Advice from Cronkhite/Torpedo Bags

[davewerden]

This page on the Torpedo website has some good advice. We've talked about most of it, but the summary is handy:

https://torpedobags.com/customer-com...commendations/

[ghmerrill]

Somewhat amusing that it's targeted on trumpets -- which almost certainly have the lowest incidence of checking problems and avoid (as a result of their size) the immediate notice that anything larger will attract. Seems a bit like offering advice to ensure that people don't notice that piccolo you're putting in the overhead while not offering useful guidelines for the alto saxophone.

And it's good advice -- except for those suggestions about slipping someone $X to do something for you. They strike a sour note. Sure, it's relatively cheap to do that if it works. But I wonder how often it works as opposed to (a) not working because the person just takes your money and you never know that he/she simply ignored your request, or (b) backfires in some way because it either violates employer regulations or is found insulting by the employee. While I have no experience in this domain, it strikes me as very unlike slipping some cash to a waiter or maitre D' for a better table (which also won't work in a lot of establishments). So I'm a bit curious about how well-founded (and based on experience) that part of the advice is.

If you want to be tricky, here's another suggestion I just thought of: simply pack your trumpet in a travel case for a medical device (like CPAP or whatever), or modify a medical device case into a fully protective instrument case. You get to carry that on (even if it's extra, in my experience), and it's well cared for. But again: somewhat more difficult to do for a euphonium, trombone, or tuba.

[davewerden]

The Torpedo Coyote is a case that comes in different configs, and one is a triple case. I assume a triple case is large enough that it has to go in the overhead, so it would be a similar situation in that regard. But I don't know how damage potential compares. The fact that it could have 3 horns inside would cause extra risks we don't have, but there is probably still more structural rigidity than my euph bag would have.

The $$ angle is something I have heard elsewhere from people with a bit of flying experience. Your point made me think, though, about how to present the idea! It could indeed be awkward. Certainly I'd feel like discreetly tipping after the fact...but how could I sweetly ask the favor while looking like someone who might give a nice tip???

[ghmerrill]

I'm not sure how you'd tip after the fact -- assuming you had some way of knowing that your instrument had actually received the desired treatment.

Maybe I have the wrong model/scenario in mind -- for lack of experience. But if you want the special handling, don't you have to actually tip someone who handles the baggage, carries it to it's location for shipping, loads it -- or something like that? But that's on the departure side -- and would you ever see that person again after you board? It's hard to imagine how it would work in trying to tip/bribe a ticket or desk agent. And none of those departure people would be where you land and actually pick up your item. My scenario is along the lines of your handing over your instrument and $20 (or whatever) to some luggage handler at the end of the walkway where people are checking carry-on and saying "Please take care to put this somewhere as safe as possible." And then hope for the best.

My only similar experience was checking a rifle on Alaskan Airlines in Raleigh to take it out to my son in Seattle. An agent from TSA came up, took it, said "We'll check it and get back to you in a few minutes." About 15 minutes later he came back and said "Everything's good." And that was it on the departure side. I have no idea what happened after that except that upon arriving it was in the (monitored) pick-up area in the midst of a bunch of other people's camping supplies and such. I said to the agent "That's it." He said "Okay, we need picture ID." And then off I went with it. Between surrendering it at the check-in counter to TSA and picking it up in Seattle, the entire process was opaque.

I'd expect the same to be true of checking an instrument -- making it difficult to have any idea whether your tip could have, did have, or had had any effect. To me, that's where the tipping or "slip someone $X" model breaks down in this case -- unlike one in which you slip someone $50 and say "I'd like a seat near the front" at a Vegas show, and he leads you to a seat in the second or third row or fourth, or whatever reasonably close row while other people are being shown to nice dark spots just inside the doors. I actually have seen THAT work -- though the $50 should give you some clue about how long ago that was.

[davewerden]

I wasn't too detailed before because I was thinking this was a continuation of conversations in other similar threads. But I'm talking about a situation where one is bringing the horn as a carry-on. In that case, you'd be face to face with a person who could possibly place the horn in one of the closets or some other tidy spot (like an overhead in first class, even...once they were sure no FC's would be needing the space.