they have let me put the cello in the overhead compartment (soft case)

possible to fit the cello in the overhead compartment in a soft case

they have let me put the cello in the overhead compartment (soft case) but did not give me a refund for the purchased ticket. That happened on a full flight, and the flight crew still managed to find a space for the cello in the overhead compartment simply by moving things around! Ironically, being a full flight, there was an empty seat at my side that could have been resold to another passenger, someone who needed to get somewhere, and who could (being human) not sit in the overhead compartment. In this case, restricting the use of their free overhead space is obstructing their service to other potental passengers.On one occasion, with AirTrans, a flight attendant was sweet enough to ask if my cello would fit in the overhead compartment (yes), and came back with a ticket agent to give me a refund. That was in 2000, and I was left speechless.In my opinion, airlines should be able to accept a certain number of celli/guitars/etc onboard, with a previous reservation.

UK jet has cello-friendly policy but not US

EasyJet now has that policy after UK musicians made a stink. Unfortunately, they do not fly to the USA. The good part for EasyJet is that they will corner the market on musicians’ travel! Why don’t airlines in the USA want to jump on the bandwagon? Why are they ready to put up thousands of dollars to support an orchestra, but not ready to help those same musicians travel? How can an airline "proudly" offer our music on board, while making our lives so difficult? Do they support culture or are they just interested in the tax write-offs? Perhaps there would be a way for airlines to make a tax write-off for allowing instruments to be carried in the overhead bins?

A musical instrument is a work of art, part of our cultural heritage, and will continue being played by other musicians if they manage to be protected and to last. Whose job is that protection? Do we trust Musician X to care for this rare Y violin? What happens if Musician X does not care for that violin? Whose loss is it? I would say it is the loss of humankind, future violinists to come. Private vs. public property…instruments fall into private property, however, they are really public heritage. Airlines, by helping (sometimes poor) musicians to protect that heritage, make a very important contribution to culture. Musicians travel extensively for their work, and need an airline that understands and respects their needs. There are even "pet airlines" charging reasonable fares to transport pets…but there are no such musician-friendly options. If airlines cannot guarantee that our instruments will be treated with the utmost respect and care in their holds, and if they are unwilling to pay for a damaged or lost instrument, isn’t it their job to find the solution (besides charging us for another ticket!)? Many cellists have been comfortable with gate-check, and now, in many cases, it is not an option. How is it possible that a company make MORE money due to their incompetence? It’s really insane, if you think about it. I’ve tried to get creative with travel, thinking that if I travel with 3 other travellers, and they "give me" their overhead compartment space, doesn’t that make enough space for a cello? Evidentally not, because that overhead space ("you may only bring a bag of x dimensions") is not actually yours. You are not guaranteed an overhead compartment space on any flight. So…why make these specific dimensions, which seem to be imposed so that everyone will have space? I have seen carry-on baggage exceptions made for someone traveling with 3 rollerboards and not for someone with a fragile item that cannot be well taken care of by the airline’s own baggage handlers…We are, unfortunately, a minority in the music world, which is why we are being persecuted. If all musicians were equally affected, or if unaffected musicians would feel as indignant as we cellists feel about our own plight, perhaps we would see some change.

http://greg.chiaraquartet.net/another-199/