Pot stays complete and I found it fits nicely in a large lap top bag with shoulder strap. The neck even with a dowel stick is raped in padded cloth with a shoulder sling and carried on my back in the airport. Both hands are free to do what they must. Of course i am being very carefull and touchy and don't mind putting it back together with new strings all cleaned up.

Dale Diehl - Posted - 05/21/2026:  12:39:54

John Hickman told about taking his banjo on flights. He had a dilapidated old case that was covered in duct tape, and used some kind of bungee cord to help keep it closed.. He would reach around the attendant and place the banjo in the closet behind them, as he boarded. He said they rarely stopped him. He believed the case looked so pathetic that it would never make through being checked in and stowed below. John was such a soft spoken and well mannered gentleman he was able to pull it off. He said he flew that way for years.

markxsherman - Posted - 05/23/2026:  08:02:49

I've gotten on early and never had to check my banjo. But if I did, I'd loosen the strings significantly and pray before checking my banjo or take a different flight.

writerrad - Posted - 05/28/2026:  10:17:47

:I have been flying with instruments starting with acoustic guitar since 1965.  A  Crossrock Air Carbon case is going to be fine for your banjor.  On most planes, including the biggest there is not room in most over head compartments to put a banjo in a cross rock case, That is the flight case I use when I fly for my Tubahones   

 One of the factors of crowded airplanes is the overhead area is crammed with lots of baggage.  Except perhaps in first class,  there is not space to put a banjo.   I would not plan to do this.  It does not matter when you get to the gate, or check in.  Stuff goes in the overhead bins on when people get on the plane.   I do not happen to worry about that issue because I will be 79 on Friday.  When you are a senior as my wife and I are, you are qualified for preboard,

I have flown a lot including recently both inside the US and frequently to Europe, and at times to Mexico Guatemala, once to India and Nepal.

Gate check your instrument.  This means YOU carry the instrument to the gate.  You go to the person who is working at the gate and tell them you want to "Gate check"  your instrument.  Some time before the plane is boarded, you go to the plane and someone who works on the plane or loading the plane will meet you in the boarding area.  He or she will take the instrument by hand to a special area for items like this on the plane.  You see people doing this all the time with wheel chairs and baby carrying devices.

It seems to depend on what airport or airline what happens when the plane lands.   On most USA flights,  someone meets you in the jet way coming off the plane with the instrument.  One some airlines or airports they bring the instrument out and hand it to you in the gate areas where you get off the plane,  In some airports especially in Germany you have to go to a special area where such items are picked up,

I have done this with both guitars and banjos flying around the USA, flying to Mexico, Guatemala, Germany, England, Portugal, Sweden, and even to Russia and from Russia back to Germany .   The only trouble I had was about 20 years ago with Ryan Air a budget airline that flies out of abandoned cold war air bases in Germany. At the time(2010) I first took them, they had a list of instruments that you could not check including banjos.  I had to buy a seat which was not much since it was a budget airline and we were going from Hahn near the Mosel in Germany to England and back.    This was 16 years ago and Ryannair may not be in business any more,

I have never heard of any federal rule that instruments cannot be removed.   OH space used to be big enough for a banjo or a guitar when I started flying in the 1960s.  Only if you are flying First Class or Business class and then only more than 5 years ago would the overhead been be big enough to fit a banjo of any size.

One principle involved is that THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE ACTUAL AIRPLANE THE MORE PEOPLE WORKING FOR THE AIRLINE WILL WANT TO HELP YOU.   The people checking people in at the front desk are the least able to be helpful.  Gate check the instrument and you will be dealing with a person who works directly with the people operating the airplane,

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.  After you make the flight, come back to Banjo Hangout and tell us how it happened, what you did and how it worked out or did not work out.  I have been on BHO for about 20 years now, and I hate it when people come with a problem like yours, but never tell us what they did in the end or how it worked out!

'Thanks

---

s

writerrad - Posted - 05/28/2026:  10:23:49

quote:most airlines allow you to gate check.  You take it yourself to the plane, a special attendant takes it on the plane and puts it in a special area, rather than regular cargo.  A similar attendant is there when you get off the plane and hands you the instrument either on the ramp off the plane or at the desk for the flight inside the airport, though in other countries like Germany the airport may have a special area for such items   People are always doing this with wheel chairs and babby carrying carts'

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Originally posted by 5stringjim5

To me extreme is arriving at your destination only to find the banjo didn't arrive with you, or it arrived damaged. Take the risk. It's up to the individual. If it was a low-end banjo, I'd say go for it. If it's your favorite, go-to banjo you paid a fortune for, then no. Find another way. Pros have their own planes. Semi-pro players use charters, much safer and more reliable.

---

5stringjim5 - Posted - 05/28/2026:  13:13:28

It's your banjo; up to you if you want to risk having airport personnel handle it. Check with your airline yourself. Don't just go by what someone else tells you you can, or cannot do.