F,O,H, says:
I came from Europe to the USA. I can’t afford a seat for my cello,
so it went down with the luggage. I always ask, at the check-in, if
somebody can carry it instead of putting on the belt. My best
experiences are with KLM and British Airways. Unfortunately, when I got
my cello at my final destination, there was a card stating that it had
been opened and checked by the TSA. 2 of the corners (on the top plate)
were smashed. One other corner was half cut. It was clear that they
closed the case in a hurry and didn’t fit the cello properly. The cello
was loose (unstrapped) inside, and one of the bows was also loose. When I
opened the case, it looked like the bow was broken in half. Luckily it
was not, but could have easily damaged the cello further. I didn’t know
where to complain, The attitude of people working at the passport
control was very, very, very aggressive. I have travelled all over
Europe, South and Central America. This was my worse experience in
airports.
